On my commute into work this morning, an interesting thing happened. After we had slowed from our pace of 80mph to a very sedate 25 or so, a furry brown head popped up over the back of the pickup truck in front of me.
Growing up in the south, riding the back of the pickup truck was always a summer time treat. First, it implied that you were “big” enough to be granted the privilege of riding back there. Second, it gave you unprecedented views of the surrounding area whizzing by at 55mph. Most important of them all was the cool factor of sitting on the back of truck while it was moving! We could not sit on the back if the destination included travel on the highway, as it was far too dangerous. My young mind did not correlate the fact that if it was dangerous on the highway, there had to be some danger on regular roads.
Some dog owners do not see anything wrong with a dog in the bed of a truck. They are unwilling to put the dog in the cab of the truck; therefore, the dog has to endure all weather conditions in the bed. As long as it is not too hot, this does not bother me. What does bother me is having a dog in the bed on the highway. I doubt any dog will leap from the truck while moving, but in Atlanta traffic, there is a lot of sitting still in traffic. I saw a mouse trying to get off the 8 lane northbound connector last week. Most dogs seeing that same mouse would be tempted to go get it. Then we have a problem.
In addition, you cannot guarantee that a dog will stay near the cab while the truck is moving. Any sudden deceleration will cause the dog to impact the front of the bed, potentially causing serious injury. At 80mph, the dog would most likely be killed or require euthanasia, as the forces involved are very great.
It bewilders me that a dog lover would put his dog in such a situation. I wonder is it a lack of understanding of physical laws of motion or a lack of caring towards the health and well-being of the dog. I am leaning more towards the physical laws as a too large percentage of mothers are under the mistaken belief that they can restrain their newborns with hands and arms in a crash. They do not realizing that their precious cargo will become in effect a human missile if the impact is great enough.
What are your thoughts? Is this simply a matter of inadequate knowledge or a lack of concern for the animal’s welfare?
Monkeys as pets? Better think twice before the trouble starts!
Several times in the past we all have heard about attacks by chimpanzees who had been considered absolutely tame. With wild animals there is simply not such a thing as 100% tame. Again I was shocked to learn that a “household pet” chimpanzee almost killed a woman in Connecticut. Known for being the sweetest companion for years, even starred in some commercials, Travis all of a sudden turned wild. Apparently nobody knows what triggered his aggression but the results are not nice. In fact they are horrible. A female friend of his owner was severely injured and her life will be changed forever. Much likely the live of the owner will be changed forever too by the guilt she feels. What seemed to be a live long friendship between human and his closed kin had a horrible ending.
There are so many nice pets out there, why do some people have to have a wild animal?
What are your thoughts about keeping wild animals as pets?
Please also read our article “Monkey Trouble” on our Purrfect Pet Health website.
This Valentine’s weekend PBS’s Nature explores why humans love their pets.
Sunday night our family will be watching to find out more about the science of why we love of furry friends so much! You can find out too by tuning into your local PBS station Sunday night at 8.
Find out more and see a preview of Sunday night’s show on Nature’s site.
For the longest time I have the feeling I can understand more about what my animals want to communicate to me than the average horse/pet owner but not far as good as I would like to understand. A few years ago, when my horse refused to canter on one lead, but had no problem with the other side I was convinced something was wrong. Read the rest of this entry »
The Purrfect Nanny would like to extend a huge THANK YOU! to you and to all of our clients, friends and family. On Monday, January 12th Fox 5’s HotList for 2008 was released and it lists The Purrfect Nanny 1st place in the Pet Sitter category for 2008!
We are so touched to know that so many cared and took the time to vote for us. It is wonderful to receive such great feedback; to know that our clients value us as much as we value them. Without each and everyone of you this would not have been possible. We are grateful to have such loving support from you.
Sunday morning, while on ABC’s ‘This Week’ with George Stephanopoulos, Barak Obama revealed that his family has narrowed their choice of dogs down to either a labradoodle or a Portuguese water dog. The Obamas plan on scouting shelters for available dogs :). CNN currently has a poll on their front page where you can vote for which breed the Obamas should select. Of course I’m partial to the doodle!
What is your opinion?
The Purrfect Nanny would like you to know that during this time of need, rather than sending out Holiday Cards, we have made a donation to Save The Horses. Find out more about this rescue group by visiting www.savethehorses.org. We hope the coming year brings much prosperity and joy to everyone!
