The Princess and the Paw

September is World Animal Remembrance Month and I, for one, am all for it.  How else would we ever recall we owned pets? Without such a reminder one may very likely forget to feed them or let them out in the morning, or to pick up labradoodle Chloe from the Pet Spaw.  One may neglect to visit the butcher to get that organically farmed salmon for Miss Persephone the abyssinian, or heaven forbid, fail to finish knitting that Barbie-sized sweater for Jasper, that rascally budgie!  All good-natured sarcasm aside, no one can dispute the fact that as a society we have become pet crazy. From middle-agers cracking open their wallets to show off their grandpuppies, to pet rescue services and anti-abuse activism, animals have taken center stage.

The worldwide month-long observance of critters was created to “remember, respect and honor the memory of all animals... to pay tribute to companion animal family members; animal victims of abuse, cruelty and neglect; animals lost in natural disasters; and animals killed in the line of duty,” according to the PALS Foundation.

In an era when many people are choosing not to marry or have children, pets are becoming the objects of our affections, individually and collectively. Similarly, our furry friends have come to serve as welcome companions for those who are single or work from home with limited human contact.  


With growing awareness about adoption and the positive health benefits of pet ownership and interaction - including reducing stress and depression - more people are treating their animals like extensions of their human selves. 

The catch here is the fact that animals are not human. Clinton Sanders, a sociologist and author of Understanding Dogs, says pet obsession has been rapidly growing over the last two decades. "The danger is that we don't let animals be animals anymore... It does them a disservice and results in some ignorant kinds of treatment.... Dogs would be perfectly content eating the same food every day for the rest of their lives. It tastes good, fills them up and never disappoints. A dog's owner, on the other hand, might say, 'I would never want the same meal again and again, how boring.' Then she goes to the store and buys her pup a variety of options, which in turn disrupts the dog's digestive tract.... Dogs aren't like us."  

And yet we treat them like they are.  Here are just a few of the ways we are currently spoilering our family members who lack opposable thumbs.

We:

• Carry them in purses
• Arrange for them to have spa treatments such as massages, peticures, etc 
• Take them on play dates and to Doggie Cay Care
• Board them in Vacation Resorts and doggie hotels with HD television
• Send them traveling and on Pet Airways, a new airline devoted to pampered pawsengers
• Walk them in pet parades
• Enter them in Costume Contests and Beauty Pageants (my own city boasts the biggest pet costume contest in the world as well as the biggest, if not only, Bulldog Beauty Pageant... note: for “the world’s most beautiful bulldog” see this week’s Saturday Sentiment) 
• Buy and bake gourmet grub
• Invite them to sleep in the family bed
• invest in braces, orthopedic beds, strollers, car seats, electric toothbrushes,   neuticles (fake implants for neutered male dogs), motion sickness aides, antidepressants and anxiety meds 
• and we dole out serious dollars on fashion ensembles, faux-mink coats, jewelry,  leather jackets and more

.....Suddenly being “in the doghouse” doesn’t sound so bad.