My absolute favorite pet is the dog.... I have grown up with dogs - having never lived without one except for the first few years of college. I cannot imagine a house empty of a dog's life force; their ability to have a presence without having to speak or draw attention to themselves. Dogs are the ulitmate unselfish creature - only wanting to please their owners and always happy to see them. The wag of a tail, the tongue hanging out in greeting, and the jump up and down in excitement (depending on the dog, of course) - we can't help but smile at the sight of a creature whose only care in life is to belong to a "pack" of humans and be accepted.
There are several types of dog owners, but I'm going to keep it simple for the purposes of this blog. I categorize dog owners into the Family Dog Owner and just the Dog Owner. The Family Dog Owner is someone, or someones who welcome a dog into their home as another member of the family. They love and cherish the life of their dog and give them a place in the house to call their own. Depending on the owners, the dog may have their own chair to sleep in, or have cute clothes to wear, several toys to play with, are taken on errands in the car, are bathed and taken to the vet on a regular basis, and may even have their very own birthday parties. The Dog Owner is someone or someones who still see dogs as just dogs. They don't give them any credit for having feelings or intelligence - the dog is either brought into the home for a young child who eventually grows tired of the new "play toy", or they are inherited, or they are obtained for guard duty only. They are often abused, or disciplined harshly and are usually not allowed in the house. For me, I am a Family Dog Owner.... I cannot fathom why anyone could not recognize the intelligence in a dog's eyes. It upsets me to see dog owners who chain their dogs up all day out in the yard - this is not what dogs were bred for. Dogs are pack animals - their ancestors and wild dogs today travel in packs with a definitive heirarchy establishing who is Alpha and who is not. Dogs need the pack to have a sense of identity - to know their place in the world. The alpha in the dog's human family is normally the one who trains the dog what is accepted and what isn't. Dogs also have a strong sense of loyalty and protection for their pack - and in the family, that is any member of the household. Any time you hear a dog bark at the doorbell or someone knocking or a strange noise - it is a warning to it's pack members - it is protecting the pack. It is amazing the subtle and often missed body language of dogs - if you have one, just watch it one day among other dogs or people. Watch the tail, watch the ears and tongue, watch the entire body..... I'll bet you notice things you hadn't before.
To better understand dogs, you need to educate yourself on what they are all about. I recently took a class on how to read a dog's body language - it was fascinating! So many dog owners would benefit from this knowledge - from any knowledge really. Taking the time to learn how dogs think and react to their environment would help a great many dog owners go from just a Dog Owner, to a Family Dog Owner. Realizing that dogs are not just dumb creatures that belong on a chain outside would save many from the thousands of shelters and humane societies in our country.
I will leave you with a memory that I have never been able to shake. On my first trip to Italy, we visited the ancient city of Pompeii. Surrounded by history, the only thing I could focus on were the hundreds of homeless dogs living within the city itself. These creatures were malnourished and often injured in some form or fashion.... so sad and forever imprinted in my heart. Please, if you love or even like dogs.... take the time to learn about one before taking one into your home. It is almost like having a child - they take care and responsibility, and as with parents of a newborn baby, not just anyone can be a dog owner. Make sure having a dog in your home is the right choice.
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