#joy of owning dogs

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

getting older can be so amazing? you get more familiar with yourself. learn tips & tricks for troubleshooting your own brain. trial & error helps you build routines that minimize discomfort, maximize reward. your preferences/interests don't get set in stone, but you do find out which ones are going to stay with you in the long-term, and which ones are fun but transient joys to appreciate in the moment.

you learn that the world is so much more complex than you were taught, and that that's okay, and that there's an endless supply of things you can learn or watch or experience or think about if you want to. if you're lucky, you loosen up, stop putting so much pressure on yourself. if you're lucky, you learn to recognize that negative inner voice, and whack it with a baseball bat until it hushes up. if you're lucky, you learn to treat yourself gently, not because you are fragile but because you are worthy of gentleness. (i hope you are lucky.)

and some things will change. some things will get better. some things will get good. and maybe you start to recover from the dehumanizing stress of childhood/education. maybe you learn the power of your own autonomy. maybe you learn how to walk away from bad situations (which is a superpower even if you don't realize it yet). and you get to choose your own clothes. and your own food. and which relationships to pursue! and what you do with your free time. and with your life (but don't worry you get to choose that gradually). and that's crazy! and sometimes scary. and extraordinarily, indescribably precious.

#not a shitpost #and as long as you are alive there will be another good moment waiting for you in the future #the profound joy of your favorite foods #the incalculable luxury of waking up and lounging in bed and falling back asleep #a cold glass of water after a walk in the hot sun #petting an excited dog. a cat rubbing up against your ankle. the sight of a confused chicken #glorious these beads we string together to form our own existence #getting older means time is passing. and i hope you are passing that time in ways that make you happy #i hope you have so many moments of joy that they can be as easily counted as drops of water in the ocean

[botanautical]

'We all yearn for the woods. That's why every fellow on this island wants to settle down near a tree - just one will do.'

#dazai osamu #bsd dazai #bungou stray dogs #bungo stray dogs #bsd #bsd fanart #it's dazai day!! #i wish this insufferable fictional man weren't so beloved to me #but as somebody plagued by silly brain issues he is oddly comforting and makes me feel less alone #and bsd introduced me to actual dazai osamu whose writing is honestly groundbreaking to me and i've barely even scratched the surface #it's something about the confluence of humour and tragedy... the desire to exist to bring joy to others at the expense of one's own #i feel like asagiri imparted this notion well onto bsd dazai - i know a lot of people dislike dazai and question his motivations #but i have faith in him and believe he's pursuing good #anyway excuse the ramble! the caption is from dazai's short story 'monkey island'! thank you to my dear partner for finding it for me!! #i'm really very happy with how this piece turned out - i wanted to depict bsd dazai but really pay suitable homage to his namesake #it's been a while since i've had fun drawing but this one and other recent pieces this month have really brought me back into it #happy birthday dazai #botanautical

[canisalbus]

Sorry but we were speaking about history in a part of one of my classes and when the Vatican came on. I had to draw the sad dog man.

Machete is now immortalized in my class notes. It’s in spanish by the way, which is kind of funnily appropriate considering latin is very close to spanish.

.

#augh that's adorable! #“Vaticano” -> -> cue sad dog man #he doesn't seem very happy to be there #I've said this before and I don't really know why #but I keep finding the idea of people drawing little Machetes in post-it notes pieces of scrap paper and class notes #endlessly charming #it's so cute #it sparks joy #thank you! #Spanish and Italian are fairly closely related they're both descended from Latin and I think that's terribly nifty #I'd like to believe Machete speaks or understands Spanish at least passably #mostly due to continued exposure and for having a knack for languages #Spain was an influential superpower in the 16th century and also intensely Catholic so he ends up working with Spaniards on a regular basis #and he strikes me as a kind of person who would like to know what they're saying to each other even if he kept it to himself #not to mention that Spain has an extended history of ruling parts of Italy #the southern half of the country in particular #including the places where he grew up #gift art #nerium-aquifolium #own characters #Machete

[its-a-beautful-day]

