Peggy and Pencil from Year of the Dog
Australians, at least numerically speaking, are a pet-loving bunch, with dogs, cats, budgies and other creatures making up part of our families.
Recently, a ferret and its “mum” were seen outside a supermarket, perhaps waiting for “dad” to purchase whatever it is that ferrets eat.
On any Sunday afternoon, the park located not from where I live is full of dogs running around with different degrees of vigour, and owners running after them with various levels of stamina.
While most pets endure our anthropomorphic tendencies to some degree, occasionally a pooch is spotted in the park dressed like it’s off to meet the canine Prince Charming (love those diamante collars).
A cat show held in Melbourne last year revealed that just because a pussy cat is looking spiffy and ready to be judged doesn’t mean its “mum” has remembered to brush off the fur that has accumulated on her (i.e. the “mum’s”) jumper.
One chocolate brown cat with a cream stripe above its nose was held tightly by its proud “mum” after it won an award. Apparently, this feline had been mistreated and abandoned by its previous owner, before finding a home with someone who clearly loved it a lot.
At the Melbourne Pet and Animal Expo in February, pet owners were able to purchase tons of pet products, including toys, food for fussy eaters, cat enclosures, posh seats, environmentally-friendly kitty litter and cemetery plots (during a discussion on Radio National’s Background Briefing about the predatory nature of some pet funeral companies, a woman who chose to have her remains interred with her deceased cat was mentioned).
The funny and touching American movie Year of the Dog, which is about a socially awkward woman who dotes on her adorable beagle, provides a not inaccurate portrait of how important pets can be to us at a time when relationships with other humans are at times transitory, shallow and laden with unrealistic expectations.
While some pets are adored to a ridiculous degree, it has to be noted that more than 200,000 cats and dogs are euthanized in this country each year.
During a brief visit to the Lort Smith Animal Hospital in Melbourne, three people were witnessed bringing in carry cases weighed down with kittens.
How infuriating to read in a newspaper article about a couple (of morons) who gave their adult dog to an animal shelter because their children wanted a puppy.
Some of the blame for that horrendous 200,000 figure must be carried by the discriminatory real estate industry, which shouldn’t be allowed to treat (responsible) pet owners any differently to people with children.
The first time I saw Spotty she was laying on a crocheted blanket looking less than thrilled with the world. In the cage next to her there was a large long-haired cat of many colours whose plight was caused by the homelessness of its owner. Meanwhile, on the other side of the room kittens slept, played, climbed up the cages and were the focus of attention for most of the people who came in looking for a cat to adopt that day. Back then Spotty was called Jess, and the card attached to the cage said she was an indoor cat, good with kids and shy with strangers. I picked Spotty up that day and she wiggled out of my hands.
Spotty doesn’t like loud noises (who does?) and cheap kibbles (champagne tastes on her “mum’s” beer budget), and she happens to be snoozing next to me as I write.
Have had that. Rather distressing I must say.
Years ago, before the whippet and the chihuahuas (all now deceased) when I was living in King’s Cross I had a frill-necked lizard (which I got from the local wirch who lived in the house next door to me.)It used to like to sit on top of my head in my hair. This sometimes produced extraordinary reactions among people in Darlinghurst Road as I walked past them. Some people were even scared of the little fella.
Have been on the receiving end of “You love that cat more than you love me!” Also quite distressing!
Darlene, how old was Spotty when you adopted her?
Darlene, in Victoria at least, the situation re tenancy and pets is more complicated. A couple of years ago I phoned the govt dept which deals with such things and was informed that landlords can’t simply discriminate against people with pets. They need to prove that the pet is either destroying the property or being a nuisance to the neighbourhood. Apparantly, every case that’s been to VCAT has been won by the tenant, as long as they’ve had a well behaved pet.
Paul Burns, I have a whippet. What a strange, but loving animal they are.
Apart from the lizard, never had that problem, but it was with flatmates. My partner at the time thought he was cool. And my dogs have been so personable that the vatious women I was with took to them like a duck to water.
Unless they’re Siamese.
I sometimes have this problem with cats, though.
If the landlord knows you have a pet, you won’t get the tenancy in the first place. This stuff makes me v. angry. There is research that says older people live longer and more independent lives with pets.
