I used to think that our clothing dryer housed the entrance to another dimension because after nearly every load, at least one lone sock would come out missing its pair.

This phenomenon had been occurring for quite some time, but I recently had a break in the puzzle. Last week, I was awoken by the horrible noise of our puppy, Gus, throwing up. I jumped out of bed and flicked on the light just in time to see a sock swimming in stomach bile.

I was extremely worried about Gus’ new culinary preferences so I watched him closely over the next few days. He was eating and using the bathroom normally, but I still pet-proofed the house in an effort to cut off any access he had to my socks. He had his fun, but he had to be stopped.

Two days after the first sock, I was rudely stirred by the all-too-familiar sound of retching. This time there were three socks: a dress-sock, an ankle-sock and a tube-sock. His tastes must have expanded. After all, variety is the spice of life…even in the world of pica.

To prevent this from being an even longer tale, let me just cut to the chase and say that in the end, Gus barfed up six socks in total. I’m so happy that I have a dog with an ironclad stomach, but more importantly a great veterinarian who talked me through it.

While I don't need to hire an appliance repair technician to check the dryer, perhaps I should look for an animal psychiatrist on Angie's List.