Part of the Family

                                   Harley says, "I am part of my family." 

       BUT..

       I need a bigger bed!    

                                                               but the real Boss says...

                          Well, your not getting mine!

         A pet should live with you, as a member of the family, not like a farm animal out in the back forty.  The perception has changed in the last few decades, that a dog or a cat is only an outside beast to feed or throw scraps to.  In fact, the word domestic (stemming from the Latin word (home) has evolved the pets living quarters to much more than that.  Many of the highly educated & financially stable treat their pets like one of their children. 

     The pet industry has blossomed over the last decade to the extent that sometimes it's not a matter of "keeping up with the Jone's...but instead, keeping up with his dog.  I know people who own pets that actually spend more on their pet's food than on their own.  The veterinary schools are brimming with new students wanting in on the act.  So, the pets through their UN- conditional method of loving us has attracted many of us into their world as mush as they into ours.  

                                     Where do you fit in? 

           Think about it!  What is the real reason for getting a pet?  Like raising children, it is not all joy!  They spill, break, cry, destroy, run from you, disobey, mess up, fight, get sick, vomit, poop, pee, mark things, chew, make mistakes drink too much, eat too much, refuse training, require attention and often disrupt or prevent your routine.  All of these actions are common with either human children or our beloved pets.  If any of these are impossible for you to deal with on a daily & continual basis then PLEASE DO NOT GET A PET!  ( Might consider not getting a child either.)  

          Now for those of you that have the "Patience of Job" and the full understanding that while there are many reasons not to get a pet... an overwhelming desire to "share your life with a four legged friend" makes it worthwhile to absorb those problems aforementioned because the love returned is often much more gratifying than anything you will ever have. For while you child grows up, your husband leaves you, your alone at night or your best friend hurts you...your pet is there to comfort you in a way that only you can understand when it happens. 

       Everyday I hear f a pet that is abandoned, neglected, abused, injured and/or even killed because someone really didn't want them in the first place.  Thousands die daily in shelters hoping for that place to be loved and to love back.  Getting a pet for the wrong reason is not only irresponsible but it is cruel.