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Not too many years ago I caught a segment on the evening news about a “dog deli” opening in New York City. Area dog owners could stop by the new deli and select specially prepared foods and snacks for their dogs (and possibly cats though I don’t remember). The items were expensive but the pet owners thought it was worth it for healthy, freshly prepared foods. Along with this segment was a shorter piece at the end where the same reporter visited a near-by pet store. The pet store served a high-end clientele with pricey collars and leashes, beds, clothing, blankets, and the like.
My current dog, whose photo graces the upper left of this blog, is a mixed breed with the overall appearance of a small, white Lab. He wears a beautiful blue collar my daughter bought for him the day we brought him home from Noah’s Bark, a local rescue organization. He has a matching leash. She also bought him a comfy bed that is under my desk where I work most of the day. He naps there awaiting my every wish. Each day we go for a long walk. I walk my daughter’s little dog each day as well, also a rescue from the same agency. She too has a fancy collar, leash, bedding, toys, you name it. (The dog, not my daughter.)
Once the segment came to the end, the reporter, who up to that point had done a fair job of describing these shops in a fun, playful manner, decided to comment, unfavorably, on the owners. He did it in what he thought was comedic but I was not laughing. His ending comments “jokingly” chastised pet owners for spending so much money, time, and attention on their pampered pets when there were so many other worthy causes available. He made what he thought was a funny comment about neurotic dogs (with a video clip of a shaking Poodle wearing a sparkly collar) and commented to the audience something to the effect that he wished he had money to spend on a health food diet for himself let alone for a dog. With that he concluded the segment with a smirk.
Over the years I have often been teased about the attention I lavish on my pets, especially my dogs. People have no compunction whatsoever to tell me they think I’m nuts for how I treat my pets. They feel free to tell me they wish they were my dog and that some children don’t live as well as my dog. (So horribly true and the subject of a future blog.) When I started cooking for my dogs a few years ago you would think I had lost my mind. I tried to explain that the dog food industry has even weaker food regulatory agencies than our pitiful human foods do and that I felt a little better preparing healthy foods for them. I do not feed them people food. It’s food that I prepare especially for them without the spices and other items I would put in my food. It’s dog food. Pure and simple dog food made fresh by me. Along with that I give my current dog a multi vitamin each day. Shoot me.
A few years ago we all learned the hard way when poisonous ingredients found in famous brand name dog foods killed thousands of pets. These manufacturers had purchased raw materials from China to make their products and the materials contained a toxic plastic filler. Even more pet deaths were not immediately attributed to the food poisoning. Since that time many people have come to the conclusion their beloved pet was one of the first pets to die after eating the poisoned food well before the companies were gathering statistics. The sad tales on the Internet about 12-year-old healthy pets dying and puppies dying and dogs and cats with health issues dying (which the pet food insurance companies tried to pawn off on pre-existing conditions) were heartbreaking.
I just knew even before then that I wanted my pets to have healthy food prepared without preservatives and that the food was fresh. I think the attention to their diet must work since my last wonderful little dog lived for 16.5 years. Yet, devoted pet owners often find themselves ridiculed about their pet practices. I have even been told that my attention to my dog takes the place of a human companion in my life. The inference is that it’s wrong to substitute a pet for a human companion. (Funny.)
It’s amazing to me how people feel they can tell you what you need when they are often living with a huge mess in their own lives. I’ve never had a pet who was an alcoholic, I’ve never had a pet treat me disrespectfully or abusively, I’ve never had a pet leave me for another owner, I’ve never had a pet lie to me (but I did have a Great Dane who would steal food off the kitchen counter whenever she got the chance), I’ve never had a pet who would go out with the “boys” and get blasted at a pub, I’ve never had a pet get arrested, and I’ve never had a pet make a pass at a friend of mine (except for what we call my dog’s “humpy dance” when he gets excited to see someone).
So how silly is it to lavish time, attention, and money on a beloved pet?
Ever take up bowling? How much is a nice bowling ball these days? How about shoes? Matching bag? Clothing? What about bowling expenses like lane fees, team fees, and of course, there’s always gambling.
How about golf? My daughter played golf in college. She explained the cost of clubs, bags, clothing, fees, and of course, there’s always gambling.
