ThirstyFish

I hadn't noticed her until she walked by me. I took the first shot with the hope that she would respond to the shutter-click. This second shot captured that response.

There are approximately 78 million owned dogs in the United States. Nearly 40% of households own a dog. Twenty-one percent of owned dogs were adopted from animal shelters. Despite that, four million cats and dogs are put down each year. Half of the dogs in shelters are euthanized simply because there is no one to adopt them.

Pet ownership has a dark side. Research indicates that while some take pets as companions, others see them as toys, status markers, and brands. Many own pets because it is "the thing to do". In a few earlier posts I had quoted Oscar Wilde about fashion. For this post, I think it is more appropriate to quote Bernard Shaw: "A fashion is nothing but an induced epidemic". Even though no one will admit to it, if you own pets because it is fashionable to do so, then maybe it's you that needs to be euthanized.

Update: Wow, this post already got a reaction. No, I do not own any pets, and, yes, I agree that the last sentence was a little over the top. On the other hand, it was not that long ago when we were treating our fellow human beings in the same manner that we treat our pets today, and we arguably continue to do so.

Song of the Day: Who Let the Dogs Out - Frank the Dog (Men In Black II) (2002)