PETS

Dogs, specifically

God, backwards.   All dogs go to heaven.  A dog is man’s best friend.  Companion animals, and service animals, and police dogs, and rescue dogs, and dogs in the military, even.  Police dogs sniff out drugs, and track down murderers, and capture fleeing suspects.  There are guard dogs, and chihuahua fashion accessories.  Dogs can be responsibilities for children, and a reason to go walk, get out, exercise, run, meet neighbors at a dog park, etc.  Dogs can be loud or quiet, active or lazy, beautiful or ugly, big or small, friendly or mean, etc.  Good with children, protective and territorial, obedient.   Male or female, young or old, healthy or sick, bought as puppies from a pet store - or, shelter animals (stray, lost, abandoned, or surrendered).  Some are fresh and eager and brand spanking new, while others have histories and dark pasts and issues.  Some will eat any food you leave out, while others will only eat when they’re hungry (so you can leave the bowl full, and they won’t get fat).  Dogs like to run and play.  Dogs like a pack leader, a hierarchy, a boss, a top dog.  Dogs need exercise.   Food, water, sometimes medication.  Attention and love.   Dogs REALLY love smells.  Let them linger, soak it in.  Barking, wagging, and pee are their way of communicating.  If you walk dogs, please pick up after them.   I tie a knot in the bag before I throw it in the trash.  I like the biodegradable bags.  They often like to lick your face, but this can turn out badly sometimes.  I’ve gotten sick.  Anyway, dogs are often “family”, if not the only loved one in someone’s life, meaning much more than we might suppose.  A dog is often the reason a homeless person stays homeless, because a shelter won’t accept animals.  There’s even a story of a millionaire leaving a vast fortune to her pet, because that was who she valued.  So pets are important, and the value of the global pet care market in 2023 is $246.6 Billion, and growing, with an even greater impact, after including the indirect effects on the economy.  There are paid dog walkers, dog sitters, dog trainers, veterinary care, chew toys, food products, all the pet store stuff…. I’ve seen dog pajamas, raincoats.   People pay for grooming that comes to your house in a truck.   There’s a service that will pick up all the poop in your backyard.  There are freshly made meals, with variety, that can replace the big bags of crunchies.  I’ve seen a guy online that cracks the backs (spinal adjustment?) of dogs.  A dog went out into space (Laika).  There are competitive dog shows, and even a most ugly dog contest.  People love dogs, and dogs love people.   It’s a big business, but dogs are also fun friendly family.  Yo, dawg, word.

Addendum on cats, birds, lizards, turtles, and the occasional pet pig (!):  Cats are cats.  Birds are catfood.  Turtles are never homeless.  A pet pig is incredibly lucky not to be on your breakfast plate.  And lizards?  They look bored, to me.   But the inscrutable bastards could be thinking ANYTHING.  Mm, mealworms.   Big, juicy, tasty mealworms.