Buckle down for a cheap shot if you like but that's not what comes. The article isn't too sweet to Petland but the last thing they deserve is sweetness anyway.
There are many places I have lived in my life and in not one of the others was there the endless problem with barking dogs in suburban neighborhoods.
There was a popular bumper sticker on cars in England which reads:
A dog isn't a Christmas gift, it's for life
In America you can hear all over the place Christmas dogs barking, 'set me free, set me free.' This is where we learn the differences between loving property and the property of love. Americans are deeply-enamored of property and that poor, lonely dog will bark, completely unloved in that backyard, because he never gets taken for a walk.
(Ed: some Americans, probably most, love their dogs and take care of them)
True enough but the outrage is the people who own them and don't love them. Judging by the noise, the percentage of those who do not love them is significantly higher here.
That's the effect of the love of property.
For the property of love, a dog may lie on the owner's grave until he comes back. This behavior has been recorded multiple times. Let's see your Cadillac Escalade do that.
It's not that there are many more dogs here as I strongly suspect a higher dog density in neighborhoods in England than in U.S. You can see the evidence on the sidewalk since they actually do take their dogs for walks. There are dogs all over the place but you won't hear them barking. They are exceptionally well-trained.
(Ed: you have to play hopscotch on the sidewalk to get around all this, um, stuff?)
It's not like that as people do mostly clean up after them.
The exception to the lower standard in U.S. may be New York City as they operate strictly regarding sidewalks with the attitude: you brought it here, you take it with you, and zero barking. Those dogs may be well-trained but I don't know for sure.
No doubt there are people who treat their dogs worse, I just haven't been to one of those places yet.
It's not so far off Christmas so, wtf, this wouldn't be a bad time for it:
DO NOT BUY A FOOKIN' DOG
The dog isn't a toy but rather a critter who will love you like nothing else on the planet, whether you deserve it or not.
Also, don't 'rescue' a dog if you can't really save it. A rescue dog requires even more love than an uninjured dog so it needs a major commitment from you to help the animal. This really isn't a bust but a warning. It sounds so precious to do but it takes a lot of work and commitment to make up for whatever else someone did with this dog. If you are ready for that then a rescue dog may be your best choice as the dog will understand after a while you're different and that's one highly satisfying feeling.
It's taken much of two years to get through to Tobey the Dog but it's working. He doesn't cower when I go near him and he knows if I raise my voice I mean it. That also means I never hit him. He knows that too. Tobey the Dog is my bud. Cadillac Man has his bud as well and I wouldn't mind betting they travel together now.
Note: "Travels with Charley in Search of America" is not, apparently, much related to what really happened. Cadillac Man knows that story and I have no doubt his travels with his bud will be real. The WIKI article contains an 'Accuracy Critique' and you may wish to skip it. (WIKI:
Travels with Charley)
It is another 'know your dealer' situation as you can buy a dog in Petland (or other similar nightmarish horror) and their dogs frequently originate in American puppy mills. They are often subject to 'kennel cough' which is highly-contagious but I don't know if it can be ultimately fatal. I do know many of the animals in Petland and others have got it.
After Disney Studios released "101 Dalmatians," there was a craze in American to have Dalmatian puppies. The puppy mills started breeding them with wild irresponsibility and with total disregard of the impracticality of a Dalmatian in a confined environment. It's somewhat similar to trying to keep an Irish Setter in an apartment. You will drive it absolutely crazy.
Who was right at the center of that: Petland. Don't ever go there or any type of suburban pet shop.
If you buy a dog from someone, make sure the person raised him or trained him. This is a person who knows the health of the dog perfectly and has given this dog all kinds of love. All you have to do is keep that going and that dog will love you beyond the day you die.
