Dogs to Kids

I was riding up in the elevator this morning and overheard a conversation between two 20 something guys. The one guy was carrying a stack of papers and starting talking to the other guy about his dog and how he got all of this information last night from the vet on separation anxiety. He was talking about how they were probably going to enroll their dog in one of the doggie daycares a few days a week to help ease the dogs anxiety. The other guy told him that they did that with their dog. He goes three days per week. As he said, "This way, on the other two days when my wife leaves, he (the dog) must feel like he knows he'll get to go somewhere too the next day."

Interestingly enough, our deceased dog was like that too, but we never considered a doggie daycare back then. We just got another dog and they entertained each other. It struck me as funny listening to this conversation. It made me think back to the time before we had kids and how we treated our pets as our children. That's what these guys and their wives are doing. Before we had kids, our dogs and cat were our lives. We bought them Christmas presents. We gave them special food on Thanksgiving, Christmas and their birthdays. We took them to the park. We took them on trips to PetsMart...

Now, we have two kids. Our remaining dog and cat are just that, a dog and a cat. They are pets, animals, nothing more. I am not saying they are neglected, but they aren't coddled in the same way they once were. In fact, this morning, I noticed our dog really needs his nails trimmed, needs a good brushing and probably a bath too. Back in the day, I probably would have done all of that myself. Now, I think, if it gets done this weekend, I'll be dropping him off at PetsMart and getting it done. When would I have the time to do it??

I so badly wanted to speak up in the elevator today and say something like, I remember those days... But, figured I would sound like an old fuddy duddy. Then, I realized, I am old compared to them! Probably almost ten years older! Wow, where does time go. I don't feel that old?

So, to my current dog and cat (and my deceased dog), I am sorry. I am sure you miss the good 'ole days when I spent lots of time with you. I hope you understand.