Caring for dogs versus cats

Our daughter and I were reading a school library book last week about the kinds of pets we choose for our families and it got me thinking. Apparently cats are very popular among American families because they are independent and they don't need much in the way of attention, according to this book anyway. I'll bet if I talked to some of you who own cats, you would disagree. I know when my parents travel, I take care of Clyde. He knows me well and loves it when I show up every few days to give him some love, and top off his food and water and that job I don't like, cleaning out the litter box. My friend Ruth has me stop by when she and her husband are out of town and take care of her kitty. Tigger knows the sound of my car and meets me at the door with lots of meows. She hops up on her fancy carpeted tower waiting for some food. Did I mention treats work well?

Now dogs are a different animal, figuratively and literally. Dogs are supposed to be our guardians. They should bark when someone pulls into our drive. They should not be friendly with strangers because they are supposed to protect us. I won't talk about my dogs because they don't follow these rules. But recently I was checking in on a neighbors dogs, who don't really know me. The neighbors were going out of town and worried their babies would be lonely. I agree because dogs love our attention. The first day I went over I cautiously opened the front door while I called out their names. There was a baby gate in the entry way to give me room to introduce myself - with treats of course. I give them Milk Bones, but small pieces of hot dogs or string cheese I think all dogs love, right? The shy dog ran out the doggie door and hid on the porch. The mean dog Alex was barking loudly, but his stomach got the best of him. Alex loved the hot dog and begged for more. The big dog was a pussy cat. Did I mention treats work? When I sat down on the sofa, Alex nudged me to pet him. When I stopped he nudged me again. He loves me now. After two days of looking in on them, even the mean dog Alex was eating out of my hand.

I can't make recommendations about other types of pets but I remember when I was a kid, our horse loved apples and carrots. So if you are asked to help a neighbor out with their pets, I recommend treats - several of them each time you need to go see the dogs or cats because cats like treats too.

-- Lisa Welch is a Johnson Lane resident and can be reached at 267-9350.