We love our dogs. They are more than just pets, they are our companions. Our stress relievers and bundle of joy. Enough of the poetic side but yeah whenever I am with my dog, I am free from all stress and worries. Dog walking makes me calm and think of solutions instead of problems. I go out for 5 km walks everyday and lost 25 lbs. Now here comes the hard part, what do other people think of your dog. For starters, non-dog lovers will complain of the slightest stench even if it ain't related to the dog. Dogs smell but they're not supposed to stink. Scientifically, households who got no dogs have children who are more susceptible to disease than households that has a dog. In lay man's terms, instant boost of immune system. The hardest issue that I hafta deal with it on a day to day basis is educating people on dog myths. I'm not an expert but I complied a few based mostly on experience.
1) BARKING DOGS - Have you ever wondered why your dog knows when you're arriving even if you're still far? Not because he saw you at the gate but rather it smelled you even if you were still a block away. Again scientifically, there was a study done wherein the moment you think that you are about to go home whether you're at work, at the grocery or mall, your dog anticipates you coming home as both of you are psychologically linked.
Now if you talk about other people, I'm sure this happened to you. The owner of the house you just passed by, gets mad at you coz of the noise his barking dogs did so now he tells you not to pass by his house anymore. Doesn't take rocket science on this scenario, dogs should be socialized and be trained properly if it were to be guard dogs. You gotta take em out for daily walks to release the pent up energy or else it becomes destructivc. Lawfully, your private property ends when it meets a public road and yes the spot where you park your car is technically public property. The said dogs are stimulated not by sight but smell. Even if you're inside the house, the neighbor's dog will bark once it smells your dog. There are also dogs who are visually stimulated that's why you gotta train em with lotsa distractions. A car or person passing by, cats or birds in the area and even food. Those are controllable things so it would be epic lame to just block their view by bombarding their cage coz even if they don't see it, they still smell it. Get the drift?
2) THE HOWL - This is a common myth especially with Pinoys when supernatural meets science. When a dog howls, it is said that it sees a ghost or spirit and someone from where that dog is located will surely die. If there were reports of this then it's purely coincidental. If you talk supernatural, can you actually predict and a prevent a dog from howling? Common sense naman parekoy. Now let's go to the science part, dogs howl because they could be bored, communicating with other dogs or in pain. So far that's what I know, Google the rest if you wanna. All dogs came are wolf descendants, pack animals who really howl therefore all dogs naturally howl. The control part is you provide em adequate exercise. For those who got Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies like me, it's challenge coz admit it or not when our dogs howl it's like they're actually singing as their vocal patterns are way different from the local howler.
The hardest part with educating these people is they still and will always rely on kasabihan. Sadly there are people with escalated cases reaching the baranggay just to deal with an issue that can be addressed with when informed properly to begin with. Syetness wala ba kayong cable TV to watch Animal Planet and Cesar Milan on Nat Geo? Well of course to be fair it's a different ballgame when there's excessive howling. Dogs howl. Get over it. Nobody dies.
3) DOCTOR, DOCTOR I AM SICK - Dogs just like humans can get sick in any point of their lives. No matter how much care you give with vitamins and vet check up, they will still get sick. There are hereditary illneses that are not transferrable to humans. Hip displacement and mange are among the few. My furkid has demodectic mange that according to 4 vets is hereditary due to a weak immune system that was passed by from mother to litter. As with all sicknesses, there are times when one treatment alone can cure it. Sometimes it takes months to cure it and lifetime maintenance. Stop the blame game and being the responsible is the key. Most of all, don't feel guilty when your dog gets sick coz there's a thin line being negligence and doing what's best but still your dog gets sick. Don't be quick to judge also an owner who has a sickly dog. My battle with mange til this day is not with the illness itself but rather the people around me. In a nutshell they want me to bring my dog to the vet now then come back later and expect my dog to be perfectly okay. Dealing with a sickly dog makes you patient and understanding not just your pet itself but the people around you especially those who are not dog lovers who easily say that having a sick dog is a form of animal cruelty. You don't give up on your pet, same with humans, you don't just throw em away or have them killed when they get sick. This is yet to be proven but is said that when your dog gets sicks, it absorbs the pain and suffering that you should have gotten. The only proof to this is mange which is stress induced. And yes whenever I get stressed, my dog gets sick. There ya go. Extreme as it can be, I guess the only way for non-dog lovers to understand is to bring them to the vet to have all the answers with the accompanying explanations.
4) PUNTA KA SA CONDO, DALA KA DOGFOOD - In our modern times, one of the biggest misconceptions has been having a condominium units that doesn't allow dogs. Yes if it is high rise building with lotsa tenants per floor as walls are not thick enough or simply a marketing strategy that theirs has a peaceful, noise and stress free environment. Megaworld is one of the developers that actually encourages dog owners. Take a look at their projects Eastwood, Forbestown BGC and Lucky China Town mall as being pet friendly with being able to bring your dogs inside airconditioned premises. With a growing number of pet people, it's a good way to somewhat target em as most developers usually don't allow dogs. My condo unit is mid rise and it's Cambridge Central Park Pasig that allows dogs. Low and mid rise units allows dogs. Nuff said.
Dog myths vs. facts is actually dog lovers vs. non-dog lovers. Those who refuse to learn and most of the time unreasonable. Most of the time these people are the ones doing the complaining for you on how expensive dogfood is and how you could have saved or used that amount on something else. Only a dog lover can understand a fellow dog lover. The birds and the bees is easier to explain toan 8 year old kid than dogs being dogs to a 50 plus adult.
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