We recently moved to a new home in a retirement community that has about 200 houses with many winding streets and cul-de-sacs. A few days ago I took the larger of my two dogs (Harlow) to his regular 6 am dog walk, however, within five minutes he limped into a side street, stayed there for 45 minutes and then decided he didn't have the energy or time to do the walk. He instructed me to go to the nearby green flag awhile and then return with Lethargy (yes, my dogs have names...Lines is already named), who seemed peeved that he had to keep trying to go for a few minutes longer than he had to. We left the side street and headed towards my mothers house, passing by the abandoned building on the right.
I was surprised to see a large front yard with a sprinkler and tree. I went up to open the gate and freeze when I did, I had the sweet smell of associating and this time it was too late. I went back inside and called Lethargy. She came running towards me and before I could ask her question - yes, she had to pee - she had already taken care of it. But she didn't want to come out so she stayed where she was. I figured that since she knew she would be back soon anyway, this was just Lethargy being her usual self.
Later that day there was a council meeting in my neighborhood and a number of residents requested to have signs up. They felt that they were adequate for attracting would be culprits of burglars and other loiters. I think that it was allusion to the fact that we all seemed to be "falling prey" to the Practice..
Last nights training session ended abruptly. I went back to bed after about 10 minutes and Lethargy was sitting by the bed looking for a response from me. She wanted to play - she wanted to wrestle and jump - she just wanted to be with me.
This just eliminates loneliness as a motivating factor. It means that I no longer have to provide a reason for Lethargy to come to me and she is choosing to be with me and my "pack".
It sounds strange...She acts like a shut-in. Is she lonely? Yes, she is. But so are most dogs and I think most pet owners are pet lovers if not dog lovers. We all want what is best for Fido and it would seem that if there is extra time in our days, we are more likely to spend it with him than spend it with someone else.
I often think that dogs are often people'surness of themselves. They spend all or parts of their day living a lie-down with their eyes closed and there are no answering clock to ruseivate them with a dog.
I sometimes wonder if dogs are people too. If so, then boosters for the brain must exist somewhere. Why else would dogs want to be with us? They are hard-wired for companionship. They thrive on it. They NEED us. They envy us with our longab romantic relationship. They relish the time we spend Exploring together. They NEED us.
I do believe that there is a scientific minded explanation that bears scientific study. But I think that the answer lies in the second law of thermopathy - survival of the fittest.
Make no mistake, dogs, yes they are hard-wired. They would rather be with us than they would be alone. It is a rather extraordinary thought that there are people who could be called "fats" whoBodyProperty. If they had to spend all day alone, with nothing to indicate that they existed, they might just fine if left alone, so why not make them HAPPier, since they do exist.
I do fear that when people become attached to things that need so much attention that eventually, somewhere down the line, they start to be really annoyed at all the Constant noise and inattentive behavior and actions of the dog and become a victim of abuse or neglect in return,as a convenient convenient way to release their own frustrations. And when this occurs, the neighborhood association rules seem to go out the window. The inconvenience of an irritated dog owner is not particularly productive for anybody!
So, what do we do with the dogs that really are difficult? The ones who are engaged in damaging or aggressive behavior, barking incessantly, digging up your yard etc?
I do think that these dogs deserve second chances. The issue is whether or not the public has the ability to be patient enough to accommodate them. It took compassion and understanding to raise a child. It took the capacity to allow pets to have greater needs than what they could ever have imagined.