Friday, March 12, 2010

How You Treat Your Dog


I think that how you treat your pets says a lot about who you are. I find it interesting that stray cats and dogs in the US are extremely leary and shy. They run, they hide, they generally avoid people.

In Afghanistan, they tend to come right up, nose your hand, and then collapse in a nap at your feet. Cats and dogs alike are so much less afraid of people here. No incidents of firecrackers tied to tails, no deliberate cruelty to cats, no rocks thrown at dogs.

Even though dogs are considered unclean in many Muslim cultures, the Koran enjoins Muslims to treat animals kindly. Buddhists and Hindus, perhaps because of belief in reincarnation and karma, also generally treat animals kindly.

Why is it in the US that our strays are so afraid? What does it say about our culture?

And the dog in this picture? His name is Tony and he's just sleeping through one of my briefs. All the soldiers standing there wish they could do the same.

3 comments:

  1. Valid point you make about how strays are treated in the U.S. Perhaps as a country we see animals as tools, as things, as property. Even cruelty to your own animals was common enough that the ASPCA was formed, I believe, in the early 20th century. My dad, as a farmer, many years ago beat a cow to death with a shovel because it strayed into the garden. He was so mad at it. He still believes cows are one of the dumbest animals ever created. If we treat what we own poorly, why treat strays any better?

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  2. Really love the picture of the dog sleeping. How cool is that? Right there with the troops. I have 'rescued' 3 dogs from the pound so this post really means a lot to me. Remember the story of Major Hutchinson (the oldest US casualty in Iraq) and how his family stateside worked with SGT Andrew Hunt to fly the dog to the US to live with Major Hutchinson’s family? I wonder how much of having the dog with the family helped them grieve? Dogs are therapeutic too. How nice it is for a solider having a real bad day in the combat zone to have a nice dog wag his tail and allow the soldier to pet him. And holding a puppy? Instant smiles!!!!

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  3. I saw dogs lie like this in Pompeii, Italy. Very bizarre-didn't seem to care about all the people.

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