Nurturing Relationships

A recent article in the Washington Post on the premise that our pets are bored, and it’s ruining their lives and ours was just too tempting to ignore. The premise that we should worry about enriching the world for your cats, dogs, birds and other critters in our homes seems so tone deaf in a world as polarized as ours, and with a gap as wide as it is with our children who are being brainwashed right before our eyes. Are we more concerned about our pets than the people in our lives?

Here are some snippets from that article.  Think about these questions in the broader context of your family unit, friends, and community members:

Have you noticed the dog is acting strange lately? Maybe licking your legs like they’re ice cream cones, or worse, attempting an escape with every walk? Is the cat destroying things more vigorously and enthusiastically than usual? Is the bird screaming? Your pets, pampered and petted though they may be, are bored, and they are letting you know.

“Boredom, stemming from lack of mental stimulation or opportunities to control certain aspects of their environment, leads to frustration or stress in pets,” says Ragen McGowan, a research scientist in pet behavior and welfare with Purina, “which can lead to health issues.”

Those physical health issues can include weight gain, self-harm and a shortened lifespan. In addition, boredom can weaken the bond between a pet and his humans, or change the relationship between other pets in the household. If these things weren’t grim enough, there are also the compulsive behaviors and destructive tendencies to consider.

Well duh … these are the same problems we see in all relationships today, when we take each other for granted. The article goes on to suggest ways of providing some mental stimulation for your pet, and how to spend quality time with the pet as well.

While we are thinking about our pets, let’s examine our lives with those who should matter more.  Do we eat together, at least occasionally? Do we eat the same meal when we do? Can we talk about truly important life issues without raising our voices or biting our lips. Do we play together … cards or a board game or are we simply sharing the same space.

Susan and I never had pets because we traveled so much … we didn’t think it was fair to the pet. We were thrust into a situation where we had to rescue a cockateel that had found its way to our country club … perhaps you remember that story … and it was such a social critter that it wove its way into our hearts even though we only had it one week before I located the rightful owner.

I grew up with a dog as did my wife. I miss having one, but our boating life is just incompatible with that kind of pet. Dogs can teach us a lot about life … they are God spelled backwards you know.

What they all teach us is that relationships are easily damaged when we don’t nurture them. We need more reminders of this in the news … but pets was a nice start.  Given this week is Thanksgiving … let’s see if we can celebrate with loved ones without getting into heated arguments.  At least we are all eating the same food at the same meal for a change!  🙂 Enjoy!