Owning a “nothing animal”
Generally, getting a dog is a cause for celebration. They’re man’s best friend, with you to the end and all that jazz.
My dog, Gracie the Shih Tzu, is not one of those friendly dogs. She’s not mean, but not friendly either. She was recently given to me by my parents who couldn’t take care of her anymore. They have two Siberian huskies, both of which began to view her more as a plaything than a fellow pooch.
Let me tell you about this dog. Let me tell you about this damn dog.
Gracie is what would happen if somebody shoved the personality of an elderly cat into a small dog. She is truly the most passive animal I have ever known. When I come home from work every day, I take her out, bring her in to feed her, and then sit on the couch. She then jumps up on the couch, curls up, and spends the rest of the day there.
She seems to eat more out of necessity than a sense of hunger. When I go to bed, I have to pick her up and put her on my bed or she’ll whine. It’s like owning a decorative item I have to take out and to bed with me. She’s a loaf of meat that happens to be able to walk. She doesn’t, mind you, but she can. In the past week, I have referred to her as a “nothing animal.”
I say all that as a preface to this: I still like having her around. There’s really something to be said for simply having a dog around. It’s this thing that needs me to live. It’s the reason parents make a big deal out of responsibility when their kid asks for a pet.
I also own a cat, which is great in its own way, but not even slightly the same. The cat doesn’t need me to live. You don’t own a cat, you simply share your home with a cat. Having a dog gives you a little more structure to your day. Having something that depends on you helps ground you, in a way. You need to tend to this animal or it will, at the very least, get sick.
Now, if only she showed any sense of gratitude. Or any emotion at all.
-Will Channell is a reporter for the Journal-Tribune.