Raining Cats and Dogs

Well, of course, this is Vancouver, so naturally it's raining. But the cats and dogs are actually characters in a story I've had on the back burner for a few years. I might have mentioned it before, I'm too lazy to check my previous blogs. If this looks like a repeat, you can sign off. I won't be offended. The story mainly involves one dog and one cat (and a fish, if you must know). In fact, I've had their story on the back burner for so long, that the dog(s) and cat in question are, I regret to say, now deceased. There was no fish, at least not in recent history. I might have to get one for inspiration. About fifty years ago, or more, I had a goldfish named Billy. I kept him in a small bowl. The bowl was so full of 'toys' that poor Billy had no room to swim, poor chap. No wonder he always looked a bit glum. He was followed by Genevieve and Oscar. Also glum.
I'm sure you've all had a pet at one time, or your neighbours have. Did you notice their personalities? Odd habits maybe? Quirks even? My mother in law's two dogs gave me the inspiration for this particular story, but for my story I blended the two dogs into one dog. A couple of years, or months, will go by, and then, as happened this week, a burst of inspiration will send me to the computer and off I go again, back to the dog story that never ends.
So here's your writing exercise. Watch your dog, fish, cat or rabbit - or someone else's. Make notes. Put one of them front and centre in a story.
Quirky creatures to inspire you: My husband has relatives in Greece who kept chickens. The chickens actually flew up into a tree to sleep at night. My uncle had a dog that would begin to bark as soon as her master got off the bus - three blocks away. And there was a parrot in the Athens National Gardens that, many years ago, taught my son rude words!