a dog's life

the dogs bark and are instantly shushed. in the dark corridor there is a device that emits a shrill sound anytime the dogs bark. a sound so high pitched that only the dogs can hear, they say but i can still hear the disturbing screech piercing through my peace and quiet 20 feet away. a little akin to someone screaming deafeningly into your ear whenever you talk i will think, from the dog's point of view. a little cruel i opine. dogs are as dogs go, puppies even more so. it's telling them to be less of a puppy and more of a puppet.

when they had 1 puppy it was all cute and nice. then came the female one to keep him company, and well, propagate. seeing him trying to hump her everywhere they went was a little disturbing i have to say. i will rather they do not do it in front of the dining table when i am trying to have a decent meal.  it's like animal porn - live. then came 3 boisterous playful puppies, making a total of 5 dogs clamouring and scratching at your legs whenever you enter. not to mention the din of their bark at the slightest sound and the jewels they leave everywhere to surprise you and your poor feet. if you have never had a pack of dogs running towards you at full speed, with their sharp claws and over-enthusiastic greeting, it is more than a little intimidating.

we'll take one of the puppies, we thought, thus keeping it pretty much in the family and the parent dogs can still see the pups often. no, they said, it's their first batch of puppies. they can't bear to give it away. which i have to say i understand even though it is biting off more than they can chew (pun intended). only when the pups have outgrown their cuteness and are bigger in size than their parents that they are asking if perhaps we will like to bring one home now. that i cannot understand, or rather i don't think is nice. and no, we cannot have our choice, only the ones that they dislike more. we are not a dumping ground for unwanted puppies so we declined.

now, they are kept tied up in a room. i hear their sad whines occasionally. they have a cat, who has been tied up since birth, to keep them company. the pets have the best care in the world, she says. so much more pampered than those out in the street. a little spa there, a little grooming here and air-conditioning everywhere. i'm not sure if that's what they want or need the most. and a short play time at night so that they will not be too naughty. this is where my jaw drops, leaving my mouth with a gaping hole. playing with puppies do not spoil them, not playing with them drives them crazy with depression. we advise, we hint and we say; they need their freedom. give some away. it's falling on deaf ears. why are we so cruel to lesser beings? imposing our will on them and believing it is in their best interest. if we can't afford the time, why do we take them in? i believe the same can be said of so many parents. people who don't enjoy their children's company, who cannot wait to send them far far away at a very young age in the name of education. people who neither educate nor listen, replacing their time and attention with money. in this day and age with information everywhere, nobody can claim to be ignorant. yet why do we persist to be what we are?