Grinch Corner

It's a bit like in usual times when people ask, how are you, they don't really want to know.

 

I always used to hate the first few days back at work, it wasn't just the direct questions but all around you (big open-plan office) you would hear people giving long boring accounts all day.
And not just Christmas. Monday morning was always full of "what did you do at the weekend?" and Thursday/Friday was "doing anything nice at the weekend?"

I'm still working but currently mostly from home and one of the huge benefits is avoiding all this. Still get a bit of it in team meetings but I often just take off my headphones and let them get on with it. I do that for football discussion too.
Another benefit of working from home is being able to do a few minutes in the garden at lunchtime, especially this time of year when every bit of daylight is precious. And, of course, you dodge all the nasty illnesses people bring back into the office after mixing with their families all over the country.

 

Blind people have having this issue too, and you'd think it would be easy to recognise a guide dog at work. One of the BBC's blind reporters recently took a wrong turn and accidentally went into a supermarket, where he was immediately accosted by a very aggressive member of security staff saying dogs weren't allowed.

 

I am not happy about the trend for dogs in shops. A genuine guide dog or hearing dog, of course. Anything else is sheer self-indulgence on the part of the owner. A shop is not a suitable environment for a dog - noisy, overheated, overlit, awash with aromas that are highly artificial, etc. And barking in shops should lead to immediate ejection.

Well … it is the Grinch thread!

 

The dogs in these cases were doing so. Also the guide dog has an obvious harness. Didn't stop the people being denied access.

I used to know someone who had a hearing dog. If one of the kids was crying in another room, it would alert her and lead her there. It would also tell her if someone was at the door, and was trained to respond to fire alarms etc. It was also the most beautiful shiny black dog I have ever seen!

 

We are so overrun with dogs here, a child would be a welcome sight.

I don’t recommend that. They get singed ever so easily.

 

My dog can tell me when the fridge is open .

I used to hate the first day back after Christmas, either online or face to face, mainly because it became a Christmas boast about how much was consumed or bought. I had a friend once who told me that they got their dad a £200 belt. If I bought my dad a belt costing that much, it's first use would have been across my backside.

 

I had a similar experience on the flight out to Guadeloupe last year. Only 8 hours, but boy does it get on your nerves! As there used to be a dedicated area on planes for smokers, why can't airlines provide a similar layout (preferably soundproofed) for families?

 

I was in our local Aldi just before Christmas. It was eerily quiet, but I could hear whining. Looking round, I spied a lady pushing a trolley with a soft bag inside it. Up popped Mamma Chihuahua and one, two, three... four puppies. Now, I'm a dog lover, but even I thought that Aldi was not the most suitable environment for them!

 

Maybe they couldn't be left at home on their own.
It is tricky trying to get your dog used to all kinds of situations and at the same time not being disruptive to others.
I take Ben round a local garden centre which is very dog friendly, the sign outside says, dogs welcome, tie children to this post, or words to that effect.

Of course it's meant in a light hearted way, the post wouldn't be strong enough for most of the kids round here.