Exploration

A Writer's Best Friend

The other day, my staff and I met to discuss story ideas. Bob, Hugo, Reggie, and Jules listened patiently while I whittled off my brilliant ideas. Soon after, Bob left to go nap in the sun, Hugo slapped me in the nose and insisted we break for lunch, Jules grabbed a drink from the toilet, and Reggie gnawed on my mouse pad.

Despite their quirks, I love sharing a home office with these coworkers: Jules, my chocolate lab; Reggie, my coonhound mutt; Bob, my skinny cat; and Hugo, my fatty cat. Without them, making the transition from bustling ad agency to rural home office would have been much more difficult.

As a writer, the nonjudgmental ears of my pets provide the perfect sounding board; I can read my work aloud and not feel as if I'm a crazy lady, talking to myself all the time! And when sentences get stuck in my fingers, I can simply pet a cat's face or scratch a dog's belly until the words wiggle themselves out. Just looking at my lazy dogs, stretched out on my bed is like a mind massage for my "writer's knots."

It may seem that caring for an animal would take up too much time, but in reality the social, health and business benefits pets provide far outweigh the few minutes of daily care they require.

One of the most common woes of working at home is the tendency to feel isolated. Advice columnists tell us to combat this by meeting friends for lunch, joining organizations or volunteering. But sometimes human interaction doesn't help; a lunch date full of gossip about a wild holiday office party hardly makes us feel socially upbeat.

Pets provide us with silent, unconditional companionship, which assures us that at least somebody loves us no matter how many rejection slips we get. And several studies have shown that petting a cat or hugging a dog relaxes you and puts life's troubles into perspective. Even just watching fish swim around in a bowl can calm your nerves.

A dog with a leash in her mouth and a full bladder motivates you to get out of bed and put on your running shoes faster than even the most aggressive human trainer. Later in the day, a quick game of fetch in the back yard clears your head and gives your computer-weary eyeballs a rest.

Since you will spend the most time with the animal, she will bond with you more than anyone in the household, so it's important to choose an animal that fits in not only with your family's lifestyle, but with your business situation as well. Consider these factors when making the decision:

A 175-pound St. Bernard in a 15x15 foot space doesn't leave much room for your files, but a beagle would fit in just fine.

Some clients won't react well to leaving your office covered in cat hair, and some may be deathly allergic. A short-haired, oft-groomed cat or dog may work better for you than one that tends to shed or produce a lot of dander.

If you're just starting out and working a ton of hours, you won't have the time or patience to train a puppy or play with a kitten. A mature pet with less energy who already knows basic commands or makes use of the litter box may work best for you. An additional bonus: shelters have a harder time placing dogs and cats vs. puppies and kittens, so you will save a life when you adopt an older animal.

And one last word of advice to home business pet owners: remember to keep the toilet seat down during meetings.

Jennifer Lynham is a freelance copywriter in North Bend who crafts all kinds of marketing materials for all kinds of companies. To find a great pet, go to Canine Connections, a Web site that Jennifer wrote for a dog rescue organization.
Contact Jennifer at jenlynham@yahoo.com.