Jumping to Conclusions

My dog, now in his 13th year, still provides insight into human nature and gives me a lot to write and ponder about.

Recently a dear friend visited from Texas.  He remembers her and happily greeted her when she arrived for her welcome dinner and presented her with his stuffed bunny, his challenge to the endeared one to play a game of keepaway.

A few days later when she was leaving, he panicked when he saw the suitcase, neatly packed and deposited by the front door.  He pouted, got that hang-dog, world coming to the end, it's all about me and I know this means Mom is leaving again look as he sat, shown here, guarding the suitcase.  He jumped to conclusions, as old dogs are prone to do, and he was in fact wrong.  And boy did he make himself miserable with worry.

As most things do these days, this makes me think about the job-hunting process and how easy it is for people to make assumptions and then take subsequent actions based on incorrect information.  More than one headhunter has looked quickly at my resume and commented that most of my career has been working for the federal government, when in fact I have had exactly one federal position and at least 9 others.  Because they don't know what "government relations" means, they assume that it means working for the government but it is really a misleading term for lobbyist, which is vastly different than working for the government.  As with old Dallas, trying to convince someone who has made an incorrect assumption that they need to re-examine the facts is probably futile.

My answer to the dog and suitcase problem is to hide the suitcases from him until time to go out the door, then put the dog out the back door while the suitcases go through the front.  As for the headhunters or hiring managers, I learn a little something from each of them.  I have made changes in my resume to make clearer the positions I have held.  The key to survival, and moving a little further ahead in this game is to learn from mistakes, be they my own or others'.

Advice from an Old Dog

Advice from an Old Dog

I wrote this while on vacation, where I observed my old yellow dog as he slept, ate, walked, enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine, chased sticks, was taunted by squirrels and chipmunks, splashed in the lake, rode in the car, rode in a canoe, ate leftovers, and enjoyed a lot of attention. Photos at the left show him on the gravel road in front of our cottage and asleep on the bottom of the canoe as we floated in the middle of the lake.

• The appearance of suitcases almost always mean something bad for the dog.

• It may look like running in circles to others, but following the scent requires a great deal of concentration.

• Sleep when you can. You never know when you might need to chase a squirrel and it will take a lot out of you.

• Begging usually produces results; there is always a chance they will cave in.

• Never appear too excited unless food is involved, otherwise you will be engaged in activities that may require too much energy.

• When children are eating at the dinner table, always secure the spot underneath them.

• W-A-L-K- spells something good.

• There is an art to sleeping and it takes practice.

• They won’t forget about you if you follow them around the house constantly and drop to the floor for a nap directly in front of them. Stay close and you will be remembered.

• Scratches on the backside increase when you nudge them and back yourself into them, pushing your hindquarters directly into their hands.

• If it looks like a cat it is the enemy.

• Eventually squirrels and chipmunks come down from trees.

• Sun shining through windows points to the next napping spot.

• I have kept the man in short pants from coming through that slot in the door for 11 years. I will persevere.

• That noise in the sky that makes the light flash is DANGER! Bark to warn and protect them...then hide under the bed.

• Love = Treats, scratches, leftovers, rides in the car, a soft bed, and a W-A-L-K-.