Personally, I don't view my dogs as my children. Yes, I light-heartedly call myself mommy and refer to Jan as daddy but I don't honestly think Bella is my child. You might even still catch me using the word "owner" in relation to my dogs although I don't really believe one can 'own' a living being.
But not thinking my dog is a child does not, in any way, diminish her worth in my eyes. Dogs are dogs and children are children and each life has value intrinsic to itself. In fact, and here's what I wanted to share:
I believe dogs are a representation of just about every human relationship we will ever know.
As puppies, they are like children: in need of our care, our guidance, our support.
As they mature, they become more like our partners and spouses: someone we have chosen to share our life with through good times and bad, accepting them for all their faults and foibles.
And finally, as they age, they begin to represent our parents: we learn to come to terms with watching them lose their vitality and cope with their failing health. We begin to prepare ourselves for loss and a life without them.
No, my dog is not my child. But she's none the-less for being my dog.
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| For those of you in the know, yes, this image has been altered to protect the not exactly innocent. Let's keep that our little secret, okay? |
