Perhaps you remember the Jones family. They lived in a
friendly neighborhood with their four young children and four well-mannered
dogs. The dogs were very well liked in their neighborhood. They never left their
fenced-in backyard without a leash firmly attached to their I.D. collars; they
never let "calling cards" on their neighbors' lawns; they were always
clean and brushed. Furthermore, their owners made the rounds of their backyard
twice daily with their pooper-scooper. Because the dogs were so friendly and
good natured (no doubt due to their obedience training and good upbringing),
neighborhood children were often seen playing with the dogs in the Jones'
backyard.
The Smith family lived next door to the Jones. They had two toddlers that
loved to play with the Jones' dogs. In time, the Smiths became so impressed with
their neighbor's dogs that they brought home an 8-week old puppy for their own
children. The Smiths had problems housebreaking their puppy, but felt too
embarrassed to ask for advice. After a few weeks their house began to smell
"funny." They decided to limit the puppy's house time to very short
periods and made him stay in the garage and backyard.
After a few more weeks, the backyard began to smell "funny" too,
and they had a few more flies than usual for that time of year. At this point
the Smiths began to let their 3-month old puppy run loose in the neighborhood
during the day. The puppy would come home at mealtimes, and after his dinner
they would shut him up in the garage at night. Sometimes they forgot to feed him
and sometimes they forgot to put him in the garage at night. Why couldn't he be
in nice warm house to be loved and cuddled? Why did they forget to feed him so
often? Why did they allow him to be so alone and unhappy? The poor puppy barked
and cried all night. But when the toddlers came out to play each day, their
puppy was there to greet them. He was also free to roam the neighborhood, to get
into garbage cans, to play in the nearby muddy creek and to get incredibly
dirty. Before long, the puppy was completely banned from playing in the house.
The puppy didn't understand why no one loved him. He just wanted to be close to
his family.
When he was only four months old, he was accused for biting a neighbor's
little boy. All the neighbors made a big fuss. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He
was just trying to stop the little boy from running away from him so they could
play together. The neighbors now threw rocks at him if he went near their
garbage cans or stopped to heave his "calling card" on their lawns. He
began to distrust people. He also began chasing Mr. Smith's car everyday as it
came out of the garage, hoping that the man who used to care for him would stop
and play with him. Of course, since he couldn't tell Mr. Smith's car from any
other car, he began to chase lots of cars. None of them ever stopped.
Mrs. Jones was very upset at the way Mrs. Smith was raising their puppy, but
was hesitant to interfere. Mrs. Smith didn't understand why all the neighbors
liked Mrs. Jones' four dogs and not her own puppy. Over coffee one afternoon,
Mrs. Smith brought up the subject saying, "I think it's really unfair to
your dogs to keep them penned up in your backyard. Dogs were meant to run
free." To which Mrs. Jones replied, "My dogs have over half an acre of
grass and trees in which to run and exercise. Besides, they go on lots of walks
with our children, on leashes, of course. And we take them to the park, the
beach, obedience training classes, and camping. I think it's unfair to us and
our other neighbors for you to let your puppy run loose. He leaves his
"calling-cards" on our lawns, and he cries all night , you know. In a
few months he will be old enough to sire more unwanted puppies, and, even now he
could be hit or run over by a car. Your toddlers would be heartbroken to lose
him." Mrs. Smith hastily finished her coffee and left.
The next week, Mrs. Smith's two toddlers were outside watching their puppy
chase cars when he was hit by one and thrown twenty feet. He died within a few
minutes. The toddlers saw the whole thing and ran home crying. In anguish, they
asked their Mother how this could have happened to their puppy. They said Mrs.
Jones' dogs were never hit by a car. Mrs. Smith was unable to respond, and she
could never bring herself to face Mrs. Jones again.
Mrs. Jones heard about the Smith's loss from the other neighborhood children.
She told them, "There is something I want all of you to remember, so listen
carefully. Owning a puppy or a dog is a big responsibility. It's expensive and
takes a lot of time, effort and love. It's a big commitment for the whole
family. Well behaved dogs are not born, they are the result of care, attention,
and training. In return for all these things, your dog will give you a lifetime
of devotion, companionship, and loyalty."
Here are some handy DO's and DON'Ts. These are very important steps toward
enjoying your pet and becoming a truly...