Our "Be responsible for another living thing" weekend will come to a close today when we return Oliver to B's sister. It's been an eventful weekend--we've met lots of neighbors with dogs and discovered that owning a dog offers admission into a sort of Dog Secret Society in which you are automatically friends with other people with dogs. There is something to be said for the social aspect of walking your dog and introducing your dog to other dogs (and therefore introducing yourself to other dog owners). There is also an implied social caste based on the behavior of your dog--the more well-behaved your dog is, the more highly respected you are as an owner (and human being).
It's a complex doggie world out there, and I'm just beginning to understand it as I return to my regularly scheduled programming. B and I have each taken away a key lesson from a weekend of life with a dog:
- B learned that watching the TV show The Dog Whisperer does not make you a dog whisperer, and that such a vocation requires a level of patience that he might not necessarily have all of the time.
- I learned that owning a dog is a little like visiting a dude ranch. A dude ranch might be fun to visit for a few days or a week so you can see what that kind of life is like. However, I don't see myself wanting to be a full-time cowboy anytime soon.
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