It's December, and I am doing the December meme, where I post in response to questions and/or prompts on particular days in December. I am limiting myself to 500 words per post.

The list of posts I'm doing so far is here. Please add more if you feel inspired.


Today's prompt comes from pauraque: Post about dogs.

In general, I haven't had a lot of physical touch in my life in the past few years. But one of the very lovely exceptions to the rule has been the touch I've had with dogs, first as a dog walker, then working at a dog day care, and then adopting my own Doglet. I remember taking Doglet home the first night, when he was just a foster dog I hadn't admitted to myself I was considering keeping, and holding his tiny body against my chest. I swear I could feel the oxytocin flowing.

Touch with people can be complicated and difficult, and touch with dogs is so warm and simple. Earlier this week, I taught Doglet "paw," and there is nothing I don't love about holding out my hand and having him swipe his little paw against my palm.

Dogs also make me laugh constantly. For example: the old basset at work who's taken to BOOF-ing petulantly when I stop petting him. My beagle puppy dogwalking client playing vigorous games of tug. My own Doglet popping his face--just his face--out from under the bedcovers to stare at me hopefully because maybe, just maybe, it's time for breakfast.

My deep love for dogs is also one of the relativey few things about me that feels easy to share with strangers or new acquaintances. Back when I had my professional job and was closeted about most of my personal life, delight over dog pictures (or, less commonly, actual dogs) was one of the few qualities I let people see. Colleagues were constantly showing me dog photos or passing on dog-related freebies to me, and it always felt good, like they were seeing something about me that was real, and I could respond with genuinely felt enthusiasm.

Now, when I walk Doglet, people in the neighborhood recognize me and respond in ways I really like. Pre-Doglet, most of the comments I'd get out in the world were either observations about my smiling or failure to smile (ugh) or about my haircut. Now, people comment on my dog, or, occasionally, lack of dog. I walked home with groceries one day past a friendly contractor who'd been working on a building in my neighborhood and whom I'd passed with Doglet a couple of times earlier. "Now you just seem incomplete," he said, eyeing the space by my feet where I'd usually have Doglet. "I feel incomplete," I answered, which was mostly in jest but true in its way too. It felt like the most accurate thing anyone on the street had ever observed about me.

And those are some things about dogs! Go add more prompts if you like!