Forcing them to give their animals away is a subtle form of murder.
Indoor cats are great. What irritates me is how people put a little bell on their darling and let it roam all day, completely oblivious to the damage the bloody thing is doing in other peoples backyards.
Ohh I love talking about animals. The landlord of my Mother’s unit told her that once our family cat past away (Katie, pure white part siamese) that she wasn’t allowed to get another one.
She resisted for a couple of years but as I was born into a family of cats she had never known any different and pretty much being single and on her own she looked for another siamese despite what the strata agreed on. She late last year got a little chocolate point siamese kitten which she named Petey (thinking it was a boy). Once I had reliably informed her Petey was a girl she decided to keep the name as in all honesty who cares, she knew that to be her name and of course Petey could be a nickname for Peta. She hasn’t heard anything back yet from the owners but tough the rest of the people in the block of units have no problem with her and one being almost 90yo quite likes playing with her during the day and Petey even goes inside her place every now and then just to make sure everything is in order (as cats do).
On a unrelated note I house sit and have taken over the looking after of the owner’s pets. All are reasonably old. A big moggy called Zappa and two dogs Boris a part german shepherd and of course his sidekick Gorby who last year went to doggy heaven.
I guess it is distressing, and it’s hard to love someone else’s pet as much as they do (although I loved my previous housemate’s ginger cat tons).
Wow, Paul, that’s great. People are a bit funny about lizards. I think we think they are going to bite our fingers off or something.
That’s not good, Emma. The love for a pet is always going to be different (and special), but we all still need other types of love in our lives. Spotty was 14 months old when I adopted her. From what I can understand her previous owners split up and couldn’t decide who was going to take her (I also think Spotty wouldn’t have been good with kids).
“From what I can understand her previous owners split up and couldn’t decide who was going to take her..”
Darlene, yep, it is always the children that suffer in a divorce.
The Year of the Dog was frustrating to watch. The situation of all these homeless kittens, puppies and adult animals we see around us is directly linked to cluelessness on the part of humans, from “home” or “backyard” or puppymill breeding, to the inability or unwillingness to find out about doggy behaviour (or catty, horsey etc) and what their actual needs are = and also, the risks. This was painfully obvious in this movie. Without going into spoiler-ish detail, a young german shepherd, who has been neglected and abused, comes into this woman’s life after the beagle, which is a gentle little soul and has been allowed to carry on much like a toy dog or cat (as the picture shows.) The relationship with the GS ends in tears, the woman doesn’t even leave the dog’s food bowl alone while it’s eating, so she gets bitten - to give an example. She has a “dog whisperer” friend who fucks it up even more spectacularly. Then, what does she do? she starts hoarding - acquires a dozen or so dogs at once, when she can’t control one… Gah. I hate these people and the misery they cause.
Thank you very much for that, Fine. Very good information to know. It’s such a nonsense for pet owners to be discriminated against. I think the trouble is that real estate agencies can still say “no pets allowed”. They wouldn’t be allowed to say “no kids allowed”. There are lots of responsible pet owners out there and we are growing in number. It’s time to get political about this issue.
David is right about that. Pets are a very important factor in keeping up people’s sense of well-being. Evidently, this isn’t important to some people who think that moolah is more important than people’s health. When I was trawling the web about this topic, I noted that some real estate people find pet owners to be more responsible (one said she has had more trouble with ex-boyfriends than pets).
They use pets as therapy these days.
Paul, cats are creatures who don’t need your love. Indeed, they seem not to like people who thrust theirs on them. They’re complicated little creatures in some ways, but it’s bull that they’re not affectionate or loyal.
I like dogs and if I was living in a place with a backyard would love to have a Maltese.
Joe2, I agree. Other people shouldn’t have to put up with other people’s pets (and nor should our wildlife). And also the city is simply no place for cats to go wandering (I’ve lost count of the number of missing cat signs around my suburb - although Spotty managed to get out the other night due to a door being left open accidentally. Fortunately she was only two doors down). I have to say Spotty’s predatory instincts get a work-out in relation to bugs. She loves to chase bugs, but I think the best she’s done is catch an already dying moth.
RIP Gorby. I’d check on whether they are legally allowed to say that to your mum, Jacques. If the landlord says anything, I say go to Today Tonight or Consumer Affairs (the show’s crap, but sometimes you’ve got to do what you have to do). Your post is a good illustration of what David was talking about. Petey sounds like a great puss.
