On Returning
by Zia ~ October 12th, 2005. Filed under: Pets.Granted, it was a week ago, but when I got back from the ranch Harry was as round as a pumpkin.
“How much have you been feeding him?” I asked Steve.
“What you told me,” he replied, a tad defensively. “Half a bowl, morning and evening.”
“Half a CUP, not half a BOWL,” I said.
“Oh.”
The next morning, I fed Harry his customary half cup of kibble. He looked at his portion, looked at me, and then looked at his bowl again. He was utterly dejected.
It’s awful being a dog.
On another note, we went to a party last Saturday, given by an ex-coworker of Steve’s. Along with many other work people, there were lots of neighbors — and with a dog, who was just milling about as though he owned the place. We were talking to one of the neighbors when the dog wandered up to him. We asked if the dog belonged to him because we knew he didn’t belong to the host. “We don’t believe in animal ownership,” he said. “I’m the guy who feeds him and gives him water. I take him to the vet every now and then, but other than that, he’s free to do what he pleases.”
Steve and I looked at each other, both of us thinking that if Harry were on his own in this cruel world, he would perish in about, oh, point two.
“Yeah, he’s not licensed,” he continued. “We don’t believe in that either.”
“If you don’t believe in owning animals, how did you end up with him in the first place?” asked Steve. I thought this was a very sensible question.
“It was my wife,” he replied. “She had a relationship with him before I arrived on the scene.”
I would think that a couple who doesn’t believe in animal ownership wouldn’t believe in marriage either, but what do I know? All I do know is that “having a relationship with a dog” sounds a little … funny.