DRESSING UP
I am one of the people he was talking about. I have a little cat who loves to wear dresses. I also have an opinion, and it goes like this: our little Helen came to us as a foster cat in December 2010 and had to be kept in isolation in my guestroom. The Christmas decorations are stored in that closet and she had a great time helping me dig through the boxes. Oh look……my daughter’s newborn red velvet Christmas dress! As my head flipped from Helen to the dress, a light bulb came on and I thought, “Why not?” Helen did not like the dress because it had long sleeves and a collar. I apologized to her and told her Mummy would never do that to her again. Mummy will only buy you dresses that are sleeveless! I t worked like a charm. She has several dresses and coats. My other girls choose not to wear clothing but my boy would if I let him. He and Dad are the only males in the house and Dad doesn’t like the idea. Besides, my boy is so big I would have to go to the 3-6 month size and buy a whole new wardrobe for him.
I love reading all that I can read about animal care, safety, and training. In a magazine full of information about heat exposure, importance of vaccinations, etc, I wonder if Mr Thomas just did not have anything to write about for this issue. After the colour in my cheeks died down, I thought, “Back up one minute here, Buster.” When I see the little dog with the painted nails, beautiful outfit, clean as a whistle, and groomed beautifully, I think, “There is a little one that is loved and well cared for.” When I see Christmas photos of a human family adorned in their Christmas outfits with the dog in front wearing antlers, I think, “This dog is indeed part of the family – he is not tied outside on Christmas day. I bet he even had a stocking from Santa.”
When I was single and living in Halifax, my day job was with two human surgeons; my night job was working for a dear friend who happened to be the city Veterinarian for the SPCA. His clinic received everything you could imagine. When we talk of abuse, neglect, and inappropriate treatment of an animal, I sincerely do not feel that a piece of pretty cotton fits in the equation. It is the same thing when you go to buy a new collar for your puppy – you stand there and think, “Do I get him/her the red or blue?” We buy water and food dishes to match our kitchen and we buy climbing structures for our cats to match our livingroom, so if Helen is enjoying her tutu today…why not? When Rex gets a little smelly and you don’t have time to bath him, have you ever given him a little squirt of dog cologne? If your groomer asks if you want a bow in Buffy’s hair when she is finished and you feel people will make fun of you…go for it. If Buffy likes that bow and feels happy in your praises about how beautiful he/she is and is not digging at the elastic…go for it.
We all know that our pets are not human babies. We should never give them human medication unless our veterinarian prescribes it and we should never assume they think like a human – because they don’t. They do not lose self-esteem because you put a bow-tie on their collar. I consider each and every one of our pets a gift. I do not know why I am so fortunate. Mr Thomas also writes about using vegetable dye to make our domestic pets look like wild animals – I will have to think about that. Have you ever looked at calendars and smiled at the pictures of a black cat looking like a skunk, or a lab looking like a cheetah? We like that, don’t we?
Let’s not be quick to judge the pet owner who truly loves their pet. Let’s look around the community and see where our focus should be. On Canada Day, tie that scarf around your dog’s neck and enjoy looking at him. If you could ask an animal who was abused in a horrific way which they would prefer: 1. beaten with a club and dragged behind a car because they peed on the floor; or 2. dressed up like Batman on Hallowe’en and have his/her picture taken, I wonder what the response would be??? My heart is at peace when I see a car driving by with the Master in the front seat with the dog and the Mistress in the back seat – this makes the dog more comfortable. Thumbs UP to those who consider their pets as members of the family.
On the weekend, I came across a series of cards that I had when, as a child, I was a member of the Kindness Club. Mrs Hugh John Flemming was the President. The inscription said, “Of Life – that sweet and precious thing. To man and beast and bird on wing! To every lowly living thing. Its greatest treasure.”
What’s the point of living, if not to help others?
Helen was one of the group that were fondly called the “dirty dozen” at DunRoamin Animal Rescue..These cats were found by the side of the road where they were tossed from a truck.A nearby neighbour saw the truck stop and went to investigate and found them. They had such serious eye problems that some of them lost their eyesight in one eye. As you can see by this photo, Helen lost both her eyes due to her abuse and neglect. Helen now has the greatest home life ever living with Trudy and her husband and her dog & cat family.
