Most of us claim to be dog lovers, or better, animal lovers. We are all there for them when it comes to their up keep but most importantly when the time arrives to show them off to others. In this never ending quest to show off we often overlook what our dear dog actually requires, which is our company and undivided attention.
Our dogs (or any other animal for that matter) feel as though they rule the world when they know that we are around. So, this article of mine mainly focuses on how shattering it is for our dogs when we abandon them after we have had our fill and have given them en number of false hopes.
In today’s world, most of us are free, independent, working people. But sometimes this very independence starts to seem like a curse upon us, which makes us go into depression and then we start looking for something, anything that will help us overcome this loneliness. Many of us go and either invest in or adopt a pet, mostly a dog. For a span of a few weeks, we look after our new found friend but after a while we start to realize that our social gathering front has gone to the dumps or we suddenly can’t afford our dog or pet, a decision is taken to either leave it alone at home and go out (a temporary solution) or better just abandon it on the road (a permanent solution), I personally don’t respect such ruthless, spineless and selfish people.
While indulging in this shallow act, we fail to realize that our pets that look up to us, as if we are magic and have several expectations from us, have been let down completely. Our pets mean companions to us; some of us who are single and with no children treat them like our babies. Have we ever realized that we being humans have so many people in our lives, including our mother, father, siblings, aunts, uncles and all the other relatives we are surrounded by. But our pets have us and only us, we are their end and their beginning. If one of our relatives goes away from us, it doesn’t really pinch us because we know they will come back sometime or the other but our pets don’t understand our language, when we go away from them, all they see is darkness.
Now here I am not asking you to not keep any pets if you are single, all I am suggesting is to weigh all the pros and cons before you decide to invest in or adopt a pet, especially a dog, because it is your duty to be responsible for that little life your are adopting.
Through This article I don’t intend to tell anyone that they are not capable of handling or even owning a pet, I just want you all to try and for once think and view things from your dog’s perspective, I talk about dogs because I own dogs and so I can understand how they must be feeling.
There was an incident I remember, when the Pug dog was chosen as a mascot for a mobile connection company, with that, every second household had a pug as a member of their family, they used it as a status symbol i guess. But soon after the people (not every one of them but most) had their fill of the dog they promptly went ahead and abandoned it on the streets. This was a heart wrenching incident for all the dog lovers. Many NGOs devoted to animal health care and preservation adopted as many dogs they could and sent them to good homes. My family too adopted a female pug dog and we named her Teesta, after the famous Teesta river.
Teesta taught us a lot, rather she taught me a lot. She was silver in color and highly adorable. I still remember how she went and hid under sofas and chairs on hearing the terms ‘Injection’ or ‘Doctor’. I don’t really have a picture of hers but she was quite a good specimen. I wont write much about the breed, just a few things that I want everyone to know about their dogs. They cant speak and so we as humans and more as owners need to dig a little deeper and be extra sensitive while owning a dog. We have no other choice but to understand how our dogs feel.
Every time we leave them they don’t know when we’ll return and so we should make proper arrangements for their entertainment and also make sure they don’t feel lonely. One of my friends owned a male Jack Russell who would only sleep if she sang to him, and so whenever she left the house and her dog was alone he would panic and stop eating, that would make him weak. After realizing that he was addicted to her singing she recorded her voice in a cassette and would play it for him before leaving the house, the voice would help him sleep and he would wake up only after she returned. With this she was at peace and so was her beloved dog.
Nowadays, they have special television channels only for dogs, they help single masters to handle their dogs when they are out. These channels have videos of dogs recorded by their owners and so contain barks and activities of various dogs which divert the attention of your dog and keep it entertained so that it doesn’t miss you or destroy things in your house.
Also there are some cool dog salons and day care centers that are made especially for working people who own dogs. These day care centers have dog lovers as volunteers that help your dog get comfortable without you being around. They also take care of the dog’s food and health. You could drop them while going for work and pick them up while returning.
I personally feel dogs deserve their share of happiness just like us humans. So next time you feel you can’t take care of your dog, please DO NOT abandon it and kindly consider the above given alternatives.
P.S. DO NOT RAISE YOUR HAND ON YOUR DOG.