I don’t see myself buying clothes for a pet dog, ever
A six-year old Pomeranian named Bobby Gorgeous waits to compete at the 4th annual Helen Woodward Animal Center "Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon" at dog beach in Del Mar, California September 13, 2009. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- The first time I saw a pampered dog was during a visit to a neighbour’s house. I was new in the apartment block, and after bumping into each other on the stairway a couple of times, my new neighbour invited me to her house for “tea”, which ended up being fermented porridge.
- Anyway, when she opened the door, a huge light brown dog leapt on her, almost knocking her down, licking her face in the process. I was unnerved because where I come from, dogs have no place in the house, and they certainly do not lick their owner.
- Culture shock right there, I tell you, which attacked me again when the dog climbed on the seat I was seated on and wedged itself beside me, to which the owner decided that he liked me.
Growing up, we had a dog. A jet black long-haired dog with a harmless-looking face called Sui. I have no idea why we called him Sui, or even what the name meant.
Sui was supposed to be a guard dog, but for all the years that we had him, he never once bit anyone, not even the robbers that twice tried to break into our home. On those two occasions, he barked at the thieves until he was hoarse, and though he did it from a distance, he managed to repulse them, and they went back to their lair empty-handed.
Sui was constantly hungry, going by the way he greedily gulped up any food he was given – meat, vegetables, ugali – anything. There were many dogs in our village, because every homestead had at least one, and in those days, the concept of having dogs and cats as pampered pets was unheard of, at least where I grew up. You kept a cat to keep the rats away, and a dog to scare the thieves away. Period.
Having grown up with the almost constant barking of dogs, today, my brain associates the sound with the normal noises that come with nightfall, and so I am capable of sleeping soundly through continuous, loud barking.
But I digress.
MUMMY DEAREST
The first time I saw a pampered dog was during a visit to a neighbour’s house. I was new in the apartment block, and after bumping into each other on the stairway a couple of times, my new neighbour invited me to her house for “tea”, which ended up being fermented porridge.
Anyway, when she opened the door, a huge light brown dog leapt on her, almost knocking her down, licking her face in the process. I was unnerved because where I come from, dogs have no place in the house, and they certainly do not lick their owner.
“Hiiiii Sparkle!” my new neighbour trilled with delight, rubbing her dog’s ears.
“Say Hi to our visitor baby…” she cooed, as the dog happily wagged his tail and tried to lick my hand, which I quickly withdrew, I mean, he might have just chewed on a rat!
Culture shock right there, I tell you, which attacked me again when the dog climbed on the seat I was seated on and wedged itself beside me, to which the owner decided that he liked me. I would learn that her dog only ate meat, and since he lived with them, it had to be fresh meat, otherwise the flat would stink.
Much later, I would visit a friend of a friend who has two small pet dogs that even have a change of clothes, shiny, colourful coats embroidered with their names. Their “mummy” has also bought them an assortment of expensive-looking shampoos, and every weekend, she gives them a manicure.
About five years ago, we had a high school reunion, and one of my former schoolmates turned up with two cats, who she introduced as her “babies” — Kymie and Kyla, I think.
As you can imagine, the culture shock long wore off, and even though I would never deny an animal food, deliberately hurt one or watch one suffer, I just don’t think I would keep a pet. Too much work. I also sincerely don’t see myself setting aside money to buy my children and two poodles clothes, or buying a kilo of meat for my pet dog, or expensive shampoos for a birth.
To each his own though.
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Your article, Life lessons from a child, is good on the face of it. But at a political level where there is ethnic suspicions and scores to be settled depending on which tribe has “betrayed” which one, it would result to untold violence if all was to be laid bare from now. There’s so much pent up anger among some communities. But in ideal situations we should admittedly be open like children. Otherwise, thanks for being a disciplinarian. It is for their good and the society at large.
Karofia
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I am an avid reader of your Sunday Nation column, “My Weekend”. Today I write to just thank you for keeping us entertained. I enjoyed your article titled Life lessons from a child dated February 19, 2017.
Makori
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Your article last week blended very well with the lessons we got in our church about turning the other cheek rather than revenging. It also spoke volumes to me because about a year ago I (the extrovert) met an introvert and tried to persuade him to participate more in life.
He asked me to stop interfering with his life and even to desist from ever greeting him. The pain of it is that he is the gentleman I encounter at every turn and bend yet we can’t even smile at each other. Just know that your article touched me.
Tom
