Pet Tip of the Week
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Parenting Your Pets
To most Americans a pet is part of the family. Even folks that live just above the poverty level consider their pets important enough to take care of them when moving or buying groceries. Most of us give our pets presents at holidays and many celebrate their pets’ birthdays. In short, we ‘parent’ our pets.
Most professional trainers wouldn’t dream of calling themselves ‘Mommy’, or ‘Daddy’, when talking to their dogs. I’m one of the exceptions to that rule. I think of my dogs as “the kids”, and they fill a void created when my human kids left the nest and created their own lives. I use the mommy/daddy handle when teaching classes and most of my clients appreciate it.
Even though we know that dogs are not human they do share some child-like qualities, enough to cause us to nurture and love them. We are filled with joy when they greet us at the door each day. We laugh when they are playing and our hearts are broken when they pass away. We make sure they are fed, warm, and healthy. And that, my friends, is called parenting.
If you have any questions please contact me privately at 856-349-2508 or simply reply to this post. There is never a fee for phone or email consultations. You can also email me at [email protected]. I will be happy to help you.
Next week’s topic will be entitled: On Giving a Pet as a Gift. As always, Cleary’s notebook encourages dialogue so your comments are welcome!
"Chucha". His Godfather is Steve Mulloy.
Wado, udohiyu, (thank you very much, in the Cherokee language)
Dawn Watson
Brother of the Wolf, LLC