For Pet's Sake Column

This may come as a surprise to you, but I’ve long believed that dogs who belong to homeless people are among the happiest of hounds. Sound farfetched? Perhaps, but let me explain my theory. Most of the pampered pooches I know are accustomed to lavish lifestyles: they live in nice homes, romp in big backyards, play with plenty of toys, and enjoy good food and quality veterinary care. Even with the abundance of accoutrements, however, most dogs spend their days home alone, which consists of taking long naps (sounds pretty good to me, but I digress…..), barking at the postal carrier, and casting sad eyes out the window as they watch the world go by. By the time we arrive home at the end of the day, our doggie dynamo is rested and raring to go, but we’re tired and all we want to do is flop down in front of the TV. Being the good dog guardians that we are, though, we muster up enough oomph to take our four-legged friend for a 5-10 minute stroll around the block and assume that’s enough. But wait a minute. If the shoe were on the other, er, paw, would we be content sitting inside all day and then being led around on a leash twice a day to do our business? Probably not.

I’m not the only one who thinks that forlorn Fido is getting a bum rap. Cesar Millan, the author of Cesar’s Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems and the host of National Geographic Channel’s The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, made this observation in his best-selling book: “I think that dogs that live with homeless people often have the most fulfilling, balanced lives. Watch a homeless person walking with a dog and you will witness a good example of a pack leader-pack follower body language. The dog follows either beside the human or just behind him. The dog is migrating with his pack leader, the way nature has ingrained in him.” Cesar goes on to explain that, for a dog, walking all day in a “pack,” seeking out food, and then finding a warm place to sleep at night is akin to winning the lottery. The homeless dog gets to meander for miles with his human companion and then go to bed tired. The coddled canine, on the other hand, may sleep on plush pillows and feast on gourmet foods, but his world is often limited to the house, the car, and perhaps the occasional trip to the park or the groomers. Boring! He goes to bed every night with another day’s worth of pent-up energy and frustration. And then we wonder why our dogs exhibit so many behavioral problems.

If your lonely Lab or bored Boxer is feeling down in the dumps, you might consider hiring a neighborhood teenager to walk him every afternoon, sign up for doggie daycare, or even adopt another pup so your dog has a buddy to play with.

Sure, our dogs love their toys and treats but, in truth, they don’t care whether we live on Park Lane or in a park; they just want to spend time with us. So, let’s get up off the couch and take our dog for a long walk.

Happy trails.

When Karen’s not writing her column, she’s busy handing out food to destitute dogs. Send her a message at karenleestevens@cox.net.