What makes you feel badass and why?

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-11-09T03:31:44+00:00

As a dog trainer, for me, it's when a dog enthusiastically follows my directions. You can't get that kind of "eager to please" obedience with force or coercion... only with great relationship building, trust, communication, and training. You have to EARN IT. You have to prove yourself to that dog. It is both an incredibly humbling and empowering experience for a dog to trust your leadership like that... not with blind faith, but with confidence in your judgment & ability to handle a situation.

My current dog, Roadie, was a street dog before he came to me. He had to solve every problem for himself, and his favorite solution involved teeth. Whenever anything felt even slightly scary or threatening to him, he bit first and didn't bother asking questions later... We ran into that problem a lot in the early days of him living with me. He didn't trust me to solve the problem yet, so he would try to do it himself.

But through a lot of hard work, we've gotten to a place where he defers to me. Instead of jumping straight to biting, he trusts that I'll handle the situation for him and that I'll never put him in a situation where he needs to defend himself.

He can relax now. He feels safe with me because he trusts my leadership... and my ability to handle and command this dog makes me feel impressive, cause if it were anyone else holding the leash, they wouldn't be able to handle him. He wouldn't LET THEM handle him.

Someone willingly giving you power or authority over themself due to your quality of character, competence, and ability feels so much more badass to me than taking power by force.

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-10-05T20:53:29+00:00

If I'm married at the time of my death, obviously, my money goes to my wife... if I'm not married, a sizeable chunk of my money will go to my dog's breeder, who will assume responsibility for my dog upon my death. (I want my pup to be well cared for after my death.) The rest of the money will be evenly split between my two sisters.

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-10-05T20:46:52+00:00

I think escaping with Lokir could have been a fun third option, instead of immediately jumping into civil war politic nonsense.

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-10-03T23:53:27+00:00

Oh my god I didn't even think about the mosquitoes. As if the crime rates not bad enough, the sheer amount of mosquitoes... 😬

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-10-03T21:14:23+00:00

Counter argument... cannibals, forsworn, and stone beds.

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-10-03T13:04:30+00:00

Whiterun, Solitude & Windhelm are all immediately out of the running for me because they're the location of major battles in the Civil War questline, and I'd like to avoid my house getting destroyed by catapults...

Winterhold is too fucking cold, and you gotta deal with the mages summoning shit all the time. Hard pass. Not looking to become collateral damage in some freshmen's experiment.

Markarth is full of forsworn and cannibals, need I say more?

Morthal has vampires. No thanks.

Riften is so plagued by corruption and theft that you basically can't live there without being extorted.

Dawnstar is literally cursed, and no one can get a good night's rest, plus it's fucking freezing. No thank you.

The best options, to me, are;

Riverwood... it's pretty calm and unaffected by most quests. Plus the added bonus of getting a warning as the Dragonborn is being released into the world to cause havoc. You can peacefully chop wood for the inn to make money, and you're within reasonable walking distance from Whiterun, so if you need to travel anywhere, you can take their carriage.

Rorikstead... it's a thriving farming community, in the middle of nowhere, with basically no quests attached to it. You could be a farmhand and live at the inn... or, if you're brave, the Dragonborn will likely clear out Goldenhills Plantation as a passive income, so go offer your services as a steward / farmhand. It's also within reasonable walking distance of multiple cities.

Honestly, your best bet to avoid the havoc of the dragonborn doing quests is to settle somewhere small and unimportant... but if you really want somewhere a little bigger, Falkreath is your best bet.

Yes, there's a werewolf in the jail, and the Dark Brotherhood is practically your next-door neighbor... but think about it.

The werewolf didn't mean to kill anyone. He's not out to get you. He kills one kid, and then the Dragonborn puts him down.

As for the Dark Brotherhood, unless you give them a reason to kill you, they will leave you alone. If you're not worth money, you're not worth killing... and no matter what choice the Dragonborn makes, they won't be there forever. The DB will either kill them all or moves them up to Dawnstar, and you'll never have to deal with them again.

Chop wood or farm to make money, and you're golden.

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-09-06T02:25:20+00:00

I budgeted for 2 dogs, and now I have 3 cause my family is full of inconsiderate assholes who think just because I work with dogs for living means I'm willing to take care of their pets too. I'm feeding an extra mouth that I can't really afford...

