For the love of dog

I have loved dogs ever since I was little.

When I was six-years-old my mum’s heart skipped a beat when she looked out the window and saw that I had tied a belt around my brother’s neck, and was ‘walking him’ in the garden. Suffice to say, shortly after that incident mum brought home a real dog for me to walk. I think she thought it was safer that way.

I don’t know where this love of dogs comes from. I just know that it has always been there. I could hypothesize and say that it came from being read Spot books as a child. But then again I also liked The Very Hungry Caterpillar books and I don’t particularly like caterpillars. So I guess I was just born with a love of dogs, the same way that, mystifyingly, some people seem to be born with a love of cricket.

If I am walking down the street and see someone walking a dog, I have no qualms about greeting a dog before greeting its owner. In fact, I will cross the street to pat a dog. If I am particularly lucky and get a stretch of footpath with lots of cute dogs, I may be at least 5 mins late to wherever I need to be. Even if a dog is wearing a muzzle, that wont stop me from patting it. You see I have this uncontrollable urge to greet dogs, whether they want to be greeted or not.

Common wisdom would suggest that people are either dog people or cat people. But honestly I think you can be both – it’s not like two ends of the spectrum. And dog people and cat people can get along: one of my very good friends is about as crazy a cat person as you can get without actually owning a cat. Sally…. That’s you.

I guess you could describe me as a dog-oholic. Except that I am not confessing this obsession so much as proudly proclaiming it, and it is not something I feel the need to join a 12 step program to change.

Last year, when sorting through my parent’s eclectic book shelves*, I dug out ‘The Observers Book of Dogs’ by Clifford L.B. Hubbard. Now I am not one to judge a book by it’s cover, but I thought the author's name sounded a bit poncy, so I was unsurprised to discover the book was published in 1945, and that Clifford’s writing style is equally archaic.

“For traffic reasons,” Clifford explains to readers, “town dogs are usually walked on leads, and here is where so many dog-owners become quite irresponsible people. I am thinking now of those who allow their dogs to foul the pavements, usually turning a blind eye to the offence, for offence it certainly is, and dog-owners should be urged to avoid such unpleasantnesses.”

I am sure Clifford is no longer with us, but I think he would be saddened by the fact that dogs fouling the pavements is still a common occurrence 70 years on, despite the advent of the pooper-scooper.

Surely though we can forgive this little indiscretions for a species as loyal as the canine (now I’m starting to sound like Clifford…). For those unaware of the story of Hachiko, I suggest you check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachikō. Now that was a top dog. I cried during the movie Marley and Me, but I have to say that Hachiko kicks Marley’s ass.

I hope this musing was of interest to every dog owner, and also to the many others who have never had the good fortune to have a dog companion.

* other books discovered on the shelves included:

 Teaching the mentally retarded – edited by Gerard Bensberg,  Mind traps – mastering the inner world of investing – by Roland Barach and I love a sunburnt torso – by Christina Hindhaugh. I can't say my parents don't have diverse taste.