Happy “National Dog Day“–a chance for dog fans to celebrate their furry friends.  If you’re not a dog fan, well, maybe you can go have a cookie instead.

“The holiday was created in 2004 by Colleen Paige, a Pet & Family Lifestyle Expert and Animal Advocate. She created this day so that all dogs could be celebrated and also to draw attention to the number of dogs in shelters and to encourage adoption to those who have yet to find a place to call home. Since the first celebration in 2004, National Dog Day has grown and is now celebrated across the world. In 2013 the holiday was written into New York legislation and can be seen on the New York State Senate’s website.“

My furry friend wants to know why I am spending time on the computer rather than out in the backyard playing fetch.

Somewhere between work and playing fetch, I plan to give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

Care to join me?

For those of you working away on a story (whether a first draft or a polished version on its way to publication), if you’re not feeling random, we’d love to hear a bit – whether it’s a scene, a paragraph, or even a phrase that you are especially pleased with and would like to share.

If you don’t have a story in progress, or just want to work on something new, I hope either today’s random words or writing prompt will catch your creative fancy.

Ready?

Prompt:   A new pet!

Feel free to interpret the prompt any way you choose (or ignore it completely) and include any (or all) of the following random words:   

emperor           soon              exercise            vampire

black                leggy              horror               bribery

beast                tangled           crawling           footwork

gambol            adoption          boundary        chew

I look forward to seeing your stories in the comments.  If you’re not feeling in the writing mood today, or don’t have time, feel free to post suggestions you might have for future writing prompts.  Ideas are always welcome.

Happy writing to all!