Clay Going In, Clay Going Out

I'm new to this blog habit. The topic today, geophagy, is not new. Living things eat clay as a strategy to safely bind and excrete ingested toxins. Another biological fact is that among living things, Pugs are among the most open-minded when it comes to ingestion.

I have a professional pottery studio. On occasion, I make exceptional clay messes that spill over onto the floors. The floor is the domain of the Pugs. You see where this is going.

In the past, I've caught the Pugs hoovering up bits of clay. They leave it when told. It never gives them any change in processing, and it possibly fulfills a basic need that some dogs try to meet by eating their yards. It is worth noting that quantity makes a difference in outcome. I suspect that the tipping point for Tater could be measured in terms of teaspoon fractions.

When I have to spend long, consecutive hours in the studio, I bring the Pugs along. Another biological truth: Pugs were invented for companionship; they thrive on being with their people. Poots toddles off to Paul's side of the studio and lurks his comfy office guest chair. Tater, however, is devoted to me and snores for hours on the dog bed at my feet. Recently, I was in the midst of a mind-binding project that generated a fresh clayfall. My entire faculties devoted to the task at hand, I failed to notice that helpful Tater was making a dent in a wet clay drift. The "Leave it!" command never came. The next day, my perfectly housetrained Pug was not-so-much. Tater timed it admirably. She waited for me to leave the room, followed me to the bathroom door, and left her first "clay sculpture" in the main studio. She left it in Paul's area, not in mine, because she has a sense of loyalty. After cleanup, I took her back to the house for a time-out. Pugs who take liberties lose their liberty in the studio. I didn't realize she'd only just begun, and I'd just left her alone with carpet.

To make an unpleasant story short, I was glad I had just bought a new gallon of Nature's Miracle. Tater is inarguably a self-made expert in the detox diet movement. The puppy pen has returned to service, as long as I am in this phase of this project. Sorry, Tater, but I don't need a living extruder.