Dog Day

 

Over the years, people have suggested that having a pet dog might be good for Alex. While I’m sure they mean well, they really don’t know how much care Alex actually requires. Having the responsibilities of a pet in addition to taking care of Alex every day seems daunting to me. For example, Alex takes various pills four times a day, and having to remember to give a dog a heartworm pill monthly would be an additional task I'd prefer not to have. After spending years toilet training Alex and cleaning up his accidents on the carpets, I would dread having to housebreak a dog. Furthermