Do you thing our pets really know how good they have it?
We have three dogs and two cats, and they are all spoiled. More than likely the reason for this is because we have no kids, so we fill that gap with the pets.
Oskar, the dog in the picture, was our first dog. We are convinced that he is an OCD dog… Obsessive Compulsive for those of you in Rio Linda. He will sit and stare at a toy for however long it takes for someone to try and take it from him. All the while he is watching it, he will sit and grumble at it, then look at you. Finally… if no one plays with him, he will pick the toy up, usually wet with slobber, and drop it on you. He prefers trying to drop it on your face, if you are laying down.
Overall he is very well behaved, and takes most things in stride. He is, by far, the smartest of hour animals.
To watch our pets, it appears to me that they see the entire world, to them, revolves around my wife and I. They need to be where ever we are, and need to feel as if they are part of what we are doing.
The one that tickles me the most, though, is Eliza. If you are a regular reader, then you know that she is our “Special Needs” dog. She has had health issues all her life, and has bonded with me the most, because I was almost always the one to give her her medicine, dress her infections and hold her when she was cold from all the bathing and medicating we had to do to her. Almost anywhere I go in the house, unless she has decided to take a nap, she will follow me. She also REALLY looks like she is trying to understand you when you are talking… whether it is to her, or someone else. She will watch each person talk, and cock her head left and right. Of the three dogs, I think she is the one that, if possible, would most want to be human.
Timmy… What can I say. He had a bad start in life, even for a stray. He went to several homes where he was either abused, or just not wanted. By the time we got him, he was borderline psycho-dog, and would panic if a fly landed on the window in the other room. I have to admit, that there have been several times I lost my temper with him, or have become frustrated with him. Mostly that results in me sending him outside. He has gotten better though, and his hobby now seems to be washing my head. If I sit down or lay down, or anything that gives him easy access, he will start washing my scalp. He will also switch modes very quickly. He can be happy and playing with us, then almost in an instant, he runs away and hides. Nothing in the style of play has changed, but maybe a repressed memory during the game causes him to panic.
I think that we treat our three dogs about the same as people would treat their kids. Oh, sure, you would not want to put a leash on little Billy and feed him dog food, though there are probably parents out there that would, but you see my point. We spoil them, take them with us when we go places, talk to them like they understand or even care what we have to say.
Cats… they are different altogether. They interact with you on their own terms, and if they decide that you are worthy. They only really come to you when they are hungry, if they are bored or if there is nothing better to do. Usually it is at a time when it is least convenient for you, that they decide to socialize. Like when you are watching a movie that is too exciting to break away from, and have to go to the bathroom really bad, then they climb into your lap and decide to make biscuits. That kneading action they do when they are happy, or some other thing like that.
Pets are great… but in looking at them and the affect they have on us, it make you wonder if they really know what they have in us, and also, if they do, if it is us or them that are in control.
