The Unexpected Writing Lessons I Learned From My Dogs

Letter from the heart to Phi Phi and Crocker

Who would have thought I would have dogs? But I have long accepted that life keeps on surprising me. I have had my share of grief and joy in the past two years.

This year four dogs have come into my life. First, there was Doggie and Sky, now I am with Phi Phi my Pomeranian spitz, and Crocker my adopted Aspin.

And when I thought I better start looking for a job instead of chasing my dream of becoming a writer, things turned around.

Now I can be a stay-at-home fur Daddy or Dada to Phi Phi and Crocker.

Here are some of the writing lessons I learned from each one of them.

Doggie — Survival

I have written a story about Doggie. One day I woke up he was gone, there were no proper goodbyes, and I never knew his name.

When everything is new, you feel lost. It was how I felt when I moved into his apartment. Nothing belongs to me, everything feels strange.

But I noticed Doggie right away, tucked in the courtyard it’s what I call the open space of the building I now call home.

Although he was on a leash, he didn’t bark at me. Funny, because he was supposed to be a guard dog.

And there were times when he just roams around untied, but when before I met Doggie, I would be afraid of dogs, I never felt any fear when I’m around Doggie.

He made me feel welcome.

Writing is tough. Not only do you have to fight the negative criticism but you have to stop listening to the voices in your head — your inner critic, the saboteur.

Doggie didn’t have an easy life. It was summer when I met him. The building staff who was supposed to take care of him wasn’t doing a great job.

I made sure that he has fresh water and food, but because I was struggling myself, we shared whatever food I can afford to eat.

Doggie was happy whenever I would give him food. He anticipated the goodies, he had a grateful heart.

He found joy in whatever he had.

We were both strangers to each other and yet we helped each other survive the hot scorching summer.

During this time, I met a fellow writer on Twitter, and one night I read his comment on my story and he said,

You did well. Keep it up.

It only takes one word of encouragement from a stranger to make you believe in yourself again, and survive the times of self-doubt and frustration every writer experiences in their lifetime.

A lesson I learned from Doggie.

Sky — Kindness

When Doggie left, an unexpected house visitor came unannounced. Her name is Sky, she is a Pomeranian that belongs to the building owner.

The only reason Sky was in the building was that the building owner believes she was a bearer of bad juju.

In Chinese culture, four is unlucky, and somehow Sky became their fourth dog.

So while she is a pure Pomeranian, she was abandoned. And now she has to live with the same building staff that I believe didn’t do a great job of taking care of Doggie.

My front door is always left unopen.

One day, Sky came in. She was very quiet. I found her cute, and on one of her visits she pooped inside the house, that didn’t bother me, I scooped and cleaned the floor.

I talked to her and told her she should visit me only after she did number one and number two.

And she understood, never again until the day like Doggie she was transferred to another building along with the male staff who was taking care of her.

Sky taught me kindness.

Some may see it as I was the one who showed Sky kindness, I did, and so did Sky.

We had memorable moments. Like on that day when nobody was left to take care of her, she just slipped into the house and spent most of the day under my feet as I wrote stories.

The times, she waited until I finish cooking our meals. Everything with her was OK.

The unforgettable smile she had on her face when I bought her a chicken toy, which she brought with her when she left.

As writers, we often forget to be kind to ourselves or our fellow writers.

When we lift someone, we also lift ourselves.

We aren’t competitors, we find our own space, and the world should always welcome a new writer.

Phi Phi —To have fun

I love Phi Phi. Our story is just beginning.

When Sky was ‘taken’ from me, I was devastated. My partner decided to get us a dog, it was a surprise. Phi Phi as we call her is a welcome surprise.

You can call it — love at first sight.

Yes, I shower her with love, attention, and affection. My partner thinks too much, sometimes.

But as every mom out there knows, not everything about having a new baby is fun, with it a lot of sleepless nights.

Joy comes with a price, and for me, it was having to have multiple cups of coffee to keep me awake and less time to write stories.

But I will never trade it for dollars and cents.

Phi Phi continues to teach me to have fun to this day.

I drop everything when it comes to her. Now I understand all the fur parents out there who spoil their fur babies.

Everyone says I look happier, and it’s true. Now, I’m having fun both as a person and as a writer.

It must be the missing piece to my writing journey. Writing was starting to become a chore, a means to make money. It wasn’t in the beginning, I was excited to finish a story, publish it and wait for a reader.

Yes, it only took one reader to make me happy.

When I wasn’t making money, I became a miserable writer.

Phi Phi knows how to have fun, and makes her DIY toys. An empty plastic Coke bottle — who would have thought that it can be a great toy to play cat and mouse with or in Phi Phi’s case, dog and mouse.

Phi Phi is observant, not a day goes by when we are surprised by her new discovery. She loves John Denver, that is a story in itself.

Crocker- Patience

Too soon? Yes, even I questioned it when days after he arrived at our home, he was quiet, afraid, and at one time appeared to be aggressive.

I adopted Crocker as I call him now, a month after PhiPhi.

As if I wasn’t tired from not getting enough sleep, but everything does happen for a reason, someday I will be able to connect the dots as Steve Jobs famously said in his Stanford commencement speech.

It took more than a week for Crocker to warm up to me, he wasn’t aggressive at all, he was afraid.

I love Crocker, and he loves me.

The day when he sobbed when I told him repeatedly that I love him is a memory I would always keep in my heart forever.

Love is all it takes.

Crocker taught me to be patient, trust is built over time.

The same goes for writing. Not all stories are written in a flash, some stories need time, and it will test your patience.

The same writer who encouraged me left me these words.

Dig in deeper. — Hogan Torah

Time is your friend, your best stories are the ones you gave it your all.

Final words

My cousin said it best, unconditional love.

My journey with dogs appeared to have come full circle. Doggie and Crocker are both Aspin, while Sky and Phi Phi are both Pomeranian.

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward,”. “You can only connect them looking backward. So, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” — Steve Jobs

Each one of them taught me how to become a better writer.

Doggie — How to survive when the times are tough because it happens to all of us.

Sky — How to be kind not only to others but especially to ourselves.

Phi Phi — How to have fun, don’t take life and writing too seriously.

Crocker — How to be patient with your stories, the best meals are cooked with love and over time.

If there is one more thing left to say, writing is bliss.

Thank you for reading.

Here are some of my stories, all complementary.

✨Labrador: Most Popular Dog Breed of the Year 2021 According to a New Survey — Free Reading.

✨What Does Losing 77 Pounds Do for Your Body, Ask Rebel Wilson — Free Reading.

👉Claim your offer.

If you enjoyed this article, please consider joining Medium by clicking on this link. I may earn a little commission to buy myself a decent cup of coffee. Thank you.