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Dec. 1st, 2013 05:34 pmI've been bonding with my parents' dogs lately. Holstein and I in particular have made truce, since he loves to sit on my lap and keep me warm right now, while Longhorn, as much as I love him, won't hold the fuck still.
They are tiny chihuahua dogs, and a lot of people LOL at that and look down their noses a bit at "little yappy nervous stupid dogs", which are apparently any dog under 30 pounds. I've come to strongly disagree with that. You hear a lot about how these dogs somehow aren't legitimate pets, how they're fashion accessories or whatnot, but I never really felt the need to express that and at this point I definitely don't believe it.
There are people who acquire pets as fashion accessories, who get animals without really thinking beyond "it'll look cute" or "Paris Hilton has one" or something. And some dogs are yappy and annoying. But good training isn't the province of owners of golden retrievers and huskies; any dog is a loud, annoying dog if it has poor training. My parents' dogs are mischief makers; they don't like to sit on command and they sometimes steal my underwear and run around the room with it, but they heel and fetch and are crate-trained, they aren't mean-spirited, and in general they want to please.
Sometimes people say they want "useful" dogs, but I think being a loving companion and being a fellow creature to care for is useful. The idea that anyone who has a dog small enough to travel in a bag with them is using that dog as an accessory is becoming less and less realistic to me the more time I spend accepting the unconditional love of a dog smaller than some pork loins I've cooked. And even if it is true, that's hardly the dog's fault.
I think most people keep pets of any kind in order to feel loved, and people who have pets small enough to carry around with them, to cuddle into their arms and sit on their shoulders, may need to feel love, or to give love, the most frequently. I find it difficult to devalue people who feel compelled to exchange affection that badly.
Our chihuahuas are happy, loving little animals, and they've been very good dogs this week.
Yes they have! Who is a good dog? YOU are! Yes!
They are tiny chihuahua dogs, and a lot of people LOL at that and look down their noses a bit at "little yappy nervous stupid dogs", which are apparently any dog under 30 pounds. I've come to strongly disagree with that. You hear a lot about how these dogs somehow aren't legitimate pets, how they're fashion accessories or whatnot, but I never really felt the need to express that and at this point I definitely don't believe it.
There are people who acquire pets as fashion accessories, who get animals without really thinking beyond "it'll look cute" or "Paris Hilton has one" or something. And some dogs are yappy and annoying. But good training isn't the province of owners of golden retrievers and huskies; any dog is a loud, annoying dog if it has poor training. My parents' dogs are mischief makers; they don't like to sit on command and they sometimes steal my underwear and run around the room with it, but they heel and fetch and are crate-trained, they aren't mean-spirited, and in general they want to please.
Sometimes people say they want "useful" dogs, but I think being a loving companion and being a fellow creature to care for is useful. The idea that anyone who has a dog small enough to travel in a bag with them is using that dog as an accessory is becoming less and less realistic to me the more time I spend accepting the unconditional love of a dog smaller than some pork loins I've cooked. And even if it is true, that's hardly the dog's fault.
I think most people keep pets of any kind in order to feel loved, and people who have pets small enough to carry around with them, to cuddle into their arms and sit on their shoulders, may need to feel love, or to give love, the most frequently. I find it difficult to devalue people who feel compelled to exchange affection that badly.
Our chihuahuas are happy, loving little animals, and they've been very good dogs this week.
Yes they have! Who is a good dog? YOU are! Yes!
