slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

By Lisa Raymond, eldest of three sisters.

Upvoted by Caitie Foster, has 20+ yrs experience living with and learning about dogs. and Michael Soso, BA Berkeley Physiology/Biophysics 1967, PhD Neurophysiology UW 1975 and MD Stanford 1979, 30 years.

A few months ago, my son died in his home three days after a misdiagnosis at the local clinic. His dog, Fergus, never left his side all through the night and had to be locked in the bathroom so the EMTs could work on Andy. He didn’t threaten, just laid across Andy if they approached. Without Fergus, my son died alone. I brought Fergus home with me. He cried for days and refused to eat. So did I. He grieved with me.

This kind of devotion doesn’t just happen. It happens when a dog is treated like family, not chained outside or treated like a plaything that can be put away when convenient. Andy and Fergus had spent almost 11 years together through highs and lows. They hiked, they watched movies, and Andy held him during thunderstorms. Fergus considered Andy the center of the universe.

So many people remark on the well-trained dogs on tv and the movies, but don’t see the days, weeks, months of working with the dogs and treating them as special. Working on basic commands or for certification creates a relationship everyone should appreciate: A bonding with a being that will die for you, without hesitation or asking for it in return.

So how do I feel about people treating their pets like their child? I just wonder why everyone doesn’t.

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

Pets are not children...But precious nonetheless...

'cept for cats.... Evil dictators

Rose42

What I see in this article is someone who doesn't really understand dogs. Dogs don't have human emotions and will reflect what we are feeling. I can't count the number of dog owners who thought they had a special bond with their dog because they treated it as if it were a child. Turns out, most often they didn't and that is very easy to see. That's not to say this person didn't.

Without fail the ones I've seen who've had the strongest bonds were never those who treated their dogs as a child. They treated them with dignity and respect, as they were meant to be treated. The dog is one of God's greatest gifts to us. To think of it or treat it as a child is to not respect it for what it is.

Lt. Rob Polans ret.

It depends. The reciprocal love that you spoke of is fine to me. I had a cat. I know many can't understand why. I'd had three dogs before. Anyway, this cat went nuts and was always hiding in the closet if he couldn't hang out with me. The problem was he stopped cleaning himself, so my wife took him to the vet and had him put down. I've never forgiven her for that even though I have a cat now that's the spitting image of Fiesty. This is where I draw the line. I'm sure you've seen people who dress their pets? A little like putting a mink stole on a mule-incongruous. Otherwise they are great listeners and if you learn their mannerisms they talk back.