Let me start this blog off by stating it is of course from
the perspective of a dog owner. And to those of you who are (sigh) not animal
lovers, well I am sure it seems from your perspective that people with animal attachments
think they rule the world. And this is
where I have observed, at least in the world where I live, that social tensions
come into play. The assertion of pet rights seems to bump up
against people who feel that our animals should know their place. This awkward
co-existence between pet owners and the rest of the world is more of a struggle
today than it has ever been. I don’t know if it will ever sort itself out. So
for those who aren’t animal lovers, thanks for your patience with those of us
who are….and now on with the Blog.
OMG what have we done? This blog will be going south for a moment,
as I regale you with our latest adventure.
We got a puppy! What was I
thinking? As many of you know, we lost our beloved Gimli to cancer earlier this
year, very unexpectedly at the age of 10. It hit us really horribly. Those of
you who are not animal people may not relate. I know, I know, it is like someone with a new
baby, that’s all they talk about.
But in reality having a puppy is much the same as having a
new baby, including sleep deprivation if your puppy doesn’t sleep through the
night, luckily ours does. They have to
be on a strict schedule, for potty breaks, eating, sleeping and they don’t know
the house rules; like it’s not ok to
chew on my shoes, or the furniture, and it’s time to go to bed not play. I am
exhausted as is BFF hubby, they demand a lot of time and attention when they
are little. BFF has christened her the money pit. Now granted it has been 10
years since we had a puppy, and we had forgotten soooo much. And it’s not
really our puppy’s fault we had to buy two crates and two pens, the first ones were
fine at 8 weeks but not so much at 4 months, yep you guessed, it they grow
rapidly. Then the food, OMG! I put her on a healthy diet, JustFoodForDogs, to
give her a fighting chance against the garbage that is in Kibble dog food,
which has been determined to cause cancer. Then the puppy shots $$$$, the dog
trainer $$$$, the vet bills$$$$, it is most definitely like having a
child. And I say the car windows aren’t
dirty, that’s just dog art. <Grin>
We all know that dogs are commonly referred to as Man’s best
friend. I find in today’s world dogs are our family, much as a child. I mean we
all know that dogs love you unconditionally, and love you more than they love
themselves. Here is where I confess that
I have grieved very hard for our Gimli as did BFF Hubby. He was fine one day,
and goes into the vets to be told he has terminal cancer and has only 2-3 days
to live. There was no time to prepare
for his death as one can when a dog is aging.
BFF hubby did not want to even think about getting another dog as nothing
can replace Gimli! I had to convince him it is not replacing a dog when getting
a new one, it is merely filling the hole they leave in our hearts.
I miss our conversations, I mean who else but Gimli would
listen to me, and then give me that look as if to say, “WOW you are right, I
would never have thought of that.” He was by my side all day long, and great
company when I was working in the garden. I think it was more relevant to me since I
have been retired these last two years and have been with him 24/7, not to be
confused with how it is being with BFF hubby 24/7. <Grin> Gimli was not
my whole life, but he certainly made my life whole. I mean gosh. a dog loves his friends, licking
them to death, and then he gets to bite his enemies, how cool is that.
I must admit to me the word pet sounds like such an outdated
word. I mean after all dogs have been domesticated for 30,000 years and cats
10,000. And in today’s world the power
has most definitely shifted in their favor. They are no longer the creatures of
our parents and grandparents, whose pets as I recall, were nothing like the
doted upon darlings we surround ourselves with today. I remember them as being the timid almost
feral barn cats who lived a self-sufficient life well beyond human attention,
and the easy-going outside dog, who chased groundhogs for pleasure and if he
was lucky got to warm himself at night by the fire.
It seems in today’s world our pets have become one of us, human
counterparts to be talked to and fussed over, family members who are loved in
life and mourned in death. This elevated status would surely make my more hard
hearted grandparents turn over in their graves.
It seems that we baby boomers in particular, have seized
onto our pets to fill the void of empty nests. I think that animals give us a
purpose, a sense of meaning,
an altruistic obligation to be active and aware. It does appear as if the
younger generation is also aware of this. Whether or not it is because they
don’t trust the economy, or just aren’t ready, they are putting off marriage,
children and other lifelong commitments, leaving pets to fill the emotional
void.
My take
away on all of this: it is this blogger’s opinion that pets supply a loyalty
that is hard to find in a downsized economy; they don’t judge us or leave us
for someone younger or gossip about us behind our backs. They’re used more and
more in therapy situations because of their wide-ranging affection – they don’t
feel our need to make superficial distinctions between pretty and plain, mobile
and disabled, self-assertive and shy.
Dogs and
cats are also much more comfortable than humans with prolonged eye contact.
Anyone can look into their eyes and get something back. It seems to me that pet
owners feel their animals are more reliable than humans, they give
“unconditional love.” And my dog is a constant reminder to me that I should experience
the simple pleasures of life. Animals
are such agreeable friends, they ask no questions and pass no criticisms. And
as Ghandi says: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged
by the way its animals are treated.”
I thank
you again for taking this retirement journey with me, or as I refer to it, “my longest coffee break." I'm just sayin’…
Welcome to our newest family member…..Zoey