It’s really sad, Joe2. I guess emotions are running so high. You can’t really have cats going back and forth from house to house because they’re such terroritorial creatures.
Helen, Year of the Dog was a flawed movie and none of the characters got off lightly. I watched it again recently and found it more funny than I did the first time (and the scene with Pencil dying was horrible). I thought the ending was problematic as well. As humans we aren’t perfect, but I think we do our best with our furry friends. More education is needed, though. I will have another think about that movie.
Anybody read ‘The Silent Miaow”,authored by a mature cat and translated from the feline by Paul Gallico?
A ‘how to’ instruction book for kittens and homeless cats informing them how to take over a human household or two.
Eerily close to reality.
‘The Silent Miaow’ is a great book. Paul Gallico obviously didn’t care who knew he appreciated cats.
I’ve got three at the moment and they’re all excellent, although Basil is certainly the most excellent. In fact he is the best cat ever and I tell him this often. At present they are all quite angry with us because a new cat door has been installed and they would rather have kept the old one thank you very much.
I can only assume that certain cat hating commenters haven’t seen this thread or there’d be recipes for poison posted.
It’s true that pet owners are discriminated against in the rental market. I’ve had to send my dog back to my parent’s place due to a lack of understanding from landlords.
Some people might think I’m crazy, but wanting a place I can have my dog living with me is one of the only two reasons I want to own my own home (the other reason is to never, ever have to deal with a landlord again!).
I’ve been splitting my time between my parent’s home in one state and my partner’s home in another state because I can’t bear to leave the dog. Some of my family/friends think this is nuts “how can you not live with your husband and leave the dog with your folks?!?!” but they just don’t get it.
I suppose it’s also complicated by the fact that I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and the dog is my most effective form of therapy to date. He certainly improves my wellbeing, first and foremost as my companion but also as a way to regulate my life and routines.
“Paul Gallico obviously didn’t care who knew he appreciated cats.”
Gallico also wrote the delightful ‘Manxmouse’ about a mouse, so apparently he was a man of pretty-well-rounded affections. Also upside-down ones… he wrote The Poseidon Adventure, too. And IIRC, I think he made his living as a sportswriter much or most of the time. A fine use of a belle-lettristic temperament.
For years I lived in various really sub-standard housing in Armidale because that was all I could get because of my various dogs. Now I’m in a great place, but I’m petless, having moved there after my last chihuahua died of old age.(And the place I was in with the dog(s), cats, mice, budgies,and pet rats etc., went up for sale, all the latter having predeceased the chihuahua except the cat - which was a stray I felt sorry for and fed milk and chopped liver to - the cat got the wanders before the old house was sold.
As you can see I have a thing about animals.(But I won’t go to a pet shop and buy a cat - with cats you have to be adopted, otherwise it doesn’t work.
Fine, whippets are wonderfully weird and very affectionate little dogs, though I understand the males can be a bit stroppy - I had a female, who I used to breed with years ago with one of the locals up here who bred them for racing.
Recipes for poison posted would be removed from me. I can put up with lots of stuff but not that stuff.
Thanks for that, Lefa. You shouldn’t have to do that. Some people don’t get it, but the vast majority of Australians are pet owners and I bet most of them get it.
“Some people might think I’m crazy, but wanting a place I can have my dog living with me is one of the only two reasons I want to own my own home (the other reason is to never, ever have to deal with a landlord again!).”
I can understand that perfectly. Here’s hoping that Chronic Fatigue improves. How dare they deny your your dog who does so much to help your health.
Paul, I wouldn’t buy a pet from a pet shop, not the least because pet shops have rather dodgy reputations when it comes to looking after the pets in their care.
I’m lucky in the place I currently rent. I decided I as going to be upfront about my dog ownership and put it in my application form. I got the first house I applied for and was informed that it wasn’t an issue at all.
That’s great, Fine.
I also put it on my form so if they ever want to whine about it that there’s problem (I’ll go to VCAT about it). I am worried, however, because at some point I’m going to have to move and I worry about what all this will mean. Whatever happens, I just have to find a place that will take Spotty because she’s my responsibility.