Was watching "20/20" last night, and they had a brief segment on dogs. Leona Helmsley left 12 million to her dog..... other folks spending $10,000 on a dog house, complete with A/C, big screen TV, furniture and carpet on the floors. Another woman made "custom beds" for dogs, complete with gold leafing, silk pillows, and hardwood roofs - they were actually a piece of "furniture". I hear more and more about people spending tons of money on dog massage, dog therapy, "suites" they can rent for a day that are luxurious to the extreme, diamond dog collars, "nail polish" for dogs, etc, etc ....... so - I'm curious. I like to think I "spoil" my two by giving them fabulous, healthy, dog food, homemade dog treats, and...... they basically have the "run of the house' - but, I adore them, and they give me such joy in return. I know we have a ton of dog owners/lovers here, and I'd like to know if you consider the things mentioned above "extreme", or - would you do the same thing if you had the income to do it??? How do you pamper your pooch??
Well, we are known to spoil Maggie, the happy-go-lickey Airedale. I think we do it to make up for all those people who tie their dogs up and leave them outside in all kinds of bad weather. I don't under stand why sombody would have a dog and leave them tied up on a chain outdors in the cold northern winters and not at least bring them inside at night. I hope in the next life, those dogs are in charge of keeping those people outside for eternity. I made her a custom bed out of oak and a feeding station to match. While not a $10,000 doghouse, it probably is a bit over the top. But i had the wood and the ability so what the heck, she is worth it. Here is a link to some pics.
I love my animals, but I don't think I would ever buy such extravagances for them. They are well taken care of and, had I the money, I might do something like completely mesh in my (tiny) backyard so my totally indoor kitties could be outside some without getting hurt or lost. My dog is seriously spoiled. having gone from a mangy (literally) donation to the Vet School to an almost totally indoor dog who won't even get into the dewy grass to pee, because it's wet (*eeewwwwww!*). He gets lots of attention and great dog food and that's all they really want, I think. Like spoiled children, all the fancy stuff in the world is worthless if there isn't the love present. JMNSHO, YMMV
Naw. She wouldn't put the toys back. She has her red ball. That is the best toy we have ever given her. She puts it into her food dish when she eats and won't eat without it in there. We found out something interesting, about the color red. All those balls are red because we think that dogs can see them better. But to a dog the color red comes up grey. The only benefit for a red ball is so that the owners can find the ball easier and retrieve it from under the chair so that the dog can relax and stop whining for her lost ball.
Such things give no joy to the dog at all. They are purely to satisfy something in the owner.
A dog will be satisfied with a plastic dog bed and a cheap blanket, and whatever cheap & cheerful dog food you provide, be that home made or bought. What they REALLY like is to be fed regularly, exercised and played with sufficiently, to know their place in the hierarchy of the household (AFTER the pink monkeys!), and to feel secure and loved. A dog that gets that is a happy dog. We have a VERY happy dog staying with us. She gets this from her own people, and from us when she stays here. She and the cats come to an accommodation very quickly.
snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net (Patti S) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@storefull-3153.bay.webtv.net:
No.. no spoiling her in that way.. no expensive stuff she doesn't care for that.. but a balanced diet and insuline every day at the same time.. no treats because that trows her of her sugar balance and makes her feel ill.. When she was younger we took obedience classes and agility ever week.. she LOVED that.. Lots of long walks and biking and swimming and lots of attention and love.. Now she is old (13) , blind and hard of hearing..needs her insuline and regular bloodtests.. she has to have steroid injections every month to keep her on het feet but the vet says she is one of the happiest dogs she ever saw. Al the love and affection i ever gave her.. she returns in tenfold.. she is beautiful and the best dog ever. Now THATS something money can not buy!
I don't know what I'd do if I had an enormous income, but I sort of doubt that I'd build a dog house -- at all, much less for $10,000. I much prefer a doggie door for my pooches to come and go. If I had lots of money, the diamonds would be on *me*; my dogs have always been very happy with whatever collar I fancied at the moment. LOL! I do like to pamper whatever dog(s) I have, but I think I'm a bit more grounded than to go to such extremes -- though I have to admit that I can see the value of dog massage, if the dog in question has some physical problems.
I agree -- and I feel the same about people who leave their dogs outside in our blistering summers here!
