Have We Spoiled Our Dogs Too Much?
Dogs have never been more popular than they are today
. More than 44 million households in the U.S. have at least one pet dog. They are beloved by people of both sexes and of all ages. But when you stop to think about it, maybe we've gone a little overboard. People walking down the street hold umbrellas over their dogs and get wet themselves. They spend more on gourmet food for dogs than they spend on their own food. One woman on a chat list announced that she spent over $10,000 a month on special food for her ten large breed dogs. That's quite a bit of money no matter how good the food was.
Dogs have always been man's best friend. Cave evidence shows that the date for canine domestication may go back even farther than we thought, to as far back as 31700 years ago. The evidence suggests that this early dog was living with humans and probably being fed scraps from human-dog hunts. So the bond between dogs and humans is very old. But perhaps, just lately, we've gone a little overboard on our part of the bargain. Who said we had to adorn our dogs with jeweled collars? Or wrap them in couture clothing? Or send them to doggy psychiatrists? The more we do such things the less we treat our canine friends like real dogs - and maybe the more confused they get.
Maybe that explains why your little Chihuahua snaps at you when you try to move her in bed and your sweet Golden Retriever growls when you try to take his toy away. If you're going to elevate your dog to the status of a little god you can't blame him for demanding to be treated as such.
Of course, a booming business has grown up around our pampered pets. Pet owners spend billions each year on their furry little friends. Once in a while you find a news story about a pet owner who spends a fortune on an advanced surgery for their pet, or on buying a fabulous diamond collar, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. If you really want to discover the state of the pet industry you should check the phonebook in your city. You'll find all kinds of grooming salons, pet sitters, boarding kennels and the like, not to mention pet stores and superstores. There's no end to the things you can buy your dog. And, if they don't have it locally you can always go online. You can find anything from doggy wigs and cute outfits to sports equipment for your dog. There are art auctions for dog art that also feature gold and silver bowls. Better not let your dog hear about such things or she could clean out your savings account!
Just consider dog food for a moment. What should you feed your precious pet? There's kibble. Maybe that isn't good enough? Or your dog has a health problem (real or imagined). What about canned food? Or the gourmet, holistic, "natural" dog foods? Grain-free? Low carb? How about high protein diets? Maybe raw diets appeal to you and your dog? Or frozen raw? Or homemade? There is literally an endless variety of diet permutations and if you're lucky you can continue to try them all for years without ever having to settle on one. The best thing about all of these foods is that many of them can be ordered online and delivered right to your door, so you can pay even more for them.
Some people seem to worry more about their dog's gastro-intestinal tract than they do about what their families eat. Heck, our kids just open the refrigerator and grab something. Our poor dogs depend on us for everything. If your dog misses a meal you consider taking him to the vet. If he coughs up something he ate outside you put him to bed with broth and rice.
(Forget the fact that they're DOGS and many of them seem to have a cast iron stomach. If your dog were lost for a few days he would be eating out of the garbage and doing fine.)
While we're on the subject of vets, there are so many advanced veterinary services available now that pet insurance is becoming necessary for many people. Expenses are getting higher all the time. By the time some of us get our vet bills paid off our vets are retiring.
So, yes, it seems that maybe we are spoiling our dogs just a little these days. Is there any defense for our actions? Well, dogs love us unconditionally. No matter how we treat them, they still love us. And, in this time when many of us don't have close family, that's a valuable quality. Whether we scold them, tease them, leave them to go to work, or forget to feed them (not really), your dog still loves you. Dogs have always given their all for the people they love. Maybe they deserve the pampering they get after all.
Our dogs make us feel very good - about ourselves, about them, about life. They give comfort and they let us be ourselves. They give many of us a reason for living. So, go ahead and pamper your dog a little.
by: Tristan Andrews
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