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by Tristin Green In America, we spend about $10 billion a year going to the movies. But that's beans compared to what we spend on our pets: $41 billion. That's a lot of kibble. And collars. And leads. And beds. And designer clothing. And Gucci totes. Bowls and toys, crates and kennels, beds and mats, treats organic, bakery, carob and carrot cake, baubles, bangles, stuffies and squeakies. When we're gone our dogs stay at day care. We watch them on web cams, call them from cell phones to reassure them -- or is it to assuage our guilt at leaving for a few hours? We make regular salon appointments, hair, nails, skin, massage, hydrotherapy, even plastic surgery. Dyes, tints, comb outs, style, cut, primp, perfume. And after the styling comes the profiling. Professional photo shoots. Play dates. Parks, parties and parades. Dog spas, dog gyms, special sports facilities, agility, flyball, dock diving, weight pull, conformation, herding and hunting trials, traveling far and wide, rearranging our lives around our dogs' favorite activities -- or the ones we perceive as their favorites. If you build it for our dogs, we will come! We sure do love our dogs. Ever stop and wonder if they're getting overbooked and overloaded, overcompensated and overwhelmed? When's the last time you had a quiet afternoon stretched out lazily on the couch under a pile of dog? Sharing a bag of microwave popcorn watching old Looney Tunes and laughing, as much at your dog's reaction to Roadrunner's “BEEPBEEP” as the cartoon itself. There's something about the head tilt, one ear up a little higher than the other, tail doing a three-thump before the nose pokes you to see if there isn't maybe another kernel or two of popcorn stuck in the bottom of the microwave bag. The satisfied sigh when one last semi-popped piece crunches in those molars and the inevitable thank you comes by way of a facile tongue gratefully catching the last grain of salt stuck in the corner of your mouth. Resistance is futile, you're too relaxed to dodge it and besides, your dog's got you pinned down on the sofa. Remember those evening strolls, after the sun's gone down and the air is cool? Just enough people still out to make a few admiring comments about your friend, but not enough to keep you from getting some walking done, maybe down to that park where everyone sits at lunch time, leaving a smorgasbord of smells for your dog to inhale and digest while you wander along, just behind, watching to make sure there's nothing that might not be good for him, occasionally catching your feet just as you're about to trip over him as he stops abruptly, nose to the ground, sniffing deeply then snorting, then sniffing again after expelling the previous nose full of savory information. How long has it been since you spent a summer afternoon in the backyard, filling a cheap wading pool from the local store, spraying the Evil Hose Monster at your dog, laughing until your sides ache as he attacks the water face on, time after time, then runs and jumps in the pool, laying flat on his belly, making waves with his tail while he barks in the water and bites the bubbles? You know what comes next: an explosion out of the pool, a mad race around the yard, through the one patch of naked dirt, a good mud making roll, then a sprint straight to where you sit on the steps, bowling you over, sharing the mud in a summer afternoon frenzy born of sunshine, water, earth, affection and the pristine joy of existence. Yup. Our dogs sure do love us. Provided by Tristin Green of www.pet-super-store.com: Where you can find great deals on Dog Beds and Pet Doors TO LEARN ABOUT BUDGET STRETCHER PREMIUM Giving You The Power To Control Your Money |
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