April 2008 Archives

I love my dogs! They bring me much joy and happiness. They are also a lot of work. When I got a dog, I knew about the feeding and need for an occasional vet visit, but what I have learned in the last 15 years has been a lot.

Growing up we had a few dogs. You know, the kind that are back yard ornaments. You throw food out once a day and maybe yell at through the open window to shut up and stop barking. We had a big back yard for him to run around in and he was very hard to walk on the leash, so we just left him back there and we thought he was just fine. We could never figure out why he always ran away. He ran away one to many times and my parents never went to find him.

A few years later we got another dog. This time it was a little guy that got to stay in the house. We were a little older and wiser and took the time to housebreak the dog. This is the dog that got me started on my love of dogs. You know the one that was so smart, even without formal training. He slept with us and let us dress him in doll clothes and was always by our sides. We fed him people food and gains burgers and thought that that was okay because he seamed to like it. He too liked to run away from time to time. Our neighbor told us that if we got him "fixed" (neutered), that he would probably not do that anymore. We didn't know he was broken, but sure enough it worked. We always wondered why the puppies in the neighborhood looked like Rocky. He was a great dog and died of old age peacefully in his sleep.

The pain of Rocky's death was too much to take. I took a few years off and tried having all kinds of other pets, cats, ferrets, fish, lizards, snakes and birds. None of these animals could compare to having a dog. But now I know there is a difference in having a dog and a dog having you. Now that I look back I can see what terrible pet owners we were to the first dog and in some ways to Rocky too. A dog is not something to own and just throw in the back yard and hope for the best. A dog is not your garbage disposal for your unwanted food. It deserves to have a decent life.

When you decide to have a dog, you owe it not only to the dog, but to yourself to get a dog that fits your life and lifestyle, give it proper medical care, the right food, training and attention. These are just the minimum requirements. With just a little work you can have a great dog that you will enjoy of many years and who will love you back unconditionally.