Is our vanity hurting dogs?

Welcome to the first installment of the Adventure Dog Blog. 

I originally thought that it would be nice to have a place where I can post the up and coming events, accomplishments and going’s-on for the Adventure Dog Ranch. That was the original plan…

 

Then I saw something that took me in a totally different direction. Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll fill you in on all the latest news eventually and if you need to get caught up on our old news you can always visit our announcements page at http://www.AdventureDogRanch.com/Announcements.aspx  

 

I like to think that I am open minded, honest to a fault and once in a while I actually believe I am  "Hip" or "With it."  (These are terms that obviously show how far out of touch I truly am.) When I saw this link,  http://www.lifeinthefastlane.ca/when-pet-owners-go-too-far-part-3/offbeat-news, not only did I realize that:

1.  I’ve gotten OLD.
2.  I have no fashion sense,
3.  Some people have become incredibly vain.

At first I was semi-amused, but the more I thought about it, the more disconcerted I became. What gives a human the right to "dye a dog?"

 

I do believe that dogs have a certain level of "self awareness." How much? Is anyones guess. Do they have the level of vanity that human’s have? Absolutely not. But I do think that they have a sense of pride. Can a dog subjected to the semi-torturous application of dyes; (Hey, I’ve had my hair done and been subjected to this beautification ritual and I’ll call it the way I see fit!) A dog  "re-designed" to resemble a CHICKEN; Can that dog have any pride in it’s "Dog-ness?"

 

My dogs all wear collars with assorted vaccination tags and I.D. tags & my dogs act proud each time I put their collars on. They get really excited when I add a new "Medal" (what I call ther vaccination tags or I.D. tag) to their medal collections. They’ve earned most of their "medals" through valor… Another shot=a new rabies tag. I think what I am seeing with this is the canine equivalence of PRIDE.

 

Does that poor canine creature, the one with the feathers and the fur extensions on her back, does she feel pride now?, I can only imagine the reaction she must’ve had to the results of that beautification procedure…  I can almost hear her distress!  "YIKES There’s a bird on my back and I can’t get it off!" (OK. Yikes isn’t normally in my vocabulary, but this is a family blog.) 

 

I’m Sorry, I think this has gone too far.  I don’t see pride in those faces, not the same kind of pride I see when I tell my lab "GOOD GIRL" for retriving the last leg of triple combo, where even I can’t remember where I threw the last bumper; I see frustration. I see embarasment.

 

Dogs do very well at mixing into our human world and in fact some of them thrive on making the best of every situation. They’re incredibly adaptable and theat’s one of their strongest features, they’re great listeners, companions, and they can bring out the best in people by showing us when we’re out of balance (and believe me if your idea of a great time is dyeing your dog purple, it’s time for a serious reality check.) 

 

People, Dogs need a time and place where they can just be dogs. I don’t think the beauty parlor is that place.

 

 

Kerri P.  Adventure Dog Ranch

 

 

 

I’d love to hear your comments or feedback so drop me a line @ kerri@AdventureDogRanch_.com (remove the underscore)  or post a note in the comments section!

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