That would be perfect! :)
I disagree with you, John. I don't think they're over the top at all. Just because something is beautiful doesn't mean it's not also useful. I can't see silk bedding for a dog, because their claws and pads would snag it. But a bed and a feeding station serve a purpose, and yours are lovely to boot. :)
As much as I adore my HairyButt Gang they are still dogs! They most certainly are NOT small people in fur coats and I do not treat them that way. They much prefer sleeping on my bed with me or along side on the floor than any fancy-schmancy dog house or bed. They have a doggy door and come and go as they please into their fenced 1/3 acre backyard or they can stay indoors and lounge wherever they choose. They are fed well, spayed or neutered, get their flea and tick control meds, annual vacinations and whatever other medical needs they have.... and they always get losts of love and attention and play time from me. They are perfectly happy with inexpensive collars and leashes and dishes. They don't know the difference. They do know they are safe and loved and will be cared for and all their needs will be met. They know what I want and expect from them and they are secure knowing that each of them is a "GOOD DOG".
They were raised to have manners and be friendly but not obnoxious. They all have basic obedience training but not trained until they are robots. They are required to stand still while I brush them and to lay beside me to trim their toenails. They know to be gentle with small children and to rough-house with me when I give them permission to do so. When it's feeding time they all line up and sit. I set their dishes in front of each of them and they wait until I say "okay"- then they start eating. When I pass out treats they sit and wait for me to hand each dog a treat then they go off to wherever they prefer and eat the treat. When I am gone they have the run of the house and sleep on the sofa, chairs or my bed. When they want special attention, they will come to me and lay their head on my leg to politely ask for some lovies. When I eat my meals they are laying quietly waiting for me to finish. I always save the last four bites of whatever I am eating and they each get a small taste of my food- but only after I finish. Then they are called over to get their bites.
People who have to put on a big show with expensive "things" for their dogs are not doing their dogs any favor. Give them nutricious meals on time, groom them, take care of their medical needs and teach them manners and obedience training. Then love them to pieces and spend time playing with them. That is the way to have happy, well balanced, friendly, trustworthy dogs that a re a joy to live with in your home.
Food, water, shelter, attention, and proper health care fill all the needs of any pet. Everything beyond that is Pampered Petdom.
Do you think that stops me? Nope. We have enough cat toys here that I have learned to do the Barefoot Parent Shuffle despite never having children, because jingle balls hurt when you step on them. There are several scratching posts, three cat beds, window perches indoors with bird feeders set up right outside, and what can only be described as a tiny cat sized day pavilion sitting on the green livingroom carpet.
But I consider big screen TVs and gold leafed beds to be over the top even for humans, so I do have my limits. Debra in VA See my quilts at
(hey! I know her!) R/Sandy ---also thinking some dogs have more sense...
p.s. In one of the "Little Rascals" episodes, Spanky's (?) family goes to the studio to have their portrait made; as the photographer takes his time w/ another customer, Mother gets fidgety & Father tells her to count the money in her coin purse; she does & reports (something like this), "I have 1 quarter, 2 dimes,
3 nickels and no cents."* Father replies, "I know, Dear."
Yogi is a very social Yorkshire Terrier. He needs the admiration of people and the worst spoiling I'll confess to is his daily ride. We have a golf cart and take Yogi visiting every afternoon come rain or shine. At 6 p.m., Yogi goes and sits in front of the cabinet where his harness and leash are kept. We race down the lane at maybe 10 mph and stop anywhere there's a neighbor outside. After he's had enough admiration and ear rubs, we are free to return home. Polly
My who-knows-what Clara is 60 pounds of pure personality, born with a bum leg and foot in the front. She limps, and her muscle development is skewed, but she gets around very well and doesn't know she has a problem. Is she spoiled? Well, I get her excellent food and veterinary care. She has lots of toys, but only 3 or 4 out at any given time. I rotate the toys, and she always seems pleased to see one of her old favorites arrive on the living room floor. She is an indoor dog, but enjoys playing in the back yard. Her "feeding station" is that her bowls are raised to a comfortable height, which I did not by purchasing a special platform but by making one from leftover lumber and then painting with leftover porch paint. Since I am retired I can stay home with her, and she seems very happy. She follows me around all the time, and we spend time playing with her toys every day. She gets lots of love, and is a wonderful critter! Because of Clara I did fence in the yard, and I sold my beloved Jeep Wrangler when she got too large for me to lift in and out (because of her bum leg). I now drive a 4-door sedan and she only needs a boost to get into the back seat. Some people would say she is spoiled. I just think she has a healthy, happy life with a human who loves her dearly.
"Patti S" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@storefull-3153.bay.webtv.net...
