I too sew over pins.
Iron? What's an iron? Got 10 fingers for anything that needs flattening a bit, don't have to wait for them to heat up, don't have to unplug them ....
I use my carpenter's L and T-square instead of the quilters' rulers. If I could figure out how to use my mitre box for sewing, I probably would .....
I don't think giving a quilt to a dog is a bad thing. At all.