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Felt inspired by this tumblr post so I spent an evening painting this little dude!

twitter: here

I’m not against people having dogs. I am against the idea that a dog is just something people should have/be allowed to have, regardless of whether or not the are actually equipped to care for it. I think in the US having a dog is often treated as simply something to be done for an ideal American Dream life along with buying a house, owning multiple cars, and having kids. Especially in rural areas where I grew up I noticed that lots of people have dogs who don’t actually seem to know anything about dogs or even want a dog. They just have one because people have dogs. My own family members are like this. Many of them have dogs, but most seem to expect to not actually have to take care of or interact with their dog other than to feed it or occasionally let it outside to use the bathroom. Many of them do not take their dog to get medical care nearly as often as they should or will only take them if they are noticeably ill or injured and not for necessary routine visits and vaccinations.

The majority of pet dog owners I know got a dog one day just because. They did little to no research first, they don’t want to have to properly train and care for a dog, and they don’t understand how dogs think/behave at all. But they got a dog anyway because dogs are cute and people feel entitled to own other living things even when they won’t properly care for them.

I think this attitude that dogs are sort of like living accessories for your life/home and our American entitlement to owning animals even when you know little about their behavior or care is a massive reason why we have so many animals in shelters from owners who surrender after getting in over their heads. That attitude is why people buy puppies and surrender those dogs as soon as they get to be big unruly adults or “stubborn” teens. That attitude is why people never bother to train or socialize their dog and then end up surrendering it because it develops behavioral issues they don’t want to deal with. That attitude is why every single day I see posts online of people rehoming dogs because they’re too much work, or they’re higher energy than they expected, or they can’t deal with having a kid and a dog, or they’re moving and don’t want to have to deal with bringing their pet along or finding pet friendly housing, etc.

Dogs are living things with feelings and needs. They aren’t something you should just go out and get because “it’s what people do.” They aren’t practice children for couples who don’t have kids yet. They aren’t status symbols or living furniture. They are living beings who need to be provided with plenty of mental and physical stimulation, socialization, training, regular medical care, and who need owners that understand how to read and manage their behavior or are willing to learn those things. I don’t think most average US dog owners are willing to put in that much work, money, or research into owning a dog because of our dog culture. And I think if you aren’t willing to put the work, money, and research in you shouldn’t get a dog.