Every day, my belief that I have a dog, and not a widdle-cute-baby like many people like to tell me, is reinforced more strongly. I’m totally in love with him, but he also vomits on the carpet and eats it before I can clean it up. He’s a wonderful dog and is doing so well, and I think he’s growing into a great companion for Ryan and me. I’m also convinced that the more we treat him as a dog, not my little baby (or practice for a baby) the better dog he’ll be. He needs to be given the freedom to explore his dogness, not constantly managed or watched over by me or Ryan. Right now he is very attached to us, and likes to know where we are, but he is also learning more and more every day to be independent; able to be outside by himself digging and playing, able to hang in the corner for a while alone.
From all my experience with dogs in my life, those are the best kind of dogs; a well-balanced dog, one who is not needy and in your face all the time, and is easygoing. One who is happy to be a part of your life, but has his own dog world and things I know nothing about or will never be a part of.
I think a lot of people do not do that, or would not even want to do that, if you watch any episodes at all of the Dog Whisperer. Maybe it’s an ego thing, or maybe they like something being so completely dependent on them. Maybe, to them, that is the way to provide the best life for their dog. They are the people who say, “oh my dog can’t be away from me, she’ll just go crazy,” or who plan their vacations or evenings out around their dogs. But they have trained their dog to be that way. In our modern society, dogs are dependent on us for food, shelter, and water. But a dog that is also dependent on us for all sources of entertainment does not seem to be very well balanced to me, and I question whether it is the best life for a dog.
It seems like modern suburban America, and all the consumer trash surrounding pet ownership reinforces and encourages that overly dependent behavior. There are dog clothes, dog butt wipes, and fancy grooming -- all so a dog looks and smells more like a human and less like a dog. We got a dog, a pooping, rolling in garbage, eating vomit dog. We knew that going in, and prepared ourselves for that.
The whole pet industry is overwhelming to me. It really does remind me of the wedding industry. You are bombarded from all angles with images, ideas, and edicts from television, the internet, and even friends about how to undertake this task and all the things you need to buy to be able to do so properly. “Oh, you’ve got to get this mango-maga-meter, it’ll change your life.” “Oh, that type of thing you have is toxic, you need to buy this more expensive thing.” Hey – my dog just ate cat poop, whether or not a toy is toxic is the least of my concerns.
Oh well, I should get off my morning soap-box and get to actual work, and I’ll post some pix later.
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