[quote=flu] Holy fvcking shit…. Sounds like pets are a major pain in the ass. [/quote]
A more profound and accurate statement has seldom been posted here at Piggs.
That being said……No shit, Sherlock.
[quote=flu] And I thought raising a kid was tough…At least I get some tax writeoffs for the expenses and at least health insurance for kids is somewhat available/affordable.. Do you folks really spend hundreds of dollars raising a feline or puppy a month, even in this economy??? [/quote]
I don’t know about my fellow Piggs, but many, many Americans continue to do so, even in these times. Truthfully, I don’t know how they do it. All I can say is that it’s a good thing my 15 year-old daughter’s grades continue to hover at a level significantly below mediocrity because we’re spending her college funds on the care and feeding of our two pets.
When I entered into a relationship with my husband many years ago, two young daughters and a cat came as part of the package. Fortunately, he is the rare feline that is psychopathology-free and is low-maintenance: all in all, a pretty cool cat. That being said, he does require the daily basics of food, water, and litter-sifting. There seemed to be an assumption among the existing members of the household that the “new girl” would take over these tasks, as none of them ever again voluntarily chose or “remembered” to do them. Years of domestic empirical evidence appears to indicate that the definition of animal love and care is limited to dressing up the cat in humiliating and uncomfortable outfits, attempts at training him to imitate feline antics on popular YouTube videos, and occasional “play” sessions initiated while said cat was peacefully sleeping in the sun. Having to remember to feed and water a cat, and change its litter can really interfere with the owners’ attempts to demonstrate love for their animal.
We subsequently adopted a neglected and badly abused hunting hound, and she has been a wonderful addition to the household. It took years for me to consent to acquisition of the dog due to my concern that the day-to-day tasks involved would fall entirely to me. This concern has become reality, as my daughter and husband seem to genuinely believe that “I forgot” is a valid and easy-to-remember excuse for electing to not perform tasks that have no personal hedonistic payoff. In fact, our daughter wants to adopt another dog, since this dog doesn’t “play” the way she envisioned (as a result of her abuse, she was extremely skittish for the first few months, and is still quite cautious with people; in addition, it is apparent that her sole purpose was as a utility canine, and she was never taught to play).
It was a real education to find out how much expense is involved in raising a dog. In the first month alone, we wrote about $1200 in checks to the veterinary clinic: she had active Lyme, and renal disease on top of that. But what’s really amazed me is both the number of products out there for pets, and the cost of those products. I’m telling you: the outfitting and care of pets is the new growth industry in the U.S. I cannot believe the price of dog snacks and bones. My dog loves – I mean she absolutely goes nuts for – these “bones” that are supposedly good for her teeth and are “filet mignon” flavored. These suckers are four inches long and maybe 3/4 inch in diameter, and all evidence of one is completely gone 45 seconds after I give it to her. Believe it, or not, they cost two dollars APIECE! The good part of this is that I’m really starting to pay attention to the cost of these snack products, and they’re all outrageous!! I could easily shell out ten bucks a day on just her treat diet.
I think the golden days of the late ’90s and early ’00s ushered in an era of high standard of living for family pets. There were tons of people who lived to shop and to consume, and when they ran out of stuff to buy themselves and their family and friends, they invested in pets who provided a whole new outlet for their consumer urges. I mean, seriously, would anyone back in the 60s or 70s have predicted the creation and expansion of pet product superstores? In the meantime, I see other superstore-based businesses struggling and going belly-up, but PetSmart is packed every time I’m in there. I just don’t know how people are managing to continue that level of maintenance of their pets. I realize that some aren’t, and that animal shelters are filled to capacity with pets that have been abandoned by owners who have lost their homes to foreclosure or eviction, but a whole lot of middle-class families appear to be maintaining the status quo when it comes to purchasing for their pets.
