It's joke with me and some close friends about how "controversial" I am. It seems I look at the world at a different angle than most even in Christianity. My husband calls me the "Ann Coulter" of the evangelical world LOL However I never imagined that my recent post about our new dog Molly would become controversial!
So imagine my shock when I get two politely worded comments about Molly being an outdoor dog. I'm sure no one meant anything mean by their comments, I'm more shocked by the comments than anything. I was told that by the first commenter "hope she could be an inside dog and a family member" the other one cited our extreme weather in Florida & the dog's emotional needs for the reason Molly needed to be an inside dog. As far as the heat goes, I was raised in Florida without AC and I lived!
To the first writer I explained I wouldn't have an indoor dog because of my little ones who don't see nor understand. Since I can't be three places at once, I can make sure they wouldn't be hurt by a dog. The second writer understood that but "hoped I could find a home for her so she could be an inside dog"
Please understand I didn't mind the comments, I was just surprised.
You know I was raised COUNTRY! I'm not sure when I first saw a dog INSIDE but I'm sure I was shocked when I did. We had dogs, tons of dogs, all hunting dogs that my uncle took out with him hunting. The only animal I remember that was allowed in the house was the baby pigs if they were too small or it was too cold for them. Told you I was country!
In all fairness Jon and I did used to have a small dog named Sweetie, that of course "found " us one day. We did keep her in the house. Once we adopted the girls, she was done with us. She spent most of her time under my bed. When the accident happened, some friends of ours were watching her and Brownie and they kept Sweetie once we got home. I could not have a dog in the house with all the kids and then the nurses. She spent the last couple of years of her life being pampered by an older couple who spent a lot of time with her. We never really liked having her in the house but she was small so it wasn't too bad and we only had 2 kids when we got her....
So I asked my FB friends what they thought....LOL no surprise I got 36 comments all agreeing with me. Some shared some cray cray (ie crazy) stories that happened to them. One friend had two large greyhound/lab mixes and got an anonymous letter from a neighbor about how heartless they were to keep these huge dogs outside. Another got a visit from animal control, thanks to a neighbor, when she put out some cat food for a stray. She was told she'd have to bring the cat in or quit feeding it. Some said their local SPCAs wouldn't adopt out an animal unless it was going to be a strictly indoor pet.
So is the world gone MAD or what?
Animals....are just that, ANIMALS. I love our pets. All my life, I've rescued cats and dogs, even a few woods creatures.. We've found homes for so many, we've paid to get many cats spayed/neutered. Any animal we accept we are responsible for until we can find a home for it. I try and help friends find homes for animals... I feed feral cats. Heck when we were in Ukraine we found a trio of kittens and actually found homes for them! So I figure I can say this!
But at the end of the day, animals are animals. They are not humans trapped in an animal's body.
"Giving human characteristics to animals, inanimate objects or natural phenomena is a human trait called “to anthropomorphize.” Anthropomorphism carries many important implications. For example, thinking of a nonhuman entity in human ways renders it worthy of moral care and consideration Anthropomorphism in reverse is known as dehumanization — when humans are represented as nonhuman objects or animals"
Can I say I think we in America tend to anthropomorphize animals, to render them as worthy as a human.
I see it on FB all the time. I have friends who put up pictures of orphans and I have friends who put up pictures of abandoned or abused animals. (I tend to put up pictures of both) Guess which pictures get the most "likes & shares"? Did you guess the animals? You are right. What is that saying about our priorities?
One friend suggested that in America we have such a culture of death thanks to abortions that many feel a sense of guilt so they would rather "protect" animals. I don't' know for sure but it is an odd thing.
I don't want to see any animal abused but I'm not too worried about our dog. We have a big fenced in yard where we live now and our new home will have one too. She has a nice big doghouse, that I put pine chips in to make it soft and comfy. I think most animals are much more happier outside and much less neurotic. I feel sorry for dogs stuck in a house or even worse, in a crate, all day while their owners are at work! How boring that would be! I know people who crate their dogs all day long. What kind of life is that? A prison!!!
My animals are for the most part outside. We have two cats that sleep in the house at night, one of them the Mama cat of our cute kittens BUT when we move everyone is going out! Our two adult cats rarely use the poop box because most of the time they are outside. I don't like a big mess in the house and I figure animals have been outside for many years!
So whether you believe God created the animals (like I do) or that they evolved....you've got to agree with me that they are suited to be outside. They respond to heat by shedding their coat, and to cold by growing a thicker coat. It's NATURAL!
So anyhow love your pets, enjoy them and treat them good but realize they are not human, they do not necessarily think the same way you think and have some common sense!!!!!
