The Puppy Diaries: The Tao of Temple (NYT)
ON Sunday afternoon, in subfrigid temperatures, Henry, Scout and I headed to the farm near our house expecting that no other humans or dogs would be crazy enough to be outside. I knew Scout would be disappointed by an empty landscape, so I lit up at the sight of her bounding out of our car as she caught sight of two of her regular dog friends, Ikey and Kaboo. In nasty weather, when my children were toddlers, I often fretted the playground would be empty, just as I was doing now.
Our little shopping expeditions with Scout are also reminiscent of our early parenting years. Scout’s favorite indoor activity is pulling on the leash, in a frenzy of anticipation, toward the treats section at Petco. She stops at the Snausages, a waxy version of pigs-in-the-blanket with ingredients, I fear, that are the nutritional equivalent of Twinkies, and looks at me with begging eyes. This is the puppy equivalent of how my children once dragged me down the aisles at Toys “R” Us and pleaded for plastic guns or glitter makeup. If you have small companions with you, it is difficult to get through the checkout line at either store for under $50.
These comparisons were on my mind last week when I met Temple Grandin, the best-selling author and revered expert in animal behavior. During a conversation before the premiere of the new HBO biopic in which Claire Danes plays her, Ms. Grandin reassured me that it’s fine to treat your dog like a child. They just shouldn’t be so pampered that they do not get plenty of exercise and have a chance to run around with other dogs.
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"The cordial quality of pear or plum
Rises as gladly in the single tree
As in the whole orchards resonant with bees."
- Emerson
06 Feb 2010, 7:31 pm
