Dog man.
Not only dog man, but golden retriever man. The last of the line died two years ago. Broke whatever heart I have. She was a loyal and unwavering friend and my constant writing companion (though she left something to be desired as a lapdog, especially when I was trying to use the computer… 
).
Now I’m racing to complete the current book, so that I can take on and train up her successor(s).
Thanks to all who posted…
I love dogs and cats equally, but there are times, like now, (third floor apartment, landlord says no dogs, limited time to spend with them) that dogs are impractical.
Because dogs and cats are different. Most people are used to dog ways, and cats then suffer from an unfair comparison.
I don’t know why this is. No one gets a goldfish and complains they don’t fetch. Yet many here mentioned a cat is not a dog.
Exactly.
Cats are, above all, reciprocal. The amount of affection and interaction you get from a cat is completely proportional to how much affection and interaction you give the cat.
Once you wrap your head around that, cat behavior becomes what it is; cat behavior.
Not poor-substitute-for-a-dog behavior.
In many ways, I find cats superior writing companions. A dog needs to be worn out to sleep happily by one’s feet. They are do-ers. They need to be always doing something if their energy is up. The way we always bring to dog to their feet when we get up reflects that. Dogs are happiest doing something.
Cats, by contrast, are actually thinkers. Their energy cycles are some-up, then a lot-down. When I’m driving for the hoop in a late night session, the cats might ask for attention, but it’s the kind (sitting on lap, occasional petting) that fits into my needs of the moment.
That, to me, is the great thing about cats. When we are homebodies, a cat, also a homebody, is a great companion.
That might actually be why I prefer dogs; much as I sometimes complain about being dragged out in all weathers, without the dogs I’d probably never leave the house.
(Actually, I know I wouldn’t - I was freelance for two years before we got a dog, and gained almost 20lbs during that time!)
That said, one of the reasons I like sighthounds (greyhounds, whippets, salukis, lurchers etc.) is that they don’t take much tiring out, and once they are tired they’ll sleep for hours. My dogs literally spend about 18 out of every 24 hours asleep… allowing me to get on with work 
Hi Werebear,
Hmmm, I guess you are referring to some particular breed of dog? I have a very different experience of dogs. My dog is happiest sitting on my lap while I work or nestled next to me, very close. It’s what I love most about dogs is the closeness and just being together.
As for cats being thinkers, well, I have to strongly disagree again. While there are some dogs that definitely are not among the brightest of creatures, there are others that are uncanny in their level of understanding and ability to communicate. I see my dog thinking all the time, quite clearly. Same with my other dogs. I’ve always thought people greatly underestimate the thinking level of most animals, including dogs.
I am not putting down cats or making blanket statements about them either. The species have their definite differences and pros and cons. But I’ve had some amazing dogs, and not just the small dog I have now. My 72 pound Malamute/Belgian Sheperd mix and I traveled across the country several times by car, and we spent many happy traveling miles together with her sitting close next to me as or with her sleepy head on my leg while I drove. She used to sleep with her head draped over my bent legs at night. She was also incredible fun when tugging on my pants leg and dragging me around the floor. So there is the doing part, but so much more just ‘being’ together. It’s what I love most about having dogs as companions.
So, I understand if your experience is different than mine. I guess I resist blanket statements that exclude my own experience, so I just wanted to give my own, different perspective on the whole cat and dog theme.
Alexandria
Never had a golden retriever, but when I was a vet tech, way back in the day, they were the most wonderful patients. And friends who have had them love the breed.
Dogs and cats alike break our hearts. They just don’t live long as we do and inevitably leave us! My last dog, the 72 lb.er referred to above, was my ‘soul-mate’ of dogs and I still cry when I think about her, and it’s been over 15 years since I lost her (and got the lovely little dog I have today).
I think the bond between people and these critters is just amazing. I wonder at it every time I see a child with a puppy or a kitten, the way these very different species seem to belong together. Me, I’ve had just about every kind of critter you can have as a pet and then some, including a pet rat, a snake, even 120 mice (not when I had the snake!). Ha! That really made my mother so very happy. Especially when the snake got loose and we never found it. But losing a hamster or a bird, while very sad, just doesn’t have the impact losing a dog has had on me. The only thing comparable was the horse I had and then had to sell. Never got over that one either!
Alexandria
I like tarantulas. They’re especially fun when you can get your kids to like them, so you can send the grandparents Halloween cards of the grandkids with giant spiders crawling up their smiling little faces.
Ha! The one thing I never had–spiders!
Now that’s a lot of dog. And probably makes for a very handsome mix, too
Alex
Ive just Googled Malamut and Belgian Sheperd. Jeeezz!!!! She must have been big enough to be your dancing partner`as well as soulmate.
Must have left a big hole in your life when you lost her. Glad you`ve found a new buddy,though.
Take care
Vic
She was absolutely gorgeous. The whole litter was made up of stunning looking dogs. She had the extremely loving nature and desire to be close characteristic of Malamutes, who are bred to be very connected to their human families, and that sharp, Shepherd intelligence. She was pretty special.
Yeah, Vic, when she stood on her hind legs, she was just about as big as me (at 5’5" and 112 lbs!). A little different from the 9 lb. little girl I have now, who fits much more nicely in my lap when I’m writing!
Alexandria
Like Matt I have a Bengal.
Does anyone have a pet shark? So we can jump it? 
I have two. One’s a big fat lazy thing, and if he decides he wants to sit with me, I can’t write at all. The second is smaller and usually curls around my feet…though sometimes he will perch his bottom right on my Macbook. I think he likes the heat.
I love cats. Dogs, too. But I’ll never have another. They don’t live long enough and it’s too hard to say goodbye.
Kind regards.
Is there no limit to their librerty taking. Jeeezz!!!
I`ve just got up to put the kettle on, and…
Meet the New Guy:
Rescue, held as police evidence until I got him sprung, so his first nickname was… The Fugitive!
I’m afraid I’m gonna have to put the cat among the pigeons here. No pun intended… Okay okay, you got me. Of course it was.
I dispise cats, for the simple reason they are sadistic predators that kill an estimated, and massive, 250 million creatures a year, just in the UK. The huge downside to this, other than the bleedin’ obvious, is that very few of the creatures killed, are those ‘one’ may wish to be the cats victim. I love wildlife
I do, however, have a Leopard Gekko. Maybe I should call him OS X! 
Well, I don’t blame the cats as much as the cat owners. We have many free, wandering cats in our neighborhood, and some of them go after the birds I attract with my bird feeders and crap in my garden and the like. I think it pretty reprehensible that people let their cats out to make other people’s yards their litter boxes! But it’s not the cats’ fault–it’s the disrespectful owners who think it’s okay to let their cats wander anywhere they like. I mean the animals don’t know that my yard is off limits to cats! That I’m allergic to them, they can even be deadly if I don’t have an inhaler handy, and that I might object to having cat shit on my property.
But the cats are just being cats! I’m not crazy about them as pets, even without the allergies, but I hold nothing against them for being what they are! I guess the people are being what they are too–inconsiderate!
