PlazaJen: Passion Knit

Over the weekend, I was in a cold-induced stupor. Today is the first FIRST day I have not felt like I have a cold. (Let me tell you, starting a new job with a head cold is a challenging thing to do!)
So we use an e-collar on the dogs to reinforce good behavior. What that means is, if you are Polly, and I call you to come HERE, and you choose to ignore me, I press a button and you can make the discomfort stop by DOING WHAT I TOLD YOU TO DO. It's a good thing these aren't licensed for use in the workplace. Anyway. You have to take the remote and press its little sensor node to the recessed sensor spot on the collar to activate them. I usually then hit the "page" button, which doesn't actually send a shock, it just vibrates it, like a pager buzzes. That way I know there's enough juice to send a message - if I have to.
Like I said in a way-earlier blog, we usually have this thing set on "20" (out of 100) and James & I even put it on our hands to feel it so we knew what it was like. It reminds me of getting a very muted electrical shock, like from a lamp I had as a kid that the wiring was going out on - just enough to feel weird, not enough to make you go WHOA.
You see where this is going, don't you, dear reader?

The e-collar was on the counter in the bathroom. I had just woken up from a dead-to-the-world-I'm-sick Four Hour Nap. I picked it up, activated it, and then tested it to see if was juiced. Uh yeah. Instead of hitting PAGE, I hit the SHOCK button, and immediately flung the collar across the counter. I am surprised I didn't break the mirror. I exchanged a very shocked look with myself in the mirror. Loads of wide-eyed blinking. Astonishment, really. I didn't understand what I'd done for a couple of seconds. It hit me, of course, I'd hit the wrong button, and then, I looked at the remote and saw that the level? It had gotten bumped to 40. My hand tingled for probably 10 minutes afterwards! The funny thing is, on "20", Polly responds, but if she wants to race after a cat or a bunny, we have to move it up to "30-40". Suzy, on the other hand, caterwauls at "20" as though she is slowly being killed with acupuncture needles and lemon juice. It's only happened once, in a hunting situation, and I guess it was a sight to behold - especially since she is such a toughie and can be SO STUBBORN, like when I'm dragging her by the collar, which can't be comfortable, and I've even swatted her butt - which I can tell you now, FROM EXPERIENCE, is nothing like the pain of the e-collar.

Especially on "40".