A friend recently asked, “How come you’ve never written about dogs?” “Perfect timing,” I said. “We’re dog-sitting this week for our daughter, Amy, and Tim’s dog.
Welcome to the world of Sweeney, a rambunctious, nine month old, loveable bundle of energy, German Shepherd/Collie mix. They adopted Sweeney at the Milwaukee Humane Society when she was three months old.
She’s been having fun exploring and running around the fields near our house. She’s used to country air and long walks because Amy and Tim take her on walks almost every day.
I’m a dog lover and I love to see dogs able to roam and explore the world, and interact with people around them. When you include a dog in your daily activities, give them attention and love, they’ll return that love to you. You can be gone for an hour and when you return, your dog greets you like you’ve been gone for a month. What other creature will greet you with such enthusiasm every time they see you?
I hate to see dogs penned up or chained day and night. That would be like being in prison for me. Dogs aren’t meant to be imprisoned like a criminal. That’s for someone who’s done something wrong.
One of the papers where Across the Fence runs is the Standard-Gazette in Fairfax, Minnesota. Another of their columnists is Suzy Wurtz. I think she said it best in a column she wrote entitled “Dog Days,” about a barking dog she was contending with. Suzy said, “ Your dog’s barking bothers people daily. Your dog does not get enough human interaction and does not get enough exercise. He is confined to a kennel or a leash (chain) for long periods. He may not have enough food, water, or shade as well. Your dog is lonely, bored, frustrated, and not well trained. Naturally your dog barks. I would bark too!”
She goes on to say, “If you don’t exercise your dogs daily, spend some time with them each day, and just keep them chained or penned up all the time, you shouldn’t own a dog.”
I agree with everything Suzy said. Dogs, especially large dogs, hunting dogs, are not meant to be confined and imprisoned all the time. If we did that to a fellow human being we’d be hauled off to jail for cruel and inhuman treatment. Unfortunately, a lot of dogs do suffer that fate.
If I was one of those dogs, I’d rather you take me out and euthanize me or just shoot me. That would be the more humane thing to do. The only alternative is to howl and bark constantly, and hope someone hears you and comes to your rescue. Dogs like to be free just like we do.
The dog days of summer and autumn that I remember on the farm, were ones where our dogs were always with us. A dog loves to be included in the action. On the farm, our dogs helped get the cows from the pasture, and were always around at milking time. They rode on the hay wagons with us, in the back of the pickup, and even on the tractor. They laid beside us in the shade of the maple tree, and followed us when we got up and returned to work. They didn’t bark constantly, but they did bark when someone came to the house. That’s what a good watchdog does. If they kept barking, we’d make them be quiet and not disturb all the neighbors. People need to have respect for their neighbors. This is especially true for dog owners.
When we lived in Madison we had a Sheltie for eleven years when the kids were young. Toby was a wonderful dog and an important part of our family. He loved to run. Madison had a leash law and you were supposed to have your dog on a leash at all times. When we went for walks and runs, I carried the leash along, but never had to use it. He was well-trained, or maybe he was just smart and let me think I had trained him. When I said, “Stop,” he stopped and waited until I said, “Go.” Then he’d take off and run again. He loved the interaction with our family. We also trained him not to bark all the time and disturb our neighbors when he was out in the yard. If that had happened, I have no doubt the police would have been frequent visitors at our home. I can’t imagine us ever chaining him up or confining him in a pen with no human contact except at feeding time. That would have been cruel. When Toby died from cancer, it was like losing a member of our family.
Anyone who’s ever owned a dog knows how smart they are. Dogs seem almost human at times. Sometimes I think they’re smarter than a lot of people. Sweeney’s a smart dog and often seems to know what you’re saying. Amy and Tim have done a good job of training Sweeney and giving her love and affection. She returns that love and affection back to them.
During these Dog Days of Autumn, do your dogs a favor. Treat them the same way you would want to be treated if the roles were reversed. It’s the humane thing to do. Your dog will love you for it.
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