Been thinking about how it feels, being the wild child

the struggle of not feeling human, when emotions get too strong,

when hands feel like paws and teeth become fangs, shoulders and hunches raised in anger and low growls of fear,

somehow this body language is easier, is more natural than my own

#star's art #my art #artist on tumblr #vent art i guess #actually autistic #Not really sure what to tag this as #But I was the kid that growled at others #People didnt listen to no and stop #But they do listen to growls and snarls #Unfortunately it also makes you really really lonely #It wasn't always out of anger or fear I'd get to transform #Sometimes on my own I'd be able to play and it was always so much fun #Trampolines are great for crawling soft play sorta thing #Getting to wrestle with our dogs and learn their language #How they play and signal for different moves #How I could mimic it without ears or a tail #I miss the joy of being a creature but I don't have the room currently #Shitty laminate hurts to crawl on #Bleh I know this is my post but I feel I'm blabbing #Idk I hope this resonates with someone like how freeing making it felt

[nautical-nasa]

Full video bcuz I love it so very much :)))

#me :))) #me at u guys !!! #I love how they just stare… silly catnap!! #they’re so happy!!!! #just a little guy :)) #I rlly do wish u coukdve like #chosen any of the small smiling critters to be like a little buddy #maybe in project playtime??? that would be a rlly cute addition #like the only reason they follow catnap is cuz they’re scared of the fate but now catnap is gone so!!! #are their loyalties going 2 change?? or are they going 2 follow the prototype #I hope they come back again in chapter 4 #I rlly wish the rest of the smiling critters kinda got screen time in their own way #I rlly hope mob games will one day show like. #before the hour of joy how different toys interacted and stuff?? #especially catnap n like dog day n the whole heritic thing #like the interactions of the toys in more detail n how they slowly cracked and chose sides #just more backstory to the toys themsleves when playtime was in operation rather than before they were turned into toys n afyer the hoj

[valoale]

THERE’S SNOW UP TO MY KNEES BRO WHAT THE FUCK

#Finland CALM DOWN #what is this blizzard #christ on a motorbike #at least my dog is having the time of her life #she LOVES the snow #I like the snow but in tolerable amounts #the joys of owning a dog for sure ffs #I feel sorry for the plowing companies #they’re fully booked throughout the Christmas #why is the sky literally open #I’ll be returning from my walk with absolute guns for legs #legs for days #vee talks #Aino the dog

[monty-glasses-roxy]

Here’s my messed up attempt at a horse (without references)

The legs tho

I mean

You're right about the legs going on for days lmao

I love your horse sdfsfs

#you see they are an anatomical nightmare #haha nightMARE lmao #I wanted to be on my laptop to answer this both to add a picture of an actual horse #and to add my own first attempt from before I said I was gonna learn to draw horses properly #(and then only tried like twice) #however I realised that I've. done a lot of horse stuff in my life and that was not the first time I'd broken it down into basic shapes- #and stuff so like. I realised it wouldn't be a fair comparison dsfdsf #I have a first otter attempt though from when I'd never drawn an otter before! #looks like a fuckin' dog! #drawing things you've never drawn before blind is really fun honestly #it's a laugh!! and then you try again after some tracing and some references and you're like #'wow... that looks SO much better' and it's great #but that first drawing is always fun to make I personally find it hilarious when I'm doing it #god I love this stuff ddgdfsg #i love your leggy horse it very much sparks joy #pop rox answers #friend art

[grison-in-space]

anyway for a little dog some threats are apparently more exciting than others

#matilda #australian cattle dog #7 months #she did not give a shit about the dinosaur #but the photo is extremely funny #this is btw just in someone's yard #there's a street near my house where two people have bigass T rex statues like this one in their yards and one has a bigass fiberglass shark #this is actually the smaller rex #taken by coffee-mage on a walk without me but I gotta take Tilly up that way more #less for her own sake but more because it sparks great joy for me #fuck I love living up north in Minneapolis sometimes #this is the kind of thing you can do if you don't go in on fucking HOAs

[encrucijada]

my desire to write vs exhaustion (physical, mental, emotional)

#emotional as in i can't keep getting disappointed by my own writing so i need some distance for a while #and also that... i feel physically incapable of forming words to work on my wips #i want to keep writing forest with teeth. maybe finally get past chap1 on haze dogs or keep staring #but ny imagination just ..... isn't working #i don't know where to go next. i can't picture the setting and i can't tap into my characters' brains. and where's the joy in writing then #i don't have anything due this week so i'm able to rest and the fact i don't want to engage in writing is making me so incredibly upset..... #pia.txt

[noisytenant]

People getting judgy or shameful about their own "weird" fetishes or interests in general bothers me so much. I feel frustrated seeing people who consciously accept part of themself but still feel like they need to publicly self-flagellate about it.

