|
|
The views expressed on this page are soley
those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the views of County
News Online
|
 |
Answering Life’s Biggest Questions
Dump the dog;
be humbled by a cat
By Abigail Fischer and Katie DeLand
Dear A&K:
Several years ago, we decided to get a pet. Now, I am drowning in
my career, household and childcare duties, and we simply don't give our
dog the attention we once did. Should we rehome?
Sincerely,
Guilty Pooch Parent
Dear Guilty:
Another question that hits a little bit too close to home. We,
too, both had great intentions and visions for how our little animals
would complete our famil. Christmas cards with our pajamas and doggie
sweaters. Family picnics playing fetch. A diligent
retriever standing guard at the bus stop. What could be
more traditional America than these mental post cards?
Insert modern America: frantically driving home, screaming into
our blue tooth microphones about having dinner ready and girls dressed
so we can make it to soccer game in time. Flurry of Hamburger
Helper, lost shin guards and leaking water bottles. Return home
three hours later to the same mania- this time revolving around
homework, piano lessons and bedtime. At the end of the day, when
EVERYONE is finally tucked in and you can potentially dip into your DVR
heaven, you make eye contact with ole Rusty.
He is sitting five inches from your face, pleading with you to be
walked, petted or, for the love, simply FED. You scowl at the
chore board, where it clearly designates that your oldest son was
supposed to be on dog duty, and try not to make eye contact
again. However, his canine breath is un-ignorable, and you find
yourself again in a sub-human staring contest, willing him to blink
first. Finally, your moral, ethical, basic humane side wins out,
and you heave yourself up to refill the dirt-dry stainless steel
bowls. Is that mold? And why is there a dried up Fruit Loop
stuck to the bottom? Poor guy.
This same battle is often relived out in other situations, as
well. It's all magic and princesses when you first book your
coveted Disney vacation, but when the time comes around for logistic
planning, you once again remember Rusty. Ughh. You either
have to guilt someone ELSE into taking care of him, promising that he
has already shed his winter coat (as you fabric roll an entire sweater
off of your pant leg) or buck up and shell out the mool-ah for
professional boarding.
And let's not even mention the absolute internal rage that occurs when
you discover a pee stain, random poo dropping or hear the faint
nighttime sound of hairball coughing/vomit. Nothing gets you moving
faster than that tell-tale noise, and you consider actually recording
it to use as your alarm.
We invite you into our world of rationalization. Follow along:
our dogs DEFINITELY have it better than the ones featured on the
emotional dog abuse commercials. The kids drop enough mac and
cheese on the floor to prevent any ribs from showing and the pillows
they use are nicer than the ones we have on our own beds! And we
sometimes buy the really nice dog food- when it is on massive
clearance/a month expired. Our pets are actually the lucky ones
here, right?! Right. ... Right?
The reality is that these smelly, aging fur balls are a part of our
crazy little families, and as much as we want to play off our amount of
love for these helpless little stink bombs, we are suckers every time.
If you can't stomach our lies, get a cat. Their meanness will
humble you instantly.
|
|
|
|
