Maybe Pet Ownership Isn't For You
My dog Virgil at about four months old
Frustrating story time: On Sunday evening, I had dinner plans in Detroit. I got off I-96 and just as I was about to turn onto Greenfield Rd, I see a dog walking around in the middle of the intersection, which is almost always busy. In the past, I’ve just kept driving in this scenario but this dog had to be a Goldendoodle, which some of you know is my dog Virgil’s breed. In addition, this little guy was in the middle of the street in cold rainy weather, coming close to getting hit by a car every few seconds. I felt compelled to try and help him.
Long story short, I chased him down Greenfield for about 20 mins and every time I got out of the car and got within his eyesight, he ran away. This even happened when I tried to offer him honey buns I grabbed at a nearby gas station. Eventually, running away from me landed him in an alley that I (stupidly) walked down to try and catch him again before he finally got away. I had no choice but to leave the honey buns in the last place I saw him and go on with my night worrying about him ever since. One of the worst parts was the dead pit bull on the sidewalk in one of the spots where I stopped.
I don’t tell this story to pat myself on the back. I could care less how many of you know about the things I do in my spare time that you may consider “acts of kindness.” I’m also not suggesting that any of you do the same thing when you see a stray dog because that can be very dangerous without proper training. I tell this story to say that we aren’t all meant to be pet owners and that is something we all need to consider long and hard prior to bringing one home.
Cats, dogs, or any other pets are NOT inanimate objects like lamps, storage containers, or rugs. They are living breathing creatures that have the same essential needs as human beings; air, water, food, shelter, and love. Treat them accordingly or don’t buy, don’t adopt, don’t foster, don’t dog-sit for a friend, etc. Shelters may not be the best place for animals to end up but that is much better than being abused, neglected, or in the streets alone—hungry and in constant danger.
Be fucking responsible for the living creature that you decided to bring into your life and home. Abandoning an animal on the street is a horrendous act. I’ve said that to family who’ve done it in the past and I’ll say it to a stranger. At the bare minimum, have the decency to drop them off at an animal hospital, animal shelter, find a friend to take them, anything but simply letting them loose to fend for themselves and likely die in the street.
Yes, I understand that there are human issues I could be addressing instead but this is the message on my heart at this time, those issues don’t negate this one, and now that I’ll be writing more consistently, I’ll be touching on those as well.
