What won't we do for our pets?
That's a rhetorical question, of course. We all know there is nothing we won't do for them. I'm not referring to goldfish or a pet turtle. For those type of pets, you're pretty much set after feeding them and cleaning their tanks. I'm referring to the little fur-covered creatures that light up when you come home from work. The ones who curl up in a ball next to you or take a nap with their head in your lap. The ones who sprint into the living and pounce on their favorite toy when they hear the words: "Wanna play?"
For these little critters, we'll do almost anything.
A year and a half ago, I had no idea there was such a thing as boots for dogs. Did you know there were boots for dogs? I knew there were sweaters. We've all seen the dogs with the sweaters. I used to mock and ridicule people who dressed up their pets in cute little sweaters, so I knew that those existed. But I had no idea there were boots.
Apparently, our little boy should wear boots whenever the mercury dips below a certain point. That's according to our vet, by the way, not just the salesperson at Petco.
This is our second winter with our little Copernicus, so we've become quite familiar with the whole winter boots thing. And the sweaters. Yes, you heard me right. Our little boy also needs a sweater when it gets cold. And when it gets really cold, like it does so often in Minnesota, he needs to wear a coat over his sweater. And what else does he need to wear? You guessed it: boots.
To be honest, he is quite cooperative when it comes to putting on his winter attire. Even the boots. But it is still quite a challenge to put a set of boots on a quadruped. But that's what we do.
Another thing we do for them? We share our food with them. Well, some of us do. Some of us think it's better that our animals respect the boundaries of pet food and human food. Not to mention, they really shouldn't be eating people food. It's not good for them. But if it's only a little bit, and there is no seasoning on it, it's harmless.
It's not fair, really. How can anyone be expected to resist their charm? They look up at you with those big, sad eyes. I mean really ... you'd have to be made of stone to not fall prey to their incantations.
The above photo is one such moment. This is a photo of Mommy sharing her breakfast with her spoiled little boy. My worry was always that this type of activity would make it hard to keep him from begging for food whenever we have guests. But for the most part, if I snap my fingers and say "no" or "down" he usually obeys right away. So Mommy and Copernicus have an understanding. He refrains from begging and Mommy will continue to share her meals with him. Only healthy food, of course.
But I would have to say the toughest thing that we do for our pets is the things we don't do for ourselves. We don't go out as much as we used to. We know that we could, we just don't want to. He doesn't like to be alone. Actually, he does okay being alone, if it's part of his routine. But if one or both of us is gone at a time that he's not used to us being gone, he gets anxious.
New Year's Eve is an anniversary for us. We met on New Year's Eve. The holiday never held much meaning for me prior to meeting my wife; it was simply another excuse to drink copious amounts of alcohol. But ever since we met at that party, the night has much more significance.
This year, we've decided not to do anything. We thought of maybe having a party here at the house, but most of the people we would invite either travel during this time or have other plans. So we'll be here with our boy. We'll have a quiet little evening at home, maybe watch a movie that we often watch this time of year. And the following morning, we'll get up relatively early for a holiday, feed him his breakfast, and get him ready for his walk. I'm guessing he'll be needing his sweater, his parka, his ear-muffs and you guessed it: his boots. Because the weather forecast is predicting a high of 8° on New Year's Day.
Oh the things we do for our pets.