Doggin’ Dan

...or eat. (This isn’t so funny when you’re dropping $14 on a thong.) I don’t know what to do. Doggie Comes First Despite the fact that your dog is doing you a favor when he destroys those $14 thongs (butt floss is now and forever a fashion don’t), you can solve your problem by having your dog destroyed. It’s a drastic step, I realize, but the Godlike power of life and death is one of the thrills of pet ownership. Frankly, I still think my advice was sound. However, as mine would seem to be the minority opinion, I shall defer to the judgment of my outraged readers and retract my advice to Doggie Comes First. What follows is a representative sampling of the letters that shamed me into changing my mind. I’ve read your column for a long, long time. I do not believe what you told Doggie Comes First in last week’s column. Thongs are a fashion don’t? I can’t even fathom what would make the thong unfashionable (other than a flabby ass). Thongs are sexy on women, Dan! Thong Lover in Texas I take offense at the term “butt floss.” My thongs do not floss my ass crack. Happy to Wear $14 Thongs Damn it, Dan! What, are you TRYING to ruin the fun for us straight guys? Ass floss makes me hot, and WHY THE FUCK DO YOU CARE, ANYWAY?!? YOU’RE GAY!!! Think what you will about thongs as fashion, but unless you want me telling gay men that lube is for pansies, let us straight guys have all the fun we can! Thongless in Seattle My girlfriend tends to wear tight-fitting pants. She has an ass to die for. She wears thongs to prevent her underwear from showing through her pants. Allowing your underwear to show through your pants is, you’ll agree, a more serious “fashion don’t” than wearing thongs. Butt Floss Forever Who died and left you in charge of women’s underwear? And since when are you concerned with “fashion don’ts”? I’ve seen you in person, Dan, and everything you had on was a fashion don’t. In fact, you were a walking fashion disaster. If I were you, I wouldn’t worry so much about women’s underwear and worry more about those beat-up old tennis shoes of yours! Thongs Rule Dan! Don’t tell women they shouldn’t wear thongs! You’re a gay man! Women LISTEN to gay men! Don’t ruin everything for us straight guys!! I Would Slit My Wrists If It Weren’t for Thongs Do you consider panty lines to be fashionable? It’s likely that you do not. While there are some men who enjoy the sneak peek, visible panty lines (VPL) have approximately the same level of eroticism as breast self-exam instructions. There are three ways to avoid VPL: 1. Stop wearing clothes that show panty lines. 2. Go commando. 3. Wear a thong. Public butt-flossing is not necessary, but thongs are a comfortable and reasonable alternative to the hideous panty line. Beer & Thong Fan The reason many women choose to wear “butt floss” isn’t so that our ass cheeks, which are not usually a woman’s favorite part of her body, can hang out all over the place. Most non-thong women’s underwear that looks decent (bikini, French-cut, etc.) has this extremely annoying tendency to creep up into the nether region betwixt our jiggly buttocks. So the idea is, if it’s going to creep up there anyway, why not get some underwear that’s already tucked firmly in place? Voilà! The thong. Most women are hooked instantly, and never go back. Thong-Wearin’ Woman Nothing is worse than peeling away a tight skirt to find a pair of saggy undies. Perhaps in the homo-male world, thongs are a fashion don’t–unless one is an erotic dancer, maybe–but I wouldn’t know. Trust me on this one. Please reconsider. I am sure you will get a lot of mail on this one. Longs for Thongs Well, you were right, LFT. I did get a lot of mail on this one. Apparently there are a lot of people out there who are passionate about thongs. Interestingly enough, one person who wrote in didn’t take issue with my disparagement of the thong. Instead, this one person objected to another element of my response: my suggestion that Doggie Comes First have her jealous, growling, thong-destroying dog put down…. While I gather that your column is supposed to be of the cranky/sarcastic variety, your suggestion that Doggie Comes First destroy her dog was over the line. An alternative response might have been that (A) the dog may know something about these clowns that she doesn’t, and (B) the dog could use some training before somebody gets hurt. The ASPCA or her veterinarian are good resources for training information, and there are lists on the Internet for advice. I know your responses are meant for a laugh, but there are too many people out there who take even the most obviously absurd suggestions as good advice. Millions of pets are destroyed each year simply because they are an inconvenience to their owners. Don’t give such people any more ideas. And I agree with you totally about the butt floss, by the way. Sincerely, Mary McInerney, President, FIDO in Prospect Park (a group dedicated to responsible pet ownership), Brooklyn, New York Well, there you have it: Don’t throw out your thongs, ladies, and don’t kill your dogs. Perhaps that’s what I should’ve said in the first place…. [email protected]