Doggone Etiquette —

Your Valentine

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:           

Another holiday is coming up. This one is called Valentine’s Day and even though it’s for people, all you good dogs in nice warm homes, with wonderful people, can share in this one. It’s a special day to show how much you care about others, so be sure to make a special effort to let your VIPeople know how much you love them. You do that almost every day, right? But this is a “love” day when you could also be especially nice to the neighbor’s cat, and let Uncle Fred’s old dog know you admire her. It’s officially only for one day, but who knows – you may be pleasantly surprised by the results and keep it up.

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:

I grant you, the message above may be a bit of a stretch, but there’s no harm in encouraging our dogs, cats – and their friends – to participate in the one day we set aside for showing our warm feelings toward others. The debate will probably go on forever as to whether or not our dogs actually share our view of “love.” Anyone who treats their dog like a coddled baby, or spoiled child, probably has no doubt at all that their dog does indeed return their love with precisely the same depth of feeling.

Be that as it may, all dogs do vary somewhat in how they respond to our expressions of warm feelings for them, although it’s a rare dog indeed that consistently rejects all show of affection. However, there are a few breeds that are known for being somewhat standoffish. The Finnish Spitz is just one that is a very loyal, hard working (and good looking) breed, but definitely not considered a cuddly type.

And talking about the differences in breeds takes us to Westminster Kennel Club’s annual BIG dog show event in Madison Square Garden which we told you about last week. It goes on for two full days, from 8 am until 11 pm, on Monday (Valentine’s Day) and on Tuesday. All the breeds are there for you to see, including a few that are new to most of us in the states. For example, would you know a Polish Owczarek Nizinny if you met one? No? Well, do go have a look at the Polish Lowland Sheepdog, as the breed is called here. There are lots of such breeds well-known in other parts of the world, some having been bred for many hundreds of years to undertake a variety of jobs with and for mankind.         

Whether you call it affection, love, or the simplest of basic care-giving, our pets do thrive on all our displays of appreciation. And if they didn’t do their part in at least seeming to reciprocate our good feelings for them, we probably wouldn’t keep pets at all. In fact, not so long ago dogs were maintained as pets only by the wealthy and were considered a luxury. Today they aren’t freebies, but much of what we spend on them is on veterinary care and proper food for their good health, as well as on many items for their safety, and then there are all the toys which let us share activity and amusement with our pets.

No matter which day of the weekend you choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day, be sure to give a bit of extra attention to Rufus and his pals in your home. And maybe include Tabby next door and any other pets you encounter elsewhere. Hand-outs are fine, but remember that chocolate Valentines are for people only!

Until next time – BE GOOD!

- Bardi

Bardi McLennan bred, trained and showed Welsh Terriers for 30 years, during which time she wrote a monthly column on canine behavior in Dog Fancy Magazine. In addition to contributing to numerous dog publications, she has written 15 books on dogs, the latest being Rescue Me!, which received the ASPCA Humane Issues Award in 2008.