I'm a recovering Dog Park Person.
Before my daughter's arrival, I championed the Dog Park and the community that came with it. None of the people at the dog park know each others names but we all know the names of each others dogs. I'd see one of the dog owners at the grocery store and say to my wife, "Oh, that's Checker's Dad".
Yep, I called them "dads".
We referred to our dogs as our furry children. While at the dog park we would talk about what we fed our dogs, "oh, you're doing the raw food diet too..."
We would discuss their sleeping habits, "Checkers was crate trained... he will fall asleep with us, but then sneaks away to his crate when we are asleep. It's too cute."
No, really it's not.
When we had a real baby, our dogs became our pets. Now when I go to the dog park I hope that nobody talks to me. I hate it when people talk to me there now. "I'm really concerned about Oscar, he has not been himself since the move; He's been very emotional."
Oscar is a dog. If Oscar were a real child, I might care. Might.
My question to hubski:
Do any of you have pets? If so, do you call them your kids? Do you mean it? Do you know someone like this, that really thinks their pet is a child?
Also, photos of pets if you have 'em.
I should mention that although our dogs certainly get less attention now than they once did, they're still extremely spoiled and definitely loved. It's just different now.
Can't stand dogs myself, but you might find this interesting: how much further does your dog walk.
My wife has had a cat for 15 years now and she treats her like part of the family, probably like a child. She says that we're training to have a child in the future. I don't know how far off the mark she is with that. The cat has kidney disease and requires certain types of food to eat (which have to be prepared in a certain way for her to eat) and bi-weekly fluid injections and she wakes us up in the middle of the night, sometimes with vomiting. I know, I know, nothing like actually having and caring for a child. Just baby steps.
I find little use for pets of any kind outside of some functional uses. Animals for assistance with disabilities? Awesome. A dog on a farm to chase away squirrels, coyotes, etc? perfect. Cats to keep the mice out of the barn? You betcha. But outside of serving some kind of function, I don't get it. I'm not saying it's a bad thing to have pets, I just don't get it. I suppose I view pets like other people view children. I don't want any of my own, but I'll enjoy yours when I see them at your house. I'm pretty fond of dogs. They're funny and fun to play fetch with but for me they're certainly not fun enough to feed and clean up after. Owning and caring for pets has been around for a long time, but I can't seem to understand it. Show me the function, and I get it. Without function, it's just an animal that puts its anus on my pillow/couch/carpet.
Asking what the function of a pet is, is like asking what the function of a friend is. Neither really has to do anything particular to be worthwhile. Having some sort of utilitarian usefulness is not what pets (or children, or friends, or relationships, or...) is really supposed to be about.
I think we just disagree here, and that's okay. I see my children and friends as completely different than pets. You're right - children and friends don't require some kind of function to fit into my life - but to equate them to pets doesn't make sense to me. I can understand that some one might want to have a pet for companionship/friendship (read: function) - but I think it's different than human companionship and friendship. And for some it may be BETTER than human companionship (I have several friends who feel this way). I was merely sharing that it's something that doesn't fit into my brain. I probably sound like some kind of wacked out pet hater... I assure you I'm not.Asking what the function of a pet is, is like asking what the function of a friend is.
No, it's cool. I get it. I wasn't trying to equate the two, merely asserting that the reasons for having either are similar. It is certainly a different sort of companionship than what humans provide, but it is a form of companionship -- in my opinion, a simpler and usually far more honest one -- and those differences are, for pet people, part of the appeal.
I think different people have different ideas about the "function" of pets. For me, having a dog helps accomplish several things. It helps me create and stick to a routine in both the short term and the long term, what with the walking and feeding, the baths, monthly tick medicine, vaccinations, etc. This is good for me because it forces me to get at least two hours of light exercise a day and it keeps me from getting lost in my head and coming out of a fog of ideas one or two days later, finding that I've missed appointments and obligations. My dog also reminds me not to take things too seriously. Maybe the day was disappointing, but a little tug-of-war or taking a minute just to enjoy lying on the floor in a patch of sun light might be a good way to refocus on the present moment. The anus thing is true though.
I agree that pets serve many functions and that for me, most of them are emotional. Much like a friend. In fact, steve, there are many friends that I would gladly choose my dogs over. You're lucky my dogs can't edit video :) I of course kid (you are the bomb)... but people/pets/things do not need to have the type of ROI you outline. They need not read brail in order to serve a function. My dogs are like friends but they're definitely not like children. I've always had friends and therefore I could always make that comparison. My bone of contention is when people that haven't had kids claim their pets are like their children. They have no idea.The anus thing is true though.
Ha.
Bwahahahahaha. My wife is wondering why I'm laughing so hard. Hey - I'm not trying to convert anyone here. I probably should have just kept my mouth shut. I firmly acknowledge that I'm the weird one here who doesn't get it- and that's ok. And back to your original point... Yah... Dog park people... When we hang out in person, remind me to tell you about my vizsla friends (is yours a vizsla?)You're lucky my dogs can't edit video
Yep. Vizsla here. Vizsla owners are a proud and extra strange "breed".
