Are You Sure You Want a Dog?

Are you sure you want a dog

Puppies are cute. A lot of dogs are pretty.

It's good to be around dogs, and it feels good to have a companion at your feet all the time.

And then they can guard the home and keep you safe.

So who wouldn't want a dog?

I used to be one of them, because I preferred cats. Now I love both dogs and cats.

But That Doesn't Matter

What matters is that too many people get dogs for the wrong reasons. For selfish reasons.

Many dogs have plenty of energy, and if they don't get to release that energy, they will ruin things in your home. Or even go as far as biting people.

They are social beings. Very social beings. They need to be with others.

Are you gone all day?

Then why would you want a dog? A dog is miserable if it's left alone.

Our neighbor has a Belgian shepherd. He's a nice man, when I speak to him, but he's strict with the dog. I don't know if he's beating it, but now the dog doesn't like men. Every time a man passes her yard, she runs out and acts as if she's going to attack.

Our neighbor enforced the fence around his yard, but his dog kept finding holes. Or perhaps she dug her way out.

One day, he began to tie her inside the yard. The dog gnawed her leash and broke it and escaped again. Then he tied her in a shorter leash.

She could hardly move.

When we passed her, Nefnef and I, she howled.

Poor dog.

I often wonder why our neighbor wantedaddog, because he doesn't let her inside their home. He doesn't walk the dog or play with it. She's gotten two litters of puppies, and every time her puppies were taken from her, she howled even more.

That's not a life worthy of anyone. That's not a dog's life.