Puppies as Children

Personally, I don’t support the idea that pets should be substitute people, whether children, friends or spouses. It doesn’t seem fair to the animal, who may be wonderful but will never be a person. Ideally, pets shouldn’t have to carry the burden of human need.

But that’s my opinion, my judgment, for myself alone. If someone has a service animal, or is elderly or otherwise removed from mainstream society, a relationship with a dog is far better than no relationships.

So, that being my ‘philosophical’ position, I was a bit horrified to note my reaction to leaving Joe at Doggy Day Care for the first time. It’s a wonderful place, well laid out, well run, and well staffed; yet I only brought him there to prepare him emotionally for being boarded there during the holidays. I want him to have happy associations with the place there so being left there will be as pleasant as possible.

And he had a grand old time; he seemed reluctant to leave. When I brought him in, he wouldn’t go back to the dog areas without my trotting in ahead. The handlers jogged away in front of me, with Joe bouncily following their steps. Then he noticed that he was behind a gate without me and he tried to return to me. The handlers distracted him, he loped off, only to return again to the gate and press his little head against it. Again, they caught his attention and this time I made my escape.

I went home to work and missed his presence in my office. As soon as my work was finished, I went back to pick him up. Since he’s always reluctant to leave me, and seemingly heart-wrenched when I leave him alone at home; I expected a joy-filled reunion scene. I imagined symphonic strings swelling, a close-up on his delighted dogface, then cut to Joe scrambling madly to reach me, with a final shot of him charging into my legs. Exactly like a most obvious and sentimental television commercial.

I was more disappointed then I ever would have guessed when he actually seemed to be torn about leaving. No ecstatic reaction when he saw me, he seemed happy, not overjoyed. I was a bit crestfallen.

And in the car on the way home I realized that having a dog is more like being a parent than I wanted it to be, especially the part when you love and miss them, while they just want to be with their friends. I thought I was getting a puppy, but in this sense I got a teenager.

It is disconcerting at times to realize how needful I am, as I don’t think of myself that way.

Oh, well. If you pay attention there are a hundred ways to appall yourself.