My Dog Has A Drinking Problem

And it’s probably my fault

Maybe I shouldn’t have named her after the world’s most famous beer (No, not Bud), but that’s the sort of thing that happens when you get adopted into a large Irish family. I ought to know.

If I were a better science student in school, I would have likely paid more attention to the experiments of Ivan Pavlov. It was this 19th-century psychologist who opened the Pandora’s Box we know today as classical conditioning.

His Nobel Prize-winning efforts in the study of a reflexive response to stimuli was a breakthrough in understanding behaviour of not just dogs, but humans as well.

So naturally, I shouldn’t be surprised that my dog Guinness expects to receive the froth from a can of like-named suds whenever I crack one open. Could this be because it was the first thing I gave her when I brought her home as a puppy? Nah.

Of course, this is only one of the conditioned responses I’ve noticed in the behaviour of my dog. For example, every time I go to the refrigerator to get ice from the door dispenser, the clunking sound of the cubes falling into my glass is a direct signal for her to run to the back door. The falling ice cubes represent outdoor activities to her canine brain, even when it’s snowing.

So no wonder then, if she manages to gain access to a recycling box of empty beer cans, it’s not long before you can see her nose in there. But, the funny thing is, that finely tuned snout is rooting around for one particular brand. Can you guess which one that might be?

Aren’t we much the same in our behaviour in many ways? In many cases, these responses are positive, like when people clap for your article or better yet, they take the time to leave a note of encouragement on your piece. It inspires us to keep going, telling us that what we’re doing is reaching people we don’t even know.

Now, I know we would all like to make money as writers, but if you’re like me, what better feeling is there than knowing your hard work is being appreciated? Applauding someone’s effort is a wonderful and easy reinforcement that we can share with talented writers on Medium. So too is highlighting a particular passage in the piece that resonates with us.

Telling someone directly though, in your own words how you feel about their stories, is more powerful than you probably know. In a recent story that I wrote and published in ILLUMINATION, I was extremely pleased by a response I received from a writer I deeply respect, Britni Pepper.

In her note, Britni kindly told me how moved she was by my fictional tale about a man and his choices in life.

Forgive me for the crass comparison, but responses like Britni’s are every bit like my Guinness finding her favourite brew. Besides the elation of learning your work has meaning, you also get to discover perhaps a delightfully irreverent and gifted writer like Britni.

The experience tells you that you are doing something right. You finally think that this writing, thing, might be worthwhile after all, from a community of your peers.

Personal heartfelt notes on your articles can also lead to friendships you never considered possible. I truly feel lucky and blessed to have connected with a very talented person like Liam Ireland.

Liam first contacted me about my short story with kind words, and before I knew it, I had developed a kinship with someone I’ve never met. I hope we’ll have the opportunity to meet personally one day. There are many parallels we seem to share in our lives.

I was also pleasantly surprised to open my email one day to read an invitation from Liam to join ILLUMINATION as an editor. Reflex or not, these are the kinds of responses that propel good writers to become better ones, and the same goes for good people.

My point is simply this; if you like what one of your fellow creatives is doing on Medium, let them know in your words. You never know when it will trigger a response that leads to better things.

With that said, it’s time to go. I hear some cans rattling in the other room. She’s thirsty again.

I may have created a monster.

Oh well, at least we share the same tastes.

As always, my gratitude to you for taking the time. If you enjoyed reading this, you may like this: