Argos
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – If I didn’t love my Great Dane so much, he’d be an inconvenient pain in the neck. It’s harder to go on vacation. Boarding the dog, especially a big dog, is expensive. Argos eats alot. He chases the cats.
But he also has a wonderful demeanor. When I sleep, he sleeps. I like that he’s a distinctive dog; people who meet him, like him. He loves to be pet. I smile when I see him run. Like me, he loves the woodstove on a cold night. And if anyone had ill-intentions toward me, Argos would certainly give them a moment of pause.
Argos is also a happy accident, times two. I intended to wait longer to get another pet. My dog before Argos had epilepsy and was having seizures. She had to be put down at a very young age, and it was heartbreaking. I was going to wait a year, but I was talked out of my timeline. And Argos, then an unnamed puppy, had just been brought back to the breeder. He was a runt, and was always shaking, and seemed nervous and skittish. The breeder looked puzzled when I said, “I think he’ll do just fine.”
And things since then have worked out wonderfully. Argos was the right pet at the right time.
Something very different is happening elsewhere in the pet world. During the COVID shutdown, suddenly everyone wanted a dog or cat. That’s understandable. Animals are a good defense against isolation and worry. But now people are returning to work and school, and they’re finding that pets have a downside. They need companionship too. They’re a responsibility. They’re an expense. And many people who welcomed pets into their homes a year or two ago are giving them back now.
Humane Society shelters are overflowing with surrendered pets. Newly arrived animals aren’t even given names, just numbers. Once a week the least promising animals for adoption are euthanized.
To point out the obvious, a pet is not a rental car. You don’t get to return it when you’re done. If you used a pet’s companionship and love during the downturn, your pet needs you now. To treat a living thing as disposable is rotten. Please don’t.
Chris Conley
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