This is only towards the end of the article but addresses what was bothering me throughout it all — that having dogs is only viewed here through the lens of how it relates to having children.
What if some people (like me) simply 1) like dogs 2) don’t want children, and there’s no link?
That's genuinely unhinged.
They've objectified a person. It's not a person they know and formed a relationship with. They wanted a "child" object "for" their lives (for themselves) so bad they spent money, went to a doctor, probably cried about it. They call it "unfair" that they didn't get the standard-issue fairy tale everyone is supposed to get. They feel cheated, as if they were entitled to it. The "child" is not a person to them, it's an object. It's a fungible token. They could have ended up with a different person and they wouldn't care; the child role is filled and so the fairy tale is complete.
I can tell you personally what happens when this person (the one they call "child") decides to go their own way in life contrary to the wishes of the owner/parent. Ostracism, coercion, blackmail, abuse, manipulation. Such disappointment that the person called "child" didn't follow the predetermined procedure, the fairy tale. It didn't do what it was programmed to do and they feel cheated.
The dog owners I know, see them as companions and friends. There's no feeling of superiority or domination.
The reason they want to "get" a new dog when their old dog die, is because they are in deep grief over the loss of a family member and wants to feel a connection again
It's like those people who put adult-styled clothing on babies who have absolutely no ability to comprehend style or aesthetic and are absolutely suffering because those bulky-ass baby jeans take 20 minutes to force on and are just impossible to exist in without crying because of the fundamental nature of size and thickness relativity, and a bow bigger than their head, oh and we HAVE to have the shoes, no not those, the ones that match; can you hold her still she won't quit fighting me while I'm putting these shoes on her. We're gonna be late for her award ceremony.
These people will invariably be disappointed when their property exerts its agency and doesn't do "what they had planned for it". "Where did we go wrong? Why didn't they turn out the way we wanted" they'll ask...
Wow.
This means everyone I've ever met in my entire life is a multi-time objectifier of women/men/pets/etc. We've all sought out new partners and friends upon losing others.
I feel for you, because it seems you have such a lost idea for people and relationships. You're projective all these bitter ideas that I've never ever in 38y observed in my life/others.
People spend a fortune of money and time on what you perceive as a label/symbol
> They didn't value the pet as "Billy", they value the pet as a "the dog".
I know people with multiple dogs, and they are treated as individuals with their own motivations and habits. They are still dogs, so we should be careful about treating them as a child replacement. But most of those I know treat them with respect.
When a dog dies, they often don't want an identical dog to replace them, because they know that they can't get their dog back.
> They only value it insofar as it fulfills its expected duties like following arbitrary commands for the owner's entertainment
None of the people I know forces the dog to do tricks for food or "roll over" for amusement. They focus on useful stuff like "come here", "sit", "stay" etc. These are only used as a form of communication and only in situations where they are needed.
But I guess I see why it has to be that way. There's nowhere on Earth left to go that hasn't been turned into a prison other than the uninhabitable places.
I love my stupid dog. Seeing her little face when she looks at me makes me so happy, it’s ridiculous. And I know she loves me back just as much. Really, I can kinda see how you get here, but I think you ought to try having a dog. If anything, save it from one of these people you imagine are inflicting their selfishness upon it.
nreece•8mo ago
QodeQode•8mo ago