dogs

Dogs are majestic creatures that deserve our love and affection... Wait, let me back up a little.

Let's start with my definition of a dog. "Dog", in my mind, is a creature that some thousands years ago decided to ditch its wild and free living in order to connect its life to humans. Since then, dogs have been our friends; keeping us company during the day, guarding us in the nights, working on farms, and being our loyal companions in all sorts of endeavours. But they've still retained that dignity of their wild ancestors, with a sense of purpose defined by loyalty to humans in exchange for food and shelter.

So, when I'm talking about dogs - I am not including all the tiny decorative pets that some people claim to be their dogs. The ones that can break their leg by jumping off the couch and who are scared of going outside because of sparrows. Those are, frankly, another reason why we humans can't have nice things. A unfortunate result of a genetic experiment that went horribly wrong. Not talking about those, no thank you.

With that definition all cleared up, let's talk proper dogs. They are great creatures that can bring a lot of joy into your life, if you treat them right. Unfortunately, in this day and age, it's extremely expensive to get (and keep) a dog. Not only you have to pay an upfront cost of ~1,500 dollars to get it, there's feeding costs, toys and supplies, and, most importantly, the insurance and medical bills.

Even getting your pet from the rescue shelter will be at least $700. And that's if you're approved, and they like where you live, and decide you can afford this dog, and that you provide it with all necessary care and facilities. It's far easier to get yourself a kid than to get a shelter dog.

Also, living in a downtown of a big-ish city is not a good environment. Dogs need a lot of space to roam and exercise, which means you need at least somewhat decent house with a big back yard. Or live next to a forest. Both of those options are not really available for us condo dwellers.

Besides, living in Canada means freezing cold temperatures during winter. I can already imagine waking up early in the morning and spending a couple of hours outside in snowstorm at -30C. Where do I sign up for that kind of entertainment.

To conclude, having a dog is an impossible task for the modern city-dweller. By any rational reasoning, it's not a great idea. It's impractical, it's expensive, and you have to be totally insane even to consider it.

I guess, that's exactly why the idea of having a cute-eyed puppy is so damn appealing.

This post is part of the #100days project, where I try to write a post a day. Today is #day30