Reality Check for Pet Owners

I recently read an article on Wisebread that had me laughing and nodding in agreement: 10 Hidden Costs and Rules of Pet Ownership by Frugal Dutchess. Please go to the site and check it out, including the 10 Adorable Photos of Pets. I'm not quite sure about the title, because to me the article was more like 10 Reality Checks of Pet Ownership. But it is all true!

Here are my 4 favorite points I learned from this article:

Pets make taking vacations difficult. Bringing your pet along on vacation involves finding a hotel or motel that allows pets. Not being able to go out to eat at a nice restaurant because you have the dog in the car. But, leaving your pet involves finding a suitable kennel or pet sitter. And worrying about your pet while you're away. We brought our dog Kelly with us to visit my daughter. We thought she'd be fine in her crate while we went out to dinner. It turned out that Kelly barked and cried so much the neighbors complained and the apartment super phoned my daughter to come home and take care of the situation.

If you have a home office, pets create distractions. Every time your home office phone rings, your dog will decide to bark up a storm and beg for attention. This is so true! I try to move as far away from my dog as possible, but since I have a small house, I usually end up standing outside (no matter the weather.) Also, whenever I get an important call from my agent or editor, the mailman comes to the door, the dog barks, and the other line rings in. Without fail.

Most kids beg for the pet, but aren't good on the follow-through. Kelly is my son Andy's dog. But I feed her, walk her, brush her, play with her. Yes, I'm home during the day and he's at work or school or baseball practice. And, okay, I admit...I don't mind.

Pets can be stinky. I'm always worried about pet odor. I think my family is used to the smell of our house, so we don't really notice. But I'm sure it has a doggy scent. I've bought air fresheners, reed diffusers, Plug-Ins, Yankee candles, you name it. I hope they're working.

and one point of my own:

Vet bills cost more than you think. Whenever I want to add another pet to our family, I think about this. A routine check-up at the vet's office usually runs us about $100. There are stools to be tested, heartworm pills dispensed, glands to be squeezed. You name it. There's no getting around most of it. We want to give her good care and that includes her check ups.

Of course, no list would be complete without adding the joys of pet ownership. And I can sum that up in one word: love. Every time I look at my difficult, distracting, demanding, stinky, expensive dog, I'm so glad she's a part of our family.

My Pet Mom Mistakes

Most pet parents have been there. We do our best training and raising our furry charges, but then we look back and realize there were things we could have done differently. Okay; could have done better.

My dog Kelly is 7 years old now. She's mature, set in her ways, and a little bit spoiled. I make excuses for her bad behaviors ("She didn't mean it." "She deserves it." "She was just trying to show us she cares..."), but I realize, I am responsible for pretty much all of her flaws (however cute I may think they are.). Despite my mistakes, Kelly is sweet and reasonably well-behaved. But, looking back, here is what I could have done differently:

1. Don't let her up on the furniture
I love the feeling of a warm puppy snuggling up with me. I love sitting comfortably on the couch and reaching down to scratch my dog's ears. Why have a dog if it's relegated to the floor, where we rarely share a comfortable cuddle? But I don't enjoy dog hair all over my clothes and furniture. It's difficult to brush off or clean up. And why have a nice-looking couch if I always keep it covered with a blanket to keep it hairless? I'm not sure there really is a solution for this one.
2. Don't feed her scraps from the table
Big puppy dog eyes can be cute, but begging is not cute. Why did I ever start tossing the crust of my bread or scraps of meat onto the floor, where Kelly was lurking eagerly? Now she expects to be fed any time we eat.

3. Do socialize her with other dogs
When Kelly was a puppy, we took her on outings. But as she got older, she growled whenever she saw another dog. She reacted aggressively: the hair on her neck and back standing straight up, her teeth bared. Instead of combatting this problem with training, we just avoided other dogs. This makes trips to the vet's office or groomer's challenging. Now I think she's missing out on playing with dog pals, too.

4. Don't give her snacks just for looking cute
Simply said, this led to Kelly gaining weight. We've since solved this by giving her carrots and healthy treats, and increasing her walks. She lost weight, but she still expects snacks for looking cute.

5. Do expect her to behave when people come to the door
Kelly may not like other dogs, but she loves people. When my friends come to the door I usually hold onto Kelly's collar as I open the door. She lunges and tugs and pulls to "greet" the company. While I may not mind a dog jumping up on me, not everyone feels the same. I should have trained her to sit calmly and wait to be acknowledged when company comes to visit.

Well, these are my mistakes. Maybe reading about them will help you decide what not to do with your dog. I know, it's not too late for me and Kelly to work on most of these problems. And we will, I promise! Fortunately, Kelly is usually calm and well-behaved, even if she is a bit tactless in some of her social skills. We all have room to improve, right?

Don't Leave Me

Does this scene sound familiar? You’re getting ready to go out on an errand, pick up your pocketbook and your keys, and your dog appears out of nowhere, parks herself in front of the door and stares up at you with eyes that could melt a snowman. Or, he dances around your ankles, jumps up on your legs, and begs you not to leave in that way known best to dogs.

Kelly wants to be with me wherever I go. But worse, when I leave, she lies by the front door and waits dejectedly until I return. Although this devotion is sweet, I feel bad for her. In a way, I kind of wish she’d be like Tom Cruise in Risky Business, dancing around the house and having wild fun while I’m away. It makes me sad to think she’s just lying by the door pining away. It’s nice to be loved, but Kelly has separation anxiety.

I work from home, so my dog and I are together all day. She lies by my feet as I type. She follows me into the kitchen and up and down the stairs. We take breaks to walk and play fetch. Granted, I need her as much as she needs me. My kids are grown up and out of the house. She’s my little girl. But, like all moms, I want her to be happy and well adjusted.

I’ve considered buying another dog, so she could have a playmate. But Kelly thinks she should be the only dog in the world. She doesn’t always get along well with other dogs. For the same reason, doggy play groups are out.

It’s not that I leave her often, but when I do, I’d like her to feel confident that she’ll be fine while I’m away. I haven’t gone on a vacation in a long while, but I would like to. If Kelly is upset when I leave for a few hours, how will she handle my being away for a few days? The last time we took a trip to visit our daughter out of state, we brought Kelly along. We kept her in her crate when we went out to dinner. But Kelly barked the whole time and upset the neighbors in the apartment complex. If only she’d known to keep quiet for that brief time, she would have earned the opportunity to join us on the trip again. Now that option is closed.

There are many joys in pet ownership and many concerns. I will continue to search for ways to ease her anxiety and make adjustments easier. After all, I would like to visit my daughter again.And I'd like Kelly to know I'll always return home to her.

What I Learned From my Dog: The love of a dog is special and sweet. But Kelly reminds me that part of my responsibility is to foster a sense of security, and patience, too.