Historically, humans have had pets for possibly tens of thousands of years. Not surprisingly then, pet ownership is quite common in the world. And for whatever reason, it is especially popular here in the US. But I have never owned a pet, not even in the form of a house plant – and I am not planning to get one, whether a dog, a cat, or any other animal.
While some people can’t imagine their
lives without pets, I think of pets as not only unnatural, but also mostly
burdensome and unnecessary. Notably, the status quo with respect to pet
ownership seems to be functioning just fine. So there really isn’t
anything that needs to be changed in that regard, though my preference is to care
for and to spend time, energy, and effort with people rather than with animals
that happen to be pets. In the backdrop of that, I’d like to share my lukewarm view
on pet ownership, while being careful not to alienate or offend readers, many of
whom are likely to be pet owners. After all, a typical American household, for
example, has about 1.6 dogs and 1.8 cats.
Generally speaking, pets help their
owners manage loneliness or depression, by giving them companionship. Some
dogs, for example, also offer protection for their owners. As such, many pet
owners often treat their pets better than humans. Essentially, they consider
pets, especially cats and dogs, as part of their family. Bumper stickers with
messages along the lines of “My dog is my best friend”, “Dogs are better than
people”, or “I love my cat” abound in the US.
Many dog owners feel so close to their
dog that they don’t hesitate to put their face right next to its mouth and even
kiss it as a sign of affection. I have even seen strangers do the same to other
people’s dogs that they consider to be cute or lovely. As such, many pet owners
snuggle and even share their bed with their pets. It’s common to see news story
about how a dog alerted and thereby saved a family from their burning house in
the middle of the night. A wealthy lady onboard the doomed Titanic ship refused
to get on a life boat because she was not allowed to bring along her big dog –
her dead body, apparently with arms wrapped around the dog that also perished,
was later found by a recovery ship.
Numerous parents are often fully
convinced that their pets, especially dogs, will not harm them or others,
including young children. While dog and other pet attacks are quite rare, the
unexpected unfortunately happens and the result can be devastating. We have all
seen news reports about biting and even mauling by an otherwise friendly dog.
While such attacks may be very infrequent, they should not be merely shrugged
off. It is important for pet owners and even strangers to not get complacent
with pets to the point of totally dropping their guard down and becoming
vulnerable to unexpected attacks. After all, pets are mere animals and have an
inherent tendency to act on their animal instincts when we least expect them
to. Often, such unexpected and often unprovoked aggressive behavior by pet dogs
can be attributed to fear, pain, anxiety, hunger, insecurity, or even
territorial issues.
Studies may conclude that
pet owners have better physical and mental health than people who do not live
with a pet. But in reality, other factors (like marital status, gender, age, race, living arrangements, income,
employment status, etc.), rather than pet
ownership, may be the real cause of better health for pet owners. Likewise,
studies may indicate that rich married non-smoking religious white women that
are in their sixties typically live to be at least 100 years old. If such women
are, however, also inclined to own a pet, we could wrongly conclude that it was
pet ownership that allowed them to become centenaries. Therefore, when
comparing attributes of pet owners with those of non pet owners, we have
to be careful about the validity of our conclusions. In a very
general sense, I think pet owners and non pet owners are simply wired
differently. While the former may be drawn to pets for companionship or
protection, the latter aren’t. Notably, different is just that – not better or
worse, just different.
Many people, it seems, like to feel
important and have a subconscious void in that respect. Perhaps to fill that
void, some folks resort to getting a dog as a pet. That way, for instance when
they return home at the end of a long day from work, at least the dog will
welcome them back, often enthusiastically. Moreover, chances are, the dog will
follow instructions and look up to them as their authoritative boss. In that
regard, a dog provides an ego boost to its owner – which is likely to be
especially rejuvenating to those who have an innate desire to feel
significant. Likewise, some pet owners seem to like the attention they get
because of the pet, for instance, while walking in the park with a dog or while
driving with it. A cute, cuddly, or impressive looking pet can often be a good
attention getter or conversation starter for the pet owner.
It often amazes me how countless dog
owners make time out of their busy schedules to tend to their dogs. They don’t
seem to mind taking the dogs out for daily walks, cleaning up after them, and
even putting up with or neutralizing the mess and smell they leave behind in yards,
vehicles, and houses. And let’s not overlook the potential damage to carpet,
furniture, door, etc due to chewing, drooling, and scratching, especially if
the dog is not well trained.
Understandably, it is in the best
interest of the pet and veterinary industries to ensure that pet ownership
thrives indefinitely. One way of doing that is by ingraining into the psych of
the populace phrases like “Pets are part of the family” and “Dogs are better
than people”. Likewise, businesses that cater to pet owners routinely advertise
by using phrases like “Your pet will thank you” and “Doesn’t your dog deserve
it?” to humanize pets and to subtly reinforce or manipulate pet owners’
emotions.
The pet and veterinary industries
combined are worth almost $150 billion in the US. In light of that
huge figure, my view is it would be naïve of us to think that money doesn’t
have much to do with the popularity of pets in the US. And thanks perhaps
to pet industry lobbyists, a vast majority of US presidents (refreshingly, not including
our current president Trump) have had pets while in office. The normalization of having
pets at the White House has certainly helped to further
embed into the American mindset the acceptability of pet ownership. All that,
for better or for worse, and in a business sense, has propelled pet ownership to
become as much of the American fabric as, for instance, beer, pizza, hotdogs,
organized sports, guns, and religion.
In many other countries,
and especially in developing nations, dogs are not quite regarded as part of
the family as they are in the US. Cats and dogs in many other countries, for
instance, are often fed leftovers, rather than pet food bought specifically for
them. Notably, service dogs are not considered to be pets because their main
purpose is other than to offer companionship or protection. They are instead
trained for specific purposes like, detect drugs, sniff out bombs, neutralize
criminals, hunt, guide the blind, etc.
In light of my preference to care for
and to spend time, energy, and effort with humans rather than with animals, I
have shared my sort of negative opinion on pet ownership, without
necessarily trying to change anyone else’s view of the same. After all, as mentioned before, the
status quo regarding pet ownership seems to be functioning just fine. Alternatively,
while acknowledging that pet ownership is not my cup of tea, I have shared my view on it from
an unconventional perspective, without meaning to be insensitive or offensive.
Hopefully, you will see some grain of truth in my perspective that pet ownership,
at its core, is not only unnatural, but also mostly burdensome and
unnecessary.
