Huddled under my umbrella the other day, I was dodging raindrops
and puddles as I walked the three blocks from the parking garage to
my office. As I was passing an apartment building, I saw an elderly
woman standing near the entrance holding an umbrella over her
little white poodle dog. Unfortunately, the umbrella wasn’t large
enough to cover both her and the dog, so she was getting soaked.
Unable to withhold comment, I said, “Do you think he’ll melt if he
gets wet?” She responded, “Well, he’s sweet enough to melt, but the
truth is that if I don’t hold the umbrella for him he gets angry
and pouts and won’t eat his lunch.” And, by dinner time he’s an
absolute bear! Welcome to the world of the pampered pet.
Although man’s best friend has always been his dog, the degree to
which man has rewarded that friendship has quite possibly gotten
out of hand. Evidence to support that statement can be found in the
food we give our pets, the “attire” we put on their backs, the
jewelry with which we adorn them, the amenities we provide in their
surroundings and the provisions we make for their temporary care
when we absolutely have to leave them behind. If necessary, we send
“Rover” to counseling sessions with dog psychologists, provide
outrageously expensive dental care, clip/wash/curl their hair and
make sure their nails are done so as not to embarrass them in front
of their friends.
How many of us have spent a restless night because “Missy”, our pug
faced Pekinese, can’t seem to get comfortable in our bed or “Bull”,
our six ounce Chihuahua, growls and snaps at us when we roll over
on him. Yes, for those of you that are disbelievers, many people do
share their beds with their doggies. In fact, I’ve heard of many
cases where couples sleep apart rather than crowd the dog. Have you
ever tried to argue with a sleepy Doberman Pincher? Forget about
it!
A thriving and lucrative industry has grown up around the pampered
pet. Pet owners spend multi-millions each year on their little
four-legged friends. Occasionally the news media will offer a blurb
about the pet owner who spent hundreds, even thousands of dollars
on a diamond studded dog collar for “Fluffy.” However, this
phenomenon is actually rather commonplace. Pick up the “Yellow
Pages” in any city and you’ll find scads of pet salons that offer
expensive pet jewelry and accessories. And just because you’ve gone
to the expense of buying that ruby red sweater, with matching
rubies, for “Fifi”, don’t think your obligation have been
fulfilled. If “Fifi” can’t have a gold rimmed feeding bowl, like
her friends have, she’ll no doubt have to double up on her
counseling sessions. The expense of this could easily exceed the
cost of the bowl.
Now let’s get down to diet – what can we feed “Prince”, the proud
Rottweiler? To be honest, Prince isn’t all that fond of dry dog
food. He’ll eat some of it, but only if mixed with some of that
delicious lamb gravy he likes. And, just like most of us, he
prefers light fare in the mornings; perhaps a few scrambled eggs
and just a slice or two of bacon. Careful not to overfeed though;
he likes his lunch of broiled liver at precisely 12 noon. No need
to make a big fuss about dinner though, he’ll usually eat some (or
most) of whatever it is that you’re having.
This scenario might involve a slight stretch, but it is certainly
not too far fetched. We worry more about what our pets will eat, or
if they’re “off their feed”, than we worry about what our kids eat.
I wonder how it is we know that our kids will eat when they get
hungry, but we can’t accept that this truism might apply to our
dogs too. We feel compelled to continue to offer our dogs a full
menu from which to select and if all else fails, it’s time to
schedule a trip to the Vet.
Speaking of Veterinarians – most of them now offer direct deposit
so your entire paycheck can be directed right into their accounts.
Veterinary expenses have gone through the roof and there’s no end
to the elaborate medical procedures now being provided routinely. A
friend who bellyached for months about the cost of dental
appliances (braces) for his kid willingly shelled out $2500 to fix
his dog’s overbite because “Tiger” appeared to be in discomfort
when chewing on his rawhide bone.
Now that we’ve clearly established that we spoil our dogs, let’s
offer a word or two in our own defense. Dogs love us without
reservation. Scold them, treat then meanly, tease them, leave them
for long periods of time or forget to feed them and they’ll still
love you and want nothing more than to be near you. Throughout
history, dogs have given their lives for their masters. “Police”
dogs will face an armed attacker to protect their handler and
“Seeing Eye” dogs will risk death or injury to steer their Charge
away from a speeding car. A dog’s love for its master is pure and
unquestioning. In my opinion, they deserve all the pampering they
can get.
Pets make us feel good. They comfort us, allow us to be ourselves
and give those of us that need it, a reason for living.
