Blog
Including pets in the family structure
A Japanese business began offering a small “monthly allowance” for employees with pets. The $9 stipend is a token gesture that recognizes pets are part of a family, and not just a toy or gadget.
Hoping to send the message that pets are life-long partners not disposable accessories, a Japanese maker of medicines for animals has begun giving employees who own dogs or cats a monthly “family allowance” for their pets.“Everyone has the right to own a pet, but they also have the obligation to raise the pet for its whole life,” the company said, explaining why it had decided to offer employees who own dogs and cats a “family allowance” of 1,000 yen ($9) per month.
The same firm is also considering allowing grievance time for the death of a pet, as one Japanese pet food maker currently allows.
This is a good gesture, but I think it’s not what is needed. Owning a pet, particularly one like my 60-lbs. lab, is really a lot like having a child, in that it requires food, training, medical visits, exercise, and lots of other considerations.
I would like to see a policy that begins to equate pets to children, and that gives considerations like child doctor visit time and other schedule flexibility to animal owners. I’m not sure what parents of human children feel about equating my dog to their kid, but that’s not quite the issue. My dog is likely much smarter than their kids.
To all the Second Amendment naysayers out there: proof you can hunt with a machine gun.
Michael Vick is a sick bastard, but he’s getting needlessly crucified. In a useless hypothetical, would Brett Favre face 18-36 months in prison for the same or a similar crime? No. The owner of the Falcons said he was “not really surprised” Vick plead guilty, and there is rampant speculation about the remainder of Vick’s time in the NFL (likely none).
I (clearly) love animals, but especially dogs. I am disgusted that Vick would fight and kill these animals. But I think he should be given a shot to play in the NFL. Vick is likely never to do this shit again, but we’re still going to lock him up. No. Michael Vick should be allowed to apologize, pay a fine and do his probation, and he should still have a shot to keep his job.
Unfortunately, he’s got one arm nailed on his cross. The other should soon follow.
Allow Myself to Introduce Dirt McGirt
About 5 or 6 weeks ago, I got a puppy for my birthday. (Lisa gave her to me!) Her name is Dirt McGirt. At the shelter, she was called “Godiva” and was listed as a chocolate lab mix. She was mostly brown, but had a second, yellow coat that molted off as we pet her and brushed her.
I got a lot of suggestions from people who met Dirt about her other half, especially other dog owners on walks or in the dog park. Some said she was part pointer, others said some sort of hound. The trend was definitely towards hunting dog. But last week, the vet said she was most probably a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, a dog originally bred for retrieving ducks and other game.
Get blog updates via RSS
