Skip to main content

The Talking Dog


Really now, who wouldn't love a talking dog? So unique! A wonder! A mystery! But after a while, the novelty would probably wear off and you'd still have to feed it, take care of it, and clean up it's crap.

But what about the talking dog? How would it feel? Sure, it would probably enjoy the attention...at first. But you'd think that all of the hullabaloo would become tiresome after a while. And talk about lonely! Other dogs would probably be standoffish...considering that a talking dog is somewhat a freak of nature. Oh yeah...and since the normal dogs can't talk, there would be a definite communication barrier.

At what point, if any, would the talking dog feel normal...or at least at home? How would the talking dog differentiate between friends and curiosity seekers? How would the talking dog know who to trust?

Mind you, being a talking dog could be an amazing thing. The talking dog would presumably have insights to the dog world. The talking dog could explain the mysterious bond between humans and dogs that existed since prehistoric times. The talking dog could teach us all a new trick or two I'm sure!

But at what cost to the talking dog? My mind keeps thinking how miserable it would be to be that alone. Imagine being the only one of your kind. A true minority! How would that feel? I'm sure that at some point in all of our lives, we've all felt different or unique or felt like an outsider...but are we really? The answer would have to be no. None of us are ever so removed from society that we cannot find someone else who can relate. None of us will ever be talking dogs. And to that I say "WOOF!" (dog for "YAY!").

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Clearing up the Great Gretsch/Rockabilly Sham!

I've had a long-standing friendly argument with a couple of friends about guitars. This has gone on for 20+ years. We're all pickers, and we're all usually lumped under the rockabilly category too. They both love Gretsch guitars. I can take them or leave them. Rockabilly fans have asked me many times why I don't play a Gretsch, which is often associated with rockabilly music.   First, I point out that what I play ain't exactly rockabilly. Sure, there's a definite rockabilly influence...but there's also blues, jazz, surf, garage, punk, country, Tex-Mex, and even some Gypsy & African influences in my music. A Gretsch just ain't gonna cut it. Don't get me wrong, Gretsches have their place and their own, unique sound. But...for a picker who is coming from the afore-mentioned influences, a Gretsch just ain't gonna cut it.   The new Gretsches, mostly reissues, are well-made guitars. MUCH better made than the original ones, which tended to ...

Since they changed YOUR life, how about YOU changing someone else's?

The recent deaths of Lemmy and David Bowie have caused a mighty ripple through humankind. People that I never would've guessed to be "fans" have shown their true colors. An old lady I know, it turns out, is a huge Motorhead fan. Folks I work with, who seem much more at home listening to bland modern country, have vocalized their lifelong love of Bowie's music and movies. These two musicians changed a lot of lives for the better. Both died of cancer. As a two-time cancer survivor, as well as being a musician, their death hit home with me...and hit hard. I was lucky enough, both times, to not only survive but to also have decent health insurance at the time. My out of pocket costs were minimal. Many aren't so lucky. With Obamacare we're all forced to pony up for affordable health insurance...or be fined. For many, it's just not feasible. One of the groups hardest hit by the US health care nightmare is musicians. Professional musicians make their liv...

Colin Hardy: We'll Meet Again

 2026 has been off to a rough start. Not even a month in, and I’ve already lost a few friends. Now, before anyone reaches for the tiny violins and assumes I’m whinging - relax. I’m not. Yes, it always hurts to lose someone, but I’ve learned to use moments like these to lean into the good memories: the reasons we got along in the first place. This morning, I found out my old buddy Colin Hardy passed away over the weekend. Col hailed from Stoke-On-Trent (which I always jokingly called Stoke-On-Rye ). He was a working-class bloke through and through, but we shared a deep love of music — especially the old-school rockin’ variety. We first crossed paths on a music-sharing site and immediately began raiding each other’s collections. This was back in the dial-up days, when downloading a single MP3 could take half an hour if the phone didn’t ring. Eventually, we started emailing instead. Col sent me tracks by the likes of Crazy Cavan, Freddie Fingers Lee, and others. He was always hungry f...