Have season tickets to a favorite team? Do fans go by themselves or do they have a pair or more of the tickets so that they can take family and friends? Buy anything to eat or drink at these events? Have a team jacket? Maybe a t-shirt? And, of course, there’s always gambling.
What about boating and other water activities? Sailing, jet skis. With a powerboat we have skis, maintenance items, a trailer, a car that can pull a decent sized boat, launch fees, food and materials for a day at the lake.
Like going to Tahoe? There’s equipment, whether purchased or rented, the lodging, food, lift tickets, and whatever. Do you hug your snowboard? Does it hug you back?
And the list goes on. Yet, I have never heard reports on TV about how silly people are for buying team jackets or expensive food at sporting events or that boating equipment is going up, up, up and people are crazy to pay the prices. A report will crop up from time to time that the expenses are increasing but the reporters do not mock anyone for paying more. Instead, they commiserate with them. Buy a sparkly collar for our dog and we never hear the end of it.
I attended a Giant’s game in San Francisco and it happened to be “Dog Day at the Park.” A section of the seating was set-aside for people and their dogs. It was so much fun seeing all the pets and talking to all the owners. It was a great time. But I heard grumbling from others that they didn’t appreciate having the dogs there. (I saw adults who were drunk out of their minds who shouldn’t have been there and a number of children who needed leashes more than the dogs.)
People who have pets love them and consider them members of the family. Recently a study was released about dogs having the basic intelligence of a 2-year-old human toddler with a similar vocabulary of about 250 words they respond to. Yet, a dog will always be a 2-year-old. They remain our “babies” for life. They mellow and change throughout the years, but they always have that innocent sweet quality forever because of their loving homes (unless they belonged to Michael Vick and that’s all I can say about him without requiring sedation).
And each pet is so different. I’ve had a number of cats and dogs since childhood and no single pet has ever been like another. When comparing my pets to the pets of family and friends the differences continue to amaze me, even within the same breeds. I have a friend in Pollock Pines who has two little Rat Terriers. They come from the same breeder and though they have similarities, they are very different from one another in personality. They are individuals!
Pet owners l-o-v-e their pets. We love them in a way that is very close to the way we love our children. (I’ve been criticized for that one too.) It is not the same but let’s remember that humans have a huge capacity for love and we can love in many different ways. We love our parents differently than we love our siblings. We love our spouses differently than we love our children. We love our friends differently than we love our aunts and uncles and cousins. We have the capacity for loving nature, music, art, sports, and chocolate. I actually feel love when listening to certain pieces of music. Technically it’s considered enjoyment but when we enjoy something tremendously we say we “love it.” And a dog’s love for us is unconditional. It is astonishing to me that dogs will take abuse or neglect from their owners then wag their tails when approached by them.
Many studies I’ve read are uncertain about the emotions dogs feel. They can “feel” threatened or fearful, they experience hunger, they get tired and require sleep, cold, heat, and so on. Instinctive and physical “feelings.” But dog owners know their dogs love them. We can feel their love. And they can feel ours. They posture in loving ways, ways different from when they are hungry or protective.
My current wonderful dog loves me so much that other people have commented on it. A repairman fixing something in my house one day observed my dog and said, “Wow. Your dog really loves you.” I asked what made him say that and he said it was the way the dog looked at me. I asked him if he had dogs and of course he did. It takes one to know one.
Dogs are frequent visitors at my dad’s skilled nursing facility. They have a positive effect on the patients and the patients love the canine visits. Dogs assist law enforcement in countless ways, they are invaluable in search and rescue in frightening and dangerous situations, they assist physically and mentally challenged children and adults, they perform in movies and on TV, they guard people and property. They truly are our best friends.
If met with financial ruin and I lost my home, my dog and I would live in my car. And if I lost my car, my dog and I would live under a bridge. Or with my kids or friends who have pets and love them the way I do. I would never give up my dog under any circumstances. If something happens to me my kids will take my dog. I have a friend in Arizona and she has frequently asked me to take her dog if anything happens to her and her husband while on vacation when their dog can’t go along. I would drive there in a flash and bring that dog here and he would have a happy life (with freshly prepared food).
I guess if one has too much love in their lives and they can’t fit a pet in, maybe it’s for the best. Maybe loving too many things in life is confusing. Or maybe getting a dog and loving it with all your heart will make life a little less confusing. Works for me.
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