What's even the point of being self-aware if you only use it to hurt yourself? Shame is difficult to unpack--I would know, I'm still deep in it--but if you believe in your head that it is anything other than counterproductive and honestly sad to be kicking yourself every time you connect with your own pleasure, I feel it should be a priority to address that.

And for everyone who tries to enforce shame in others: Seriously reflect on why you think the simple repression of a trait you deem unpleasant will be effective in making the world a better place. Ask yourself why your personal tastes should influence the behavior of other people. And get over yourself.

#This is more of a vent than an ideological post so it doesn't contain every nuance #If there's one thing to add it's that if you fear being 'irresponsible' or 'excessive': Return of the repressed is real bro #When you deny yourself joy and starve yourself emotionally - You will be like a ravenous dog when it's in front of you #You might 'lose control' and feel ashamed - believing this proves the desires must be repressed rather than sated #But when you sate them more consciously and regularly they don't intrude upon your everyday life as much #Which is to say - when you trust your own self-control and interrogate your own values for what you desire and fear #You will actually exercise more discretion and feel more in control #indexed post

[christianborle]

.

#I fr just unfollowed someone for reblogging a post that was anti adults watching bluey #petty? yes #but I stand by my actions #I know the phrase ‘let people enjoy things’ #has been thrown around too much in negative connotations #but I mean REALLY if an adult is enjoying a preschooler show #and is just minding their own business #and having fun with it #WHAT are you so pressed about #we are all stupid monkeys living on a rock in space #I am going to enjoy the nice talking dogs because they bring me joy #like damn relax lmfao #someone in the tags was like #‘it’s not valid to watch it as an adult because it’s not smart like Steven universe’ #1) it seems like you have never actually watched any bluey episode in your life #because EVERY episode has a life lesson in it #and 2) even if it was just stupid nonsense fun #that exempts adults from being able to watch it? #and listen like I KNOW I am not this shows target audience I get that #I’m not out here pushing kids out of the way to get to it #I’m just saying #why is it that upsetting to you that an adult is enjoying their childhood whimsy and isn’t bothering anyone doing it #aww it’s too cringe for you? :( #wow I rly wrote a whole essay on here #I am cringe but I am free

[tonystarkstan]

there was no preparing me for how lonely post-grad life would be lmfao

#I’ve finally cut my mom off #I have like four total friends and only one who lives here #I work 6 days a week at a smoothie shop where the owner treats us horribly #but I stay working 50 hour weeks bc I need the money for a car & to keep saving for grad school #I finally bought my own health insurance #but apparently it doesn’t matter bc no psychiatrists will take me #even tho we’ve called over 10 #my therapist has all but ditched me #it’s been almost a year since the most devastating relationship loss of my life #and while most days I have made my peace with it #I am still sometimes so full of hurt & confusion & regret & longing & the urge to beg on my knees for things to be fixed #my relationship with food is so fucked #I am looking everywhere for the joy in living and I am not finding it #I know it’s there I know it is #but I cannot feel it I am so lonely I am so out of my depth #my mom got rid of the dogs without telling me #I am so desperate for help that I can’t seem to get in this useless country #I want a hug so badly that I am literally have dreams where someone hugs me #I want my mom to just be good and normal and not awful to me #I want to go home but it feels like an intangible place I can no longer go to #i don’t know if there’s any fixing that #I am trying so so hard to be good #and yet I still lose everything & I can only assume the problem is me #but I just want #to be fixed

[goodtimeswithgrian]

fun fact! the type of tail carriage where dogs keep their tails curled over their backs is called a gay tail.

