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When trying to write |
Friday evening, I was playing with my dog Loki (a 1 year old Golden
Retriever) using a laser pointer, only to realize that he’s obsessed with it. He’s
an active 1 year old golden retriever and wants to keep busy. I thought “spot”
would be an easy way to get him some exercise. He wanted to keep going and
going. After the third time, I was done for the night, but he kept pestering
me. I tried to ignore him, but he was relentless. So I thought maybe he has to
go out. I got up and headed for the back door. Instead, Loki stops at the desk
where I keep the laser pointer and looks up at the shelf. Then back at me, then
at the shelf, and so on, asking me to do the laser pointer again. I could see
the obsession on his face and got a bad feeling. It’s the sort of feeling when
you realize your child is headed for trouble. Because he continued to pester, I
ended up gating him in the kitchen for the last half hour before I went to
bed.
Then, I did a search online to find out if dogs can get addicted to “spot.”
Sure enough they can. I read about dog that was so addicted he would chase, not
just the laser pointer, but other lights and shadows. He was doing this
constantly, trying to bite the light. This caused him to destroy, not only his
teeth, but curtains and carpeting. I read that the laser pointer messes with a dogs
mind because they can never catch it, creating an obsession. I could see my dog
was on his way to trouble, so no more laser pointer.
My daughter thought I was over reacting, of course, but I said to her “Listen
to my years of experience. I know when something isn’t right.” She still
thought once week would be okay.
Do you play “spot” with your dog? Am I overreacting?
Writing update: Still working on the edits for Lightning Shifter. I’ve
also been writing the A.I. series, but I don’t play to post any further
chapters of it on my blog. However, for anyone who left a comment on any of
those chapters, you can get a free copy from me when it’s finished. Just let me
know.