Dogs Should Have Fun Too

Recently I read Xiaxue's blog post about giving her Pumpkin away to an expat family. She only had the dog for a year and was fed up with cleaning pee. The poor dog stays in the playpen most of the time and only gets to roam free for a few hours a day in the house. And as expected, she doesn't get walked. No wonder Pumpkin doesn't love Xiaxue! It is virtually a prisoner, no matter how many toys, good food or hair clips she gets. It's like house arrest. Some dogs get chained up the whole day and pet owners think that's all right. They are not aware that SPCA considers that animal cruelty and that they are committing an offence by doing so. 

Just look at how much fun the can have sloshing in the snow and meeting other dogs. That should be how it is. Xiaxue gives the excuse that her dog gets fleas and ticks from going to grass patches on walks. My dog has been walking twice a day on grass patches and he haven't had more than 20 ticks in his entire 5 years! I'm not saying that getting ticks isn't a problem. But there are ways to resolve tick issues. Such as adding garlic to the dog's diet, wearing flea collars/powders. Most importantly, a healthy dog doesn't many ticks. Good food is very important. Tiger gets Primal BARF diet. It's raw meat, bones and organic vegetables minced together in the form of frozen nuggets. It's not cheap, but Tiger has become very muscular and sports a sheen on his white coat. He never falls ill except for the occasional gastric upset. (The vet attributes that to his irregular meal times, much like his mommy's. )

So if you're kinda lonely and need companionship, don't get a dog unless you're committed to take care of it for  15 to 20 years. That means regular walks, play time, good food, visits to the vets, grooming, heart guard tablets, obedience training, bath time, regular brushing of its coat and teeth, toys and snacks, and lots and lots of LOVE. It's like having a baby that will never grow up. As a puppy, he may chew your Chanel bag or Armani sunglasses and ruin your favourite boots. Tiger chewed up the corners of my coffee table, TV console and the skirting around the house too. Then the milk teeth drop off (sometimes on the floor you discover a tiny white tooth.) Then peace prevails, life returns to normal, and you may replace the furniture. Now he roams about my house freely and behaves himself.

In return for everything you give, a dog offers you what another human being cannot: his unyielding loyalty, and unconditional love for the rest of his life. 

To you, he may be just a dog. But to him, you're everything.