Last night, while shopping at the Cambridge mall, I heard dogs barking.
At first I thought I was imagining things, but because I had time to kill before my hair appointment, I decided to investigate. As I rounded the corner and came to the “get your picture taken with Santa” booth, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
There, queued up in a somewhat orderly fashion were at least 20 dogs, more or less patiently waiting for their turn to jump onto Santa’s lap and smile for the camera.And even funnier was the odd assortment of angel wings, reindeer antlers, ribbons and booties people had put on their furry friends to get them ready for their glamour shot with the jolly old elf.
I couldn’t help but laugh – although most people there were taking this pretty seriously, which made me start to think about the degree to which we as a society have started to humanize our pets. Especially dogs. I think I first started noticing it when Hallmark started selling birthday and holiday cards to or from your dog. Then came pet health insurance, doggie chiropractors and spa retreats for the four-leggedly furry.
Now don’t get me wrong. I love my own hairy and drooly canine Heidi. As does everybody in the neighbourhood.
But I wouldn’t dream of tying fake antlers to her head and taking her to the mall to have her picture taken with Santa. First of all, poor St. Nick would be all covered in Heidi slime and black dog hair and she’s heavy enough at 120 lbs that he could probably submit a WSIB claim after Heidi was done sitting on his lap.
And secondly…come on, this is the DOG. And the dog is not my child.
In my world, there’s still a distinct separation between human and dog. My husband says that comes from growing up on a farm and my mom’s strict “no animals in the house” rule, which included the dog. He could be on to something there – farm life provides a different, down-to-earth perspective and gives you an unusual understanding and appreciation of life, death and everything in between.
Santa’s going to have to wait for his chance to meet Heidi. 
Wednesday, 17. December 2008
Lillian, I totally agree with your assessment of our humanization of pets. We have a five month old puppy who I take with me to pet stores from time to time. No fail, there is always someone there buying a Christmas-themed stuffed animal to put under the tree for bowwow or a fuzzy, leopard print jackets so fluffy won’t have to get cold. Insanity! I’m a farm girl too, who thinks most dogs are just fine outdoors as long as they have some protection from the elements. At the same time, though, I live in the city now and our pup is indoors with us 90 per cent of the time. Merry Christmas to you and your family and Heidi, of course
Monday, 29. December 2008
Thanks Sarah! I’m a little late in replying – waylaid by a nasty cold that kept me away from most things, including the computer, for a while. Hope you had a great Christmas…:)