When Your Life Has Gone to the Dogs

Posted on May 24, 2016 Topic : Fiction
Posted by : Dana Mentink

Lately, my writing has gone to the dogs. As it turns out, that's not a bad thing. Over the years I've written scads of animal characters into my books, everything from seagulls to parakeets and even a three legged bunny, but recently dogs have bounded their way into my novels at full speed. It turns out that you can learn a lot from our tail wagging friends, both fictional and real. Here are three truths that I've discovered while living with, and writing about, man's best friend.

Truth #1: Judgement Can Lead to Errors

There I am walking my German Shepherd, Nala, in the wee hours. We both stop dead at the sight of a pit bull charging down the street. Should I yell? Get my pepper spray? Nala is tensed and ready, scruff up, teeth showing. The dog careens to a stop so close she almost knocks me over and immediately flips onto her back for a belly scratch. The dog trots away to check out the shrubs and then charges back. Repeat this for another 15 minutes as we struggle home, trying to avoid being knocked over by a happy hurricane. We reach home and this rabidly friendly pit gallops right into the back yard. I pry her out, shut the gate, and slog into the house where I feed my dog. I look out the front window to see the pit, staring into the kitchen window, tail wagging as if to say, “Hey, you gonna eat all that?” I venture out and find the owner who tells me Priscilla is a very friendly pit. You don't say? I will remember this important truth when I create the character of Tippy in Sit, Stay, Love. People, like dogs, are often not what they appear to be.

Truth #2: Understand What's Important

God made each day to be a gift, ready to be opened and experienced. After we lost our beloved Nala, our companion of 13 years, we adopted a naughty little doxie-terrier mix who sometimes answers to Junie. The first thing Junie taught me was that the view is always the same inside. At nine months old, she is on fire to go out into the world and sniff and wag at anything and everything. “Let’s go OOOUUUUUTTTTTT,” you can practically hear her say. “We’re too young to sit in a chair all day.” Good advice, Junie. Let’s take a break here in Chapter Three and go for a walk. This nutty little terrier is certainly wise in her own way. She knows we humans need coaching sometimes.

Truth #3: No Two Dogs (or People) Are The Same

Oh how I still miss my darling Nala and for a while, I looked at Junie in astonishment, thinking, “Nala never did that!” Junie leaps where Nala ambled. Junie's toys are precious to her, while Nala wanted nothing to do with them. Nala was patient. Junie is not, yet both dogs are unique creations, with individual lessons to teach. Two creatures of the same species can be so different they are almost incomparable. It's one of the magnificent accomplishments of the Creator, don't you agree? Point taken, Junie! Now let's go home so I can write this down!

Dogs have taught me plenty and inspired many scenes in my Love Unleashed series. The same could be said of our three-decades-old box turtle...but that's the subject of another blog. Have you learned any important lessons from your pets?

Learn more life lessons in the pages of fiction...