Of Pets and Humans

It is a well-known fact that a lot of time and money has been and continues to be invested into scientific research analysing “human-animal interactions (HAI)”.  Very predictably, the major sponsor of this relatively new field of scientific inquiry is the pet food industry, looking to promote what is termed the “human-animal bond”.  This effort aimed at raking in big bucks in the name of analysing what is essentially an emotional connection, raises the following questions:  Does one really need to spend a bucket-load of money to bond with a pet?  Do pets look at the monetary value of gifts?  What do pets actually expect from their humans?

Snowy, My daughter's Labrador

I’ve been a dog lover all my life.  When I was in primary school, spotting a litter on the streets would prompt me to pick up the fattest/cutest puppy, check the gender (Dad would only allow me to keep a male) and bring it home.  The funny part is that every single puppy that I brought home turned out to be a female, but Dad fed them all the same!  They just became migrant strays in our locality from somewhere near where my school was.

Blacky, the first pup adopted by my children;
lived to a ripe age of 17.5 years

Walrus, my most beloved forever;
a very choosy eater, lived for 15 years

Fast forward to my thirties, when my children were in primary school and we were living in Bangalore.  One day, a four-year-old was attacked by a pack of strays near a meat shop and succumbed to her injuries.  This led to a mass, inhuman drive of culling stray dogs.  Around that time, a stray had littered under the culvert in front of our house.  When she didn’t return for one whole day, we suspected she may’ve been taken to the pound.  My children then pestered me for permission to adopt two of the puppies who then came to be known as Blackie and Walrus.  My children even cleaned the whole house in less than two hours as a bribe!  The promise was they will take charge of cleaning the house.  That was the last time they ever did that!  Since that day, I’ve always had two to three dogs in my family at any given time.

Nova and Goldie

Last year, my son brought in a cat who we named Luna (because cats are nocturnal animals).  My dear girls, Goldie and Nova, adopted her.  But one unfortunate night, after having had a litter, Luna just disappeared (she was probably attacked by stray dogs, we’ll never know) but her babies (christened Chintu and Kiya) are now part of the family.

Luna and Nova in Deep slumber!

Chintu and Kiya

Going back to the question of spending money on “animal-human bonding”, I’ve always fed my fur babies (that’s the trending term for pets these days, as if calling a cat, a cat, and a dog, a dog, is an insult!) home-cooked meals only.  No expensive “balanced diets” or “tasty treats” and my dogs have always been healthy, had a healthy coat and have outlived their predicted life spans.  The only thing I did by the book was vaccination!  Then is this fad about bringing up pets on non-grain, non-human food, just that?

Goldie and Nova with their mom Sasha having a doggy conference!

I’ve always treated my pets as my children -- loved them, brought them gifts (soft toys and silicone bone chewies – avoiding rubber balls as these cannot withstand constant chewing and are a choking hazard) and they never complained.  All pets need is a healthy diet, regular grooming and regular exercise with lots of TLC.  Of course, they do demand a lot of attention!

Lily, The latest addition to the family

In conclusion, all argument of TLC versus expensive gifts and expensive diets for bonding is, as my dear friend Nupur would put it – “the difference between a T-shirt bought with love and an iPhone gifted as a status symbol”.  If you intend to have a pet, be sure you have enough time to spend with them.  That is all they expect from you, apart from food and shelter.

What is your take on the subject? Do let me know in the comments section and if you liked what you read, do remember to follow the blog and share with your friends and family.