It’s that time of year again when all kinds of catalogues, ads, and announcements shout the praises of the very best holiday pet gift ever so I feel obligated to add my candidate for this award. Can you guess what that might be? I’ll give you a hint. Unlike the offerings touted by others, this very best pet gift won’t cost you a cent. On the other hand, it might very well be the most expensive gift you ever gave.
Give up? Well, let’s consider some possibilities that fit those criteria.
For over a third of the pets in this country, food would fit this definition. “Wait a minute!” you might protest. “Food costs money!” True, it does. But I was referring to feeding less food to that third of the companion animal population who’s overweight. Feeding them less not only wouldn’t cost money, it would save their owners money in two ways. In addition to saving the cost of that excess food, owners of these animals would also save the cost of treating all those weight-related medical and behavioral problems.
On the other hand, because overfeeding pets is invariably an owner problem (unless the pet happens to purchase and prepare his or her own meals and snacks, which seems doubtful), giving up the human beliefs that support this practice could be costly. If food represents what we consider the best, and perhaps even the only valid, way to communicate love to our pets, it could require quite a bit of effort on our parts to accept that this isn’t true.
What about exercise? All pets would benefit from regular exercise that keeps them fit, and there are many cost-free ways to meet the full spectrum of companion animal needs. On the other hand, for couch-potato owners or those who have more anti-exercise excuses than a fir tree has needles, it would be a lot cheaper to spend $500 for an ultra-lush pet bed or jeweled collar.
Mental stimulation also fulfills this category. For years, cats have been viewed as able to take care of themselves, but ironically that may not be the case for strict house-pets living in dull surroundings. Similarly, dogs and other companion animals whose owners expect their pets to amuse themselves may be forced to alleviate their boredom in ways their owners find unacceptable.
“But pet toys are expensive!” you may argue, but I don’t buy it. Pets can be safely amused with a wide variety of objects that don’t cost a cent. What’s costly is summoning the interest and commitment to explore those options for your pet.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, we find those pets who would give their front paws for a little peace and quiet. Did you ever stop to think about what your household sounds like to an animal with the hearing range and sensitivity of the average cat or dog? Given all the noise some animals must learn to routinely ignore just to cope, it’s rather amazing that they listen to us as well as they do. But while it costs nothing to turn off the TV, DVD, VCR, radio, or assorted electronic noise-makers and again will save you money, for those addicted to all that noise in their homes, providing such quiet interludes might exceed their emotional budget.
The final possibility is the one I had in mind because it embodies all of the above, plus a lot more: yourself. But not just any yourself, your very best self. A yourself who communicates confidence in your ability to care for yourself, your pet, and whatever threats, pain, and sorrows life my dish out to either or both of you. Piece of cake, no?
No! For many of us, and despite everything logic tells us to the contrary, we want, expect, and maybe even need our pets to give us confidence, to physically and emotionally take care of us. We want them to perk us up when we feel down, to lick our tears when we feel sad, to get us up and moving when we’d rather stay in bed, to inspire us to do things we lack the confidence to do on our own. In fact, I could have written a Thanksgiving commentary about all those things our pets do for us for which we should be grateful. But the reality is that these are not free gifts, let alone the entitlements some owners think are their due. They can cost our pets and sometimes cost them dearly.
So this holiday season do unto your pet as you would have your pet do unto you. Give your pet the very best holiday gift ever: the very best you ever.
Be confident.
Be happy.
Be at peace.
Give up? Well, let’s consider some possibilities that fit those criteria.
For over a third of the pets in this country, food would fit this definition. “Wait a minute!” you might protest. “Food costs money!” True, it does. But I was referring to feeding less food to that third of the companion animal population who’s overweight. Feeding them less not only wouldn’t cost money, it would save their owners money in two ways. In addition to saving the cost of that excess food, owners of these animals would also save the cost of treating all those weight-related medical and behavioral problems.
On the other hand, because overfeeding pets is invariably an owner problem (unless the pet happens to purchase and prepare his or her own meals and snacks, which seems doubtful), giving up the human beliefs that support this practice could be costly. If food represents what we consider the best, and perhaps even the only valid, way to communicate love to our pets, it could require quite a bit of effort on our parts to accept that this isn’t true.
What about exercise? All pets would benefit from regular exercise that keeps them fit, and there are many cost-free ways to meet the full spectrum of companion animal needs. On the other hand, for couch-potato owners or those who have more anti-exercise excuses than a fir tree has needles, it would be a lot cheaper to spend $500 for an ultra-lush pet bed or jeweled collar.
Mental stimulation also fulfills this category. For years, cats have been viewed as able to take care of themselves, but ironically that may not be the case for strict house-pets living in dull surroundings. Similarly, dogs and other companion animals whose owners expect their pets to amuse themselves may be forced to alleviate their boredom in ways their owners find unacceptable.
“But pet toys are expensive!” you may argue, but I don’t buy it. Pets can be safely amused with a wide variety of objects that don’t cost a cent. What’s costly is summoning the interest and commitment to explore those options for your pet.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, we find those pets who would give their front paws for a little peace and quiet. Did you ever stop to think about what your household sounds like to an animal with the hearing range and sensitivity of the average cat or dog? Given all the noise some animals must learn to routinely ignore just to cope, it’s rather amazing that they listen to us as well as they do. But while it costs nothing to turn off the TV, DVD, VCR, radio, or assorted electronic noise-makers and again will save you money, for those addicted to all that noise in their homes, providing such quiet interludes might exceed their emotional budget.
The final possibility is the one I had in mind because it embodies all of the above, plus a lot more: yourself. But not just any yourself, your very best self. A yourself who communicates confidence in your ability to care for yourself, your pet, and whatever threats, pain, and sorrows life my dish out to either or both of you. Piece of cake, no?
No! For many of us, and despite everything logic tells us to the contrary, we want, expect, and maybe even need our pets to give us confidence, to physically and emotionally take care of us. We want them to perk us up when we feel down, to lick our tears when we feel sad, to get us up and moving when we’d rather stay in bed, to inspire us to do things we lack the confidence to do on our own. In fact, I could have written a Thanksgiving commentary about all those things our pets do for us for which we should be grateful. But the reality is that these are not free gifts, let alone the entitlements some owners think are their due. They can cost our pets and sometimes cost them dearly.
So this holiday season do unto your pet as you would have your pet do unto you. Give your pet the very best holiday gift ever: the very best you ever.
Be confident.
Be happy.
Be at peace.