As Much As You Love Him Your Dog Is Not Your Child
by Aja Dorsey Jackson
Before I get rocks thrown at me from animal lovers around the world, let me preface this by saying I love dogs. The puppy that I got in the third grade didn’t die until I turned 21 and losing him really did feel like losing a member of the family. I don’t own a dog now only because we own two cats and have a baby in diapers and I refuse to clean up after anything else until one of those scenarios changes.
That being said, nothing amuses me more than to hear someone talking about their kids and to hear another person chime in with “I know because my dogs…”
Pets are like children in some ways. They make messes and don’t clean up after themselves. They’re active. They like lots of attention. They make me cuss at least once a day (Don’t judge me. I’m working on it). But the similarities are few and the differences are what makes having pets absolutely nothing like raising children.
Outside of extreme cases where people intentionally abuse or neglect animals, or train them to be especially vicious, dogs grow up to be dogs. Let your dog run around aimlessly in the backyard for hours or let him sit on the couch while you watch TV. Walk him, or hire a dogwalker. Feed him Science Diet or Kibbles and Bits, dress him up or not, put him in the kennel while you go on vacation, he’s still going to love you when you get home, and when he grows up he’s still going to be a dog. I know that as a nation we have become particularly obsessed with our pets, but if you set your obsession aside, your dog will probably grow up to be the same dog he was going to be anyway.
On the other hand, you raise children with the knowledge that you need to give them all of the building blocks to someday be able to go out on their own and become productive members of society. To do this effectively requires a constant investment in them, monitoring of their activities and effort in passing on the morals and values that you want them to carry for a lifetime. You raise your children to be ready to leave you while you’re probably raising your dog to be with you for the rest of his life.
Think twice before comparing your dog to someone’s child. If you’re having trouble telling the difference here is a tip: If it brings you happiness, joy, and maybe even your slippers, it’s probably a dog. If it brings you happiness, joy, gray hair, and a touch of insanity, it’s probably a child.
(Please don’t email me with stories about your very smart police dog or the dog that you taught to flush the toilet. I know they are special, but I’m just sayin’….)
Aja Dorsey Jackson is a freelance writer and marketing consultant in Baltimore, Maryland. Visit her blog, The Write Resource at http://ajadorseyjackson.com/BLOG.html
Add a comment
Comments (22)