Many of us probably have had a dog or two as a pet along the way, enjoying their company for the most part. However, there may be more to being a ‘dog person’ than one might suspect. New research indicates that our genetic make-up influences the decision whether it’s wise to have a dog or not.
Good friends dropped in for a visit recently. They previously had two small dogs for years, bringing laughs, comfort and joy. When they lost both within a few months apart the grief was too much to bear. They decided to never have another one. But that was then. Today they had with them the cutest little pup so small, you could imagine holding it in the cup of your hand.
After a year and a half, they put their sorrow behind them and started looking for a ‘rescue’ dog. That didn’t work so using Facebook, they found a groomer who in turn recommend another groomer. This one had new puppies they visited regularly until the one they chose was four months old and ready to leave. The breeder was fastidious about puppy’s diets, feeding them only ground raw meat with vegetables. Unfamiliar with feeding raw, they met with an expert and decided to give it a try.
Next they stocked up on a mix of raw dog food and toys to welcome her home. Two of her treats were frozen chicken feet and quail eggs – a delicacy in some parts of the world but not in my house. They even enrolled her in puppy school spending endless hours with the training and picking up tips. The puppy was six months old now. After a few hours of my friends constantly fussing and baby-talking with the pup and not engaging in much adult conversation, I had to say, “that spoiled little runt is controlling your lives.” That didn’t go over well. Feeding time was even more absurd. After the raw meat dish, the puppy was handed the frozen chicken foot with 4 or 5 toes for desert. Watching that little monster devour it make my stomach crawl. I’ve been off chicken ever since! Finally they departed with me thinking, “with both of them genetically designed to like dogs, that puppy will have them eating out of its hand in no time.”
Two days later, I had another dog experience with no similarity. I was babysitting two golden retrievers overnight for a friend. One was quite old, hardly able to walk and mostly slept. The other one was big, in his puppy stage and rambunctious. I wasn’t there 10 minutes when he had torn off a band-aid from the back of my injured hand.
The orientation for feeding and walking them was given. The combinations of their menus was so complicated I insisted that they be written out. For the older one, it was different medications for pain and who knows what else, the morning doses different than the suppertime ones. Not being that familiar with dog-drugs, I worried about that I may have gotten the amounts wrong! Both opened their eyes the next morning so I guess I was fairly close. Walking the dogs was both easy and difficult. The older one only ventured a short way, lay down and waited there. The big one needed a long walk but the expected distance was too demanding for me, so I cheated a little – quite a little.
Night-time was dicey too. There was a television set but I couldn’t tune in Netflix and the few choices of channels was disenchanting. My friend should get a life! The dog’s bedtime was surreal. They typically settled for the night in their separate beds in the master bedroom but I had the spare room. They wouldn’t stay in there without me so I had to sit with them until they fell asleep and then sneak back to other bedroom. At 4:30 a.m., the big one barged into my room and woke me up. Ironically he went back to sleep until 8:00 a.m. or so, but I couldn’t –making it a long morning with not much to do.
I understand that everybody raves about their dogs. But in my situation, while observing the habits of three dogs in two days; a small one, a big one and an old one, gave me permission to make a decision about dogs. Even if my genes reveal I would a good match for owning a dog, I will not be tempted to get one in the foreseeable future.
