Perfect Pampered Pups

October 2, 2009  
Filed under Entertainment

A little lap dog is walking with its owner down the street sporting “puurfect” paws, complete with a pedicure and cherry red nail polish with an additional top coat. This is one of the many techniques we use to pamper our spoiled pets these days.

The question is, have we gone too far? From baby strollers, diamond studded collars and organic people food instead of normal dog food out of a bag (because god forbid we feed our generic dog or cat food), they are our little angels and they deserve the very best, but how much is too much?

A recent story made headlines a couple months ago about a pet Maltese, that was left a $12 million trust fund after her owner died. The woman’s will state that the dog would be given the money and a reserved spot next to her burial site when the dog passed away. After this controversy, a hearing in court took place and a judge overruled this decision. The dog was only left with a mere $12 million. Many people would think this crazed pet owner was insane giving her pet $12 million after she died, but what would drive someone to give that chunk of cash to an eight pound lap dog?

Over time, people have babied their pets more often, but they are probably the farthest thing away from their hearty descendants, the wolf. Every element of this wild creature has been bred out of the smaller and most popular breeds of dogs. People have bred dogs to be cute and portable in their designer hand bags, but people have compromised these characteristics for poor health of the dog. These animals are known for having weak bones and their smashed in faces ( shitzu and pug) that make breathing difficulty for the animals and usually die at an early age of respiratory arrest f they over exert themselves. Spoiled pets also tend to be overweight from overfeeding and a never-ending supply of tasty treats.

Even though people love making their dogs happy and feed those yummy treats from their table, in the end, it ends up putting extra weight on their bodies to weight them down and make them more susceptible to health problems. If people really loved their pets, they would be more concerned with their health to give them  long and healthy lives instead of spoiling them with food and being concerned about what they look like and what color of fur would complement their Gucci Bag.

People have been known to pay breeders up to $800 for a single pure breed dog. It is usually the five pound dogs, like Yorkshire terriers and Chihuahuas that self for this ridiculous amount. So , if you think about it, you are paying $160 per pound of dog. Then you could walk into an animal shelter and find a perfectly good dog for no more than $50, it might not be the next AKC champion but it will give you love and affection and be your best friend and be truly devoted to you.

The next time you decide to slip a few tasty snacks under the table or go to a designer pet boutique and buy a $100 outfit for your little angel think about what you are doing and if it is really worth the money. Loving your pet is hightly encouraged, but spoiling them to the extent were their paws have never touched the ground is quite ridiculous and would take away their natural behaviors as an independent animal. Always remember that a dog is a dog and not an accessory.

—–
Haley Butler

Tags:

 Email This Post        Print This Post