#this is my favorite piece of dog trivia #my own dog has a gay tail and its a severe fault in her breed but it brings me immense joy gavsgsh #also. yeah. i gave joe a gay tail on purpose #szad.txt

[ashfdhfgdsfk]

YOU HAVE A DOG??? dog pics please i beg of you

MY SON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

+ his little idiot play bow <3

#asks #lesbian hannibal #denver #dogs #the playing one is the most recent pic and u can see his lil grey hairs SOBBBB #he turned 11 in december :'-) my little old man <3333 #also i took so long to answer this bc i am not joking when i say i have over 6000 pictures and videos of him #and asking me to talk about or show pictures of denver brings me the highest joy physically known to man #do so at your own risk

[nautical-nasa]

:(((((((( they were best buddies :(((((

#n then playtime just :( completely fucked it :( #not only misusing catnap for smthn that he was genuinely supposed to be a big aid in :( #but then when they converted the smiling critters into the bigger bodies imitative they basically had their hand forced in picking theo #I almost wonder if the prototype just. fucking knew. #would it not have been for merciful to let theo die #did they ever actually care about theo #or have they literally been manipulating them the entire time #and when Theo got hurt during their escape did they just. take advantage of it #bcuz if if the prototype n theo escaped the hour of joy arguably would have never happened #and if the prototype KNEW the pain n suffering that came with being transferred into a toy #why would that be their solution to save him #why not Jsut let him die if he was already so close #but god it’s just the fact the history and friendship catnap n dog day had I mean #they were THE dynamic duo #n then Theo as catnap disposed of him in the most horrific way :( #it’s so sad :( #and dogday didn’t even. refer to catnap as a friend… he said that thing…. he didn’t even see catnap as like. one of his own. #he saw him as a monster #AGAGAHAHAHHA

[healingheartdogs]

Someone tagged that video of Eevee chasing Hermes to say that Hermes was playing chase while Eevee was herding and like THAT IS A VERY VALID CONCLUSION TO COME TO WITH THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED, I can see why you would think that, very sound logic... but it is only half correct. Hermes has very little interest in chase as a game played between dogs anymore -- which is something I've noticed a lot of pointers seem to lose interest in as they mature? -- and is much more interested in running for the sake of running or to hunt now.

You can tell the difference really obviously with him if you ever get the chance to see him do both because when he's playing chase he pays more attention to the dog chasing him than to where he's going which makes him do head empty shit like run full speed into trees (which is why I don't really like him playing chase because he has hurt himself doing that before). When he's running just to enjoy running -- like in that video -- he has his head high, actually looks forward and doesn't run into shit, and runs around in random loops and circles. He also runs at a slightly more relaxed looking pace in a weird bouncy hoppy sort of way that's a few notches below his top speed when he's running for fun like in that video, whereas when he plays chase he runs all out TOO FAST (and scares me).

Hermes would be running around exactly like that regardless of whether or not Eevee was in pursuit of him or even in the yard. When he stopped running at the end of the video where I stopped recording he completely ignored her instead of initiating wrestling or a short game of bitey face to finish off the chase which is another sign that he's not actually playing chase with her, though she may be attempting to play with or possibly herd him. The boy just really, really loves to run. If he's off leash outside he's running. It might not be in quite the same way as mushing dogs, but pointers are still dogs bred to run and to do so for hours across large distances. I would say that running is probably Hermes' favorite thing in the world after hunting and catching prey.

#pointers love of running matches up well with mushing anyway though even if its not intentional #thats why pointers are popular for racing crosses #Hermes loves to run even while pulling and i do have plans to do dryland with him #although... now that we live somewhere it snows i could do actual dog sledding too #AND I PLAN ON IT JUST WAIT #gonna have a whole team before i know it one day #i want alaskans and euros #... and maybe a single sibe from Hannah #her boy Damarion is uh... the prettiest dog in the whole world to me #i like dogs that like to run #living vicariously through their enjoyment of the wind in their fur flying across the earth at high speeds propelled by their own muscle #beautiful to watch #it brings me so much joy to see Hermes running around just for the enjoyment of running #eevee does it too generally the first few minutes theyre in the yard #runs around randomly ignoring him as well #but once shes burned off some energy she usually starts chasing him #or begging for the flirt pole lol #she loves that flirt pole #she'll stop chasing hermes mid-stride if she sees me even touch it to tear off toward me instead for flirt pole fun time #anyway person thank you for your tags so i have an excuse to ramble about my love for my little runner boy