"Pet" Peeve
Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 12:20PM 
Salsa Dog, 2005
That fine specimen of a pooch in the picture is my dog "Salsa" and she is just about the best dog I've ever owned. I want to clarify a few things though: she is a dog and because she is a dog...she lives outside. She also eats dog food, because she is in fact...a dog. When we go somewhere in the truck, Salsa rides in the truck bed (outside...like a dog). In this picture, Salsa is resting on the back porch and it may not look it, but she is wild(genus: canus). She's never bitten anyone, but she could...because she is a dog (species: lupus). I love my dog, the kids love my dog, and now that she is done eating Kendra's laundry, even Kendra loves Salsa.
So, if you can't tell from my wordy introduction, Salsa is treated like a dog. This leads me to share another of the things in life that bug me (it's on par with my disdain for roadside memorials). What is the deal with the increased humanization of animals?
For years, I've noticed people elevating their pets to level of children. Although I find that odd, it doesn't really push any of my buttons. These type of pet owners refer to their pets as "the kids" or "our babies" and some even send us Christmas cards with pictures of their pets and include them in the family Christmas letter (...and Fido is busy too...learning to walk off the leash...blah blah blah).
In the past few years, I've noticed that people expect you to accomodate their animals in a number of ridiculous ways. For example, my folks have an inside dog, that's cool...no biggie. But recently they had guests who brought their own dog along for the visit (my folks were cool with the plan, but then enjoyed cleaning up a variety of wet spots on carpeting and bedding...).
Then there was the hospital visit to see Lisa (Eric's wife) a few months ago. As I left the patient area, I noticed a woman walking in with a tiny dog tucked in her jacket (not sure, but I'm still fairly certain that hospitals are still shooting for the whole idea of being "really clean").
I had a patient show up a few weeks ago with a dog and she expected us to allow it to stay inside during her cleaning.
Then there are the dogs I see in the grocery store, at the mall (as if...), Starbucks, etc...
So...allow this to be a heads up for guests and visitors...you are welcome to visit me at my house or my office. If you are inclined to bring a dog, a rabbit, a rooster, or an emu with you...please plan on leaving it outside with the rest of the animals.
Also, please do not compare the care of your animals to the care of human children. I'm sorry, I don't share the same connection to animals that you have, besides...that is the exact type of behavior that makes front page news at theMangoTimes.
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
Reader Comments (15)
oh my word. this is a HUGE pet peeve of ours! i like dogs. grew up with them, we plan on getting one someday. but it will definitely be an OUTSIDE dog. i am SO not into the whole in-the-house dogs who presume you want them to curl up in your lap. or the ones that piddle on the couch and then voila! a quick dab by the hostess and she assumes you're good to go to sit right back down on that couch again. EW.
i am thankful there are still people in the world who keep pets in the proper category.
~stacy
I can definitely see your point. When I went to LA last year, there were people with little dogs and their carrying cases everywhere. On every corner there was a dog boutique. Where there is a market there is money to be made. I think in LA, it is much like having an accessory, a nice handbag or pair of earrings. I used to not like pets much at all, wouldn't even pet a friends animals. Now, I have two cats and one dog. My dog is a labradoodle and a great dog he is. However, my philosophy is that he is a family pet, where he is inside, with the family most of the time, and being a smaller breed it works pretty well most of the time. He sleeps on the floor at the foot of our bed. I know he would love to snuggle with a member of his pack, but hubby draws the line there. He travels in the car with us (we don't have a truck) on errands (except on hot days when he cannot safely stay in the car.) I guess if we lived in a dryer climate he would be outside more, but as wet as it is here most of us are inside a lot during the year, which is far different from your climate. i imagine your kids are outside with the dog at least once a day almost year round. I also respect others comfort level with me having my dog with me. WHen I go to a friends house who has a dog, he comes to play too. If a friend has no pets, max stays home. He is also very potty trained and well behaved. He isn't allowed obnoxious dog behaviors like sniffing private parts and jumping up. Being a responsible dog owner is important. Hopefully while not needing to convince you, I have shared another side of dog ownership.
Susan
And euw euw euw! They take them in the grocery store! Dog hair with your produce anyone?
I love my dog, but I will never refer to her (except in the sarcastic way) as my "fur baby" or "the furry kid"
susan...i get it...really i do...i understand people loving animals...i'm just a bit thrown when animals are elevated to human status (complete with rights and privledges). and even though it's forecast to be near freezing tonight...salsa and sugar (the cat) will get their evening meal out in the garage and still sleep on their beds outside like they always have...
We love our dog, the cat, not so much. The dog is an inside dog, most of the time, because that's just what my husband and I grew up with and it suits our family. But, loved as she is, she is still a dog. Pampered? Maybe, but she is certainly never considered anything more than what she is. And that's a dog.
You forgot to tell about the dinner guests we had several years ago who brought their dog and wore it in a front pack throughout the entire dinner...
Have you heard of the dentist in the area that has a dog in the office. And gets quite comfortable with the patients as he jumps on their lap while they are on the dental chair.
Kenj: Yeah...I forgot to mention the dog in the front pack. It sat the whole time in our home in the pouch on it's owners lap...it was like 3 hours....and anytime you came near the pouch it bared it's fangs and growled like Satan as it jumped out of it's little pouch cave...
10th Street: Yup...heard of that dentist. What's the deal with that? I'm thinking of letting birds fly free in my office...something like parrots or parakeets. I was thinking it would be cool if they sat on the dental light or the xray tube. Probably not a great idea huh? Especially since most people are lying on their backs with their mouth open wide.
i am laughing out loud about the front pack thing. (so is mark).
he says, "SERIOUSLY?"
that is hilarious!
~Stacy
My kids and I got a kick out of this one. This is a link to a story you will like.
http://www.drphil.com/shows/show/1004
Now don't even have cable at our house but Grandma likes to watch Dr. Phil and we happened to be there to see this episode. We couldn't believe what we were seeing. Most of the stories were rediculous but the last one about the lady and her son, the DOG, had us rolling on the floor in fits of laughter. Like y'all, we like most animals but they are . . . well, animals.
Love the blog. Keep it up
Tracy
What a beautiful dog! I have enjoyed perusing your blog!
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Dog in front pack during dinner? Thats just wrong. Ya, I get your side too. Should I mention we have two indoor cats also? They stay inside because they stay cleaner.
Susan
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