This is why it bothers me when people call me "dad" in reference to my dog. There's a difference between interacting with an adult human and a pet that many people like to think mirrors that of the interaction between an adult and a child. I don't have any children, but from teaching I have seen how disturbingly aware children are in ways that pets are not.
Like so many things, it started functionally and then (rather quickly) become traditional and cultural.Owning and caring for pets has been around for a long time, but I can't seem to understand it. Show me the function, and I get it. Without function, it's just an animal that puts its anus on my pillow/couch/carpet.
I have a dog, but I don't like being called his dad. I met his dad. Imagine a sheepdog built like a greyhound. A very, very ugly dog, but mine looks real good. I definitely don't treat him like my child, though I do treat him very, very well. I don't really hold him responsible for the things I would hold a child responsible for. I did yell at him for getting into a beer though.
I have a cat, but I've never thought of him like a child. I do sometimes give him lectures about what I'm working on, because he's a much better listener than a rubber duck and he doesn't seem to mind.
Ok so I have lived most of my life in a pretty rural part of Ireland; surrounded by farms, rolling hills and fields for dogs to run and play in so the concept of a dog park was pretty strange the first time I heard it. I remember laughing out loud when watching Cesaer Milans show, someone mentioned that their dog had been "expelled from the dog walking class for bad behaviour". Oh how I laughed at those silly people who seem to 'humanize' their dogs and treat them like children. When I was growing up we had pet dogs but they were always outside, never in the house, rarely walked on a lead or anything like that really. From my experience both parties were happy with the arrangement. Treating an animal like a person was something they did on TV. Fast forward a few years I gained a wife and 2 kids and we decided to get a dog, I left the decision to my wife as she was really really into the idea. She picked a King Charles which was much more of a 'toy' dog than I was used to. Suddenly my entire household was turned into a gushing dog appreciation society. Every conversation was about what the dog had done or tried to do. The transformation was instantaneous but I hoped it was temporary. A year later things hadn't changed. The dog was the central subject of conversation in the house. Then the dog was hit by a car :( My wife and children were inconsolable for weeks. Its now been about 2 years since the accident and the topic of getting a new dog is raised every now and again. I'm against getting another dog. I say its because they are a big responsibility, the dog would be lonely when everyone is at work/school etc... The real reason I don't want to get one is that to me a dog is an animal, I don't feel the need to 'raise' them above the level of a pet or companion. I don't want to talk about the dog all the time, I find it boring after a while. Actually come to think of it my sister tends to speak almost exclusively about her pet dog and 2 cats. She will speak for hours about her concerns for them... It can become very tedious at times and I tend to switch off and not listen :( The end result to all of this is that I'm slowly turning anti-dog which is a shame. When I have to listen to someone gush about their puppy-wuppy and how cutey-wutey they are I have a growing urge to cut them off mid sop "its just a fucking dog, can you get over it, even the dog is embarrassed at this stage, its just a dog!" So yea dogs a great, humans are the problem.
The best dogs are the ones that are so much like a friend that you don't gush at all, you just hang out with them. If you speak of them, you do so like you would your pal. My whole point in this is that the "pet" relationship can be a special one, but it is NOT your child and is NOT the same "love" that you feel for a kid. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like it's the dogs you are annoyed by but the humans. Good luck with that :)
I agree that pets are part of the family and should be treated with respect, but are they like kids, NO! It can be good training I guess, as far as being responsible for another living being, but trust me, not comparable at any level other than that. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs, but please don't compare dogs to young humans - way different! You're right, dog park people are a little weird (including you, I guess). My opinion is as a dog owner , and a father, that you really shouldn't have a dog if you need to take them to a park to take a shit - goes without saying for a kid.
Until recently, my sister lived in Manhattan. When I would visit I was often shocked to see people with pointers and other dogs that clearly need a lot of exercise. Nobody has a yard in the city and even if you take a dog to the park every single day, it's not enough. They need to be able to just step outside and run throughout the day. I too am a dog person and this Christopher Hitchens quote pretty well sums up why:
My opinion is as a dog owner , and a father, that you really shouldn't have a dog if you need to take them to a park to take a shit
If you don't have an appropriate yard to have a dog, you shouldn't get one. That's for sure. We've got a big fenced in yard so the "shitting" isn't why we go to the park, it is more to see them run and socialize with other dogs.“Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.”
I have a dog named "Harrison" and I'll often call him my "harry" "son".
No, there's really no problem here aside from a misuse of terminology. Your pets aren't your children. When most people have children, they realize this. Your love for your pet doesn't diminish, but you do experience a love that is stronger than any you've experienced and it is worthy of it's own terminology, not to be shared with your pet.