Well, let's see.......when I had dogs they were.... Lucy (collie/Shepard/boxer) lived to 22, Big Feller (blonde German Shepard) lived to 19, Miss JosieBelle (a small, cute as a button, 10 lb. rescue, mixed heritage of who knows what) lived to 26 and lastly; Nip & Tuck (named because the vet said it would be nip and tuck if they lasted out the month because of the abuse and neglect the poor things had endured), a rescued Golden Retriever vaudeville team that I had to leave behind with good friends after I was hurt and left Montana for Seattle....I had been gone about 5 years when Tuck made it to 12 and Nip followed her brother 2 weeks later.
No, I'm not 300 years old, the presence of these animals overlapped through the years.
I didn't do anything special for my pooches other than buy them houses they also allowed to let me live in, lovely fenced yards and gardens of which they closely supervised the care and maintenance, cars and pick-ups they let me drive them around in for "oh goody, road trip!" excursions ~wag,wag,wag~pant,pant,pant~, a king sized bed they let me share a small portion of, a comfy couch and quilt they would, with some pleading on my part, make room on so I could snuggle in with them to read, nap and watch TV, some very nice leashes they used to take me on scenic walks. They also encouraged me give huge checks to a great vet; I still have suspicions (but no hard proof) that there was some secret pact to put this vet's children through grad school. A few of these dogs even taught me to play "fetch", when invited, with them and their favorite toys.......so actually I did nothing to pamper my dogs.
I now have only a cat (a stray who was *firmly* told, about 16 years ago, his stay was only temporary) that has allowed me to share his lovely top floor, corner apartment, allowed me to place furniture near windows for strategic neighborhood surveillance and sun bathing snoozes and graciously makes room for me to enjoy sleeping on a very pricey feather bed. He prefers to leave the sliding door to the balcony opened precisely 4" so he can meander out to get a breath of fresh air and climb the strategically placed stair stepped planter boxes to get a refreshing drink from the tasty birdbath water before he descends to lay in the pot of now flattened wooly thyme for one or more of his required 8-10 naps a day. He was somehow the recipient of a cooled, filtered drinking fountain, an auto-feeding hopper thingy, a very large (2 dozen) box of gray furry mouse toys and a rather expensive self cleaning litter box, all delivered by UPS......I really need to change the password on my computer and hide the credit cards. I've seen kitty foot prints on the computer desk so I know he's doing SOMETHING covert while I'm sleeping. I've been patiently trained to stop the world for snuggles, ear scratches and belly rubs and to crawl around on the floor with a yard stick to retrieve said mice from under chairs, couches and from behind the entertainment center and to place them back in the crystal candy dish where they 'marinate' in certified organic catnip. I have adapted to sewing far enough back from my machine to make room for Mister Oliver (who just turned 19) to melt over my lap for many of the much needed respites from his exhausting daily schedule and to type with one hand so the other can stroke this purring kitty's chin while working at my computer...I will only personally admit to the concession of adjusting the foot rest and back of my wheelchair to facilitate the proper angle and maximize lap area for ultimate QI comfort and accessibility......However, I'd like to make it perfectly clear that *I* do NOT, nor do I approve of, pampering animals. That type of behavior just goes completely against my hard core standards.
I've never understood the whole "tie the dog to a tree" thing either, John. And frankly, it breaks my heart. They deserve soooo much more than that. Some people down the street from me do that with a pit bull dog they have, and though he has a dog house, he is often so tangled up around the tree, that he can't get to it. If I wasn't so scared of the dog, I'd help him. Your dog bed and feeding station are beautiful..........
Patti in Seattle
snipped-for-privacy@columbus.rr.com (John) wrote Well, we are known to spoil Maggie, the happy-go-lickey Airedale. I think we do it to make up for all those people who tie their dogs up and leave them outside in all kinds of bad weather. I don't under stand why sombody would have a dog and leave them tied up on a chain outdors in the cold northern winters and not at least bring them inside at night. I hope in the next life, those dogs are in charge of keeping those people outside for eternity. I made her a custom bed out of oak and a feeding station to match. While not a $10,000 doghouse, it probably is a bit over the top. But i had the wood and the ability so what the heck, she is worth it. Here is a link to some pics. Dog Bed
I think the dog quilts, ALL of them, are just too cute for words......... really!
Patti in Seattle
From: snipped-for-privacy@sbcglobal.net (Sandy=A0Ellison) wrote: Howdy! Some people have more dollars than sense*.
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I know her!) R/Sandy ---also thinking some dogs have more sense... p.s. In one of the "Little Rascals" episodes, Spanky's (?) family goesto the studio to have their portrait made; as the photographer takes histime w/ another customer, Mother gets fidgety & Father tells her tocount the money in her coin purse; she does & reports (something likethis), "I have 1 quarter, 2 dimes, 3 nickels and no cents."* Fatherreplies, "I know, Dear."
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