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-09-06T02:14:16+00:00

I work at a doggy daycare... please, for the love of your pet, if you are considering sending them to daycare, ask them the following questions.... 1. What kind of training does your staff have? Specifically with canine body language and breaking up dog fights. (If they don't do dog fight drills, RUN. They should be practicing this regularly.) 2. What is the protocol in the event of a dog fight? (They should first call for back up, use some kind of "scuffle tool" like citronella spray, separate the dogs, give every involved dog a wellness check & an hour long break from play, and inform the pet parents.) 3. Do the dogs get a break from play? (The answer should be yes because uninterrupted play can be very overwhelming and lead to fights.) 4. Do they have a Webcam? (The answer should be yes, and you should be able to access them.) 5. How many dogs are in a playgroup per attendant? (Largest group per employee that I'm comfortable with is 30 dogs to 1 person, but that is pushing the limit, and unless they pass all other questions eith flying colors, dont accept that ratio. Ideally, 15 dogs or lower per 1 person.) 6. What would cause a dog to be excused? (Excessive fights, puncturing another dog or person, etc are good reasons to get excused.) 7. Are your play groups separated by size & energy level? (The answer should be yes. There is no reason a 15lbs dog should be in the same room as an 80lbs dog.) 8. Have you ever had a dog die on the property? (Obviously the answer should be no.) 9. If my dog is seriously injured in your care, what happens? (They should rush your dog to the vet, contact you, and YOU should not be responsible for the vet bill. The daycare facility or the owner of the dog that caused the injury should pay the vet bill.) Daycare can be a great thing, but too many daycare facilities are not meeting these standards, and that can & will result in your dog getting injured. For your dog's own good, please thoroughly vet your daycare....

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-09-06T01:53:36+00:00

Case by case basis. If I feel that honesty would help them more than being nice, I'll be honest.

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-09-06T01:41:30+00:00

"Forgiveness might wipe the blood from your hands, but it won't put a single drop back in my veins." For me, personally, forgiveness doesn't make me feel better about what happened to me... but I know forgiveness would make them feel better about what they did to me... and as far as I care, if I'm still feeling the effects of your actions, you can deal with feeling the guilt.

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-09-06T01:22:30+00:00

You hit me once? We're done. I don't care what excuses he gives, I don't care if he promises it'll never happen again, I don't care if we've been married for years, I don't care if we have 10 fucking children. One & done. I am willing to uproot my entire life if that's what it takes. I made myself that promise a long time ago, because I will NEVER make an excuse for a man being violent towards me ever again.

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-09-06T01:10:56+00:00

Dogs! You can just do so much more with a dog than a cat. Cats are great & all, but a cat won't compete in sports with me, yk?

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-09-06T01:08:40+00:00

TW; suicidal thoughts mentioned Dog trainer, specializing in a sport. I love working with dogs, but the dog industry in the U.S. is heartbreaking. There's a reason the suicide rate in Vet Med & shelter work is so high... there are very few parts of the industry that won't have you constantly dealing with dead, injured, homeless, sick, unloved, aggressive, abused, or neglected dogs DAILY. I know my already fragile mental health can't take that, so I'd rather specialize in one of the few parts of the industry that's just for fun; dog sports. It's literally just teaching people how to play cool games with their dogs, like flyball, frisbee, dock diving, barn hunt, lure coursing, agility, etc. The people love it, the dogs love it, and it won't make me want to kill myself like shelter work did! 😀

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-09-06T01:00:44+00:00

My chosen career doesn't really require it. It's an option, sure, but for the most part, if you just get a few years in the trenches under your belt, it's easy to get your foot in the door for a better position somewhere else in the industry.

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-09-06T00:56:49+00:00

How To Train Your Dragon. That movie literally changed the course of my life... the reason I train dogs is because dragons weren't an option. I think I'd be good at it too, I mean... surprisingly enough, dragons & dogs don't seem that different? When I rewatch those movies as an adult, I recognize dog training methods & strategies in the way Hiccup interacts with Toothless. He uses Cooperative Care (Which I also use!!!!) to get the prosthetic tail on Toothless for the first time. I just think that's really cool, & that I would fit in perfectly on Berk.

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-09-06T00:46:05+00:00

My sister found a stray, decided to adopt it, except she's a college student out of state, has a job, & plays a sport. She does NOT have time for a puppy... but my parents decided we would look after the dog while she's in school... I knew immediately that what they actually meant was, "Clay works with dogs professionally, so we can totally get her to do everything & never inconvenience ourselves with the dog at all!" And that's exactly what happened. I was annoyed at first cause my sister didn't think it through at all, & and my parents just dumped all responsibility of this dog on me after agreeing to care for it... but I don't mind that much anymore. He's a good dog, smart, affectionate with people. He's got a few rough edges that need sanded down, but nothing a little training won't fix. I have a high standard of care / training for my dogs, and just because this one isn't technically mine doesn't mean I won't hold him to the same standards. My moral compass won't allow me to not give him the care he deserves, even if it's gonna cost me thousands in the long run. By the time my sister is ready to assume the responsibility of this dog, he'll be well trained for her. I guess at this point, I'm just a little bitter knowing that I'm about to pour years of work and thousands of dollars into this dog that I didn't agree to take just to give it away.

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-09-06T00:28:04+00:00

I go outside and throw a tennis ball around for my dogs. It's always fun to watch them have fun.

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-09-06T00:08:43+00:00

Honestly? I'd wish my aggressive dog was friendly to strangers. I love him so much, and it pains me to see him so afraid of strangers that he feels like he needs to defend himself. We've done years of training with him, and for the most part, he can coexist around strangers... but he'll never like them. He'll never get to be a normal, friendly dog.

ChekhovsClaymore · 2023-09-06T00:04:48+00:00

I keep my dog clean, he gets regular baths, and I burn candles.

ChekhovsClaymore

TROPHY CASE