Why Waste English Setters on Dog Shows?

even though I know I need to because of tomorrow’s new client pitch. Sowing chaos in half of Central Park in open view of hundreds of people and getting away with it lifts fun to a whole new level, and more: it opens one’s eyes to the amount of constraint that’s infiltrated one’s life—extends the boundaries of the possible. Being in on the romping of a cheerful and spirited dog is rejuvenating, therapeutic, healthy, and wisdom-imparting. And here’s a thought: I wonder if romping with a dog has ever inspired anyone to chuck their job, sell their place, retire to an inexpensive foreign country, and live a life free of obligation. But don’t worry—it’s only idle speculation.

  Love,

  Steve

  P.S. Why are we so fond of dogs? Alright, for starters they’re blind to our many shortcomings and unselfishly give us their affection and loyalty, no conditions attached: this, the human vanity factor, is probably the primary reason why we love them. But another source of their appeal is that they exist in our civilization without being fully of it and therefore serve to remind us of our true ancestry, when we lived as one with nature and were unencumbered in our expressions of emotion. Thousands of generations have preceded us and our present sorry state of civilization-engendered emasculation is an aberration that spans a very small percentage of human history: how can we not want dogs among us, when they’re capable of temporarily liberating us from some of the constraint in our lives—gifting us with glimpses of what we once were, when our freedom was boundless instead of limited by society’s conventions?

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  About the Author

  Robert Scott Leyse was born in San Francisco, grew up in various locales about America, lived in Paris for a spell, and now resides on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Upon arrival in Manhattan he worked as a New York cab driver on the night shift, with the aim of atoning for a sheltered upbringing and having adventures the likes of which he'd never had before and he wasn't disappointed; subsequently he acquired over a dozen years of experience in the legal field, where he was pleasantly surprised to find that additional adventures, of the office politics and shenanigans variety, were to be had; presently he works in the advertising field, where he's not looking for any special adventures, having decided to explore the option of separating work from fun and games and having secrets that are easier to keep. He skis in Sun Valley, Idaho, surfs with board and body in southern California and Puerto Rico, once took a belly dance class in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and probably shouldn't mention his lousy attendance record at the yoga studio down the street. He eats fish heads and insects and drinks blood, but can’t be paid to eat potato chips or cake.

  He is a co-founder and the editor of the erotic literary fiction and poetry webzine, Sliptongue (launched May Day, 2001), and the founder and editor of the ShatterColors Literary Review (launched May Day, 2006). His three novels are Liaisons for Laughs: Angie & Ella’s Summer of Delirium (July, 2009), Self-Murder (April, 2010), and Attraction and Repulsion (June, 2011). His first novella, Penelope Prim (March, 2014), was formerly a short story. His forthcoming second novella, Tallulah Tempest, was originally going to be a send-up of volatile relationships but ended by being an appreciation and celebration of them instead: sometimes a tale decides where it wishes to go, the author be damned.

  Visit Me Online

  Website: https://www.robertscottleyse.com

  Read more of my fiction at Smashwords.com

  Novels:

  Attraction and Repulsion: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/60084

  Self-Murder: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/72166

  Novella:

  Penelope Prim: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/71800

  Free Short Story:

  “Dream Displacement, or Love from the Grave”

  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/63364