People > Pets

I grew up on a farm where we had a dog, and I loved that dog.  (We also had a bunch of cats, but I couldn't have cared less about those cats.)  Under the right circumstances, I could see owning a dog one day, but I've never had a pet as an adult.  Too much hassle and expense to have one in the city.

In summary, I certainly do not hate pets.  I do, however, hate pet-owners who can't follow the etiquette of being a pet-owner.  I've lived in a house on a corner lot for a long time, meaning there's a lot of sidewalk and parking, and the number of times I've had animal waste in my yard is sickening.  (Actually, the sickening part is having to clean it up.)

That's not really the worst of it.  There's always the neighbors who got a dog a long time ago, and also a long time ago decided they were too lazy to actually take their pet for a walk.  So they just let Fido out to do his/her business on their lawn.  This is especially true in the winter, but in any season, their lawn literally looks like crap, and it doesn't exactly raise property values.

But even that isn't really the worst of it.  The worst of it is pet-lovers who want to convince you - and themselves - that a pet is equivalent to a child.  Not just their pet, mind you, but any pet.  How else do you explain our local TV stations leading off the late news with a story about a pet, as opposed to the joy and/or suffering of actual human beings?

I've written about this before, but it seems it's time for a reminder.  This week a local TV station had a pet as its top story - in front of a story about a local policeman who had been killed.  This happens here a lot of weeks.

Nothing wrong with having a pet.  But take care of it, and remember: A dog is a dog, a cat is a cat, and a pet is not a human being.  Get a clue.