What do you do when, in the middle of your home yoga practice, you hear from downstairs the sound of your dog retching horribly and then the unmistakable wet sound of vomit?
Do you:
a) Continue to calmly practice, heeding your guru’s admonition that you should be able to practice in the middle of Times Square, so focused and steady is your mind’s attention.
b) Leap up and run downstairs to clean up the mess, not only out of concern for your dog but because, frankly, your dog is gross and there’s a good chance she will eat her vomit if you don’t get to it first.
c) Half-measures: Run downstairs to clean up the mess, only to discover that the dog managed to hit the rug with her extra liquid-y vomit, so only succeed in mostly cleaning it up. Return to your yoga mat but be unable to clear your mind, thinking: “breathe … now, in addition to cleaning the kitchen, making dinner, doing a load of laundry, and grading at least 5 more papers tonight … gotta grade at least 5 more … breathe … or how else will I be able to return these papers by Thursday? … breathe … now I also have to get the vacuum cleaner out and vacuum the rug … breathe … dammit …”
Yeah, you know which one I did.
Om, everybody.
5 comments
Comments feed for this article
February 17, 2009 at 2:08 am
squadratomagico
When this happens in my household, I hope for Nature to take its course. That is to say, my kitties each possess the same tendency towards grossness as your dog: that of “returning to it’s vomit.” The first time I witnessed this action, on the part of my sister’s puppy, I suddenly understood all those medieval descriptions of recidivist heretics much better. They are quoting Scripture at its least exalted but perhaps most vividly mundane.
A Natural household is a clean household, I always say.
February 17, 2009 at 5:18 am
Sisyphus
Ew! Heh heh.
May the rest of your week go better! : – )
February 17, 2009 at 11:37 pm
disenchanted
In our house, we have the cats who puke and the dogs who vacuum up. Oh, and then there’s the problem of my dog who like to shop in the catbox for kitty caviar.
yeah, I don’t let my dogs lick my face.
February 18, 2009 at 12:04 am
bsgirl
Ah ha, I see I am not alone in facing the vomit delimma: let the animal eat its own vomit, which saves on the cleaning up, or intervene, because it’s just too disgusting to entertain the thought of that sweet, adorable little fuzzy creature being so ugh! And, yes, I have witnessed the cross-species eating of things that should not be eaten. My cats and my dog do seem to have a little system worked out — much to the dog’s delight.
I’m a big believer in the benefits of pet ownership — the companionship, the love, the lap warmers, the “keeping these essays warm for you until you’re ready to grade them” — but this is not a the most appealing aspect of the whole experience.
March 19, 2009 at 5:34 pm
jhoney
Interesting Read! Very detailed blog.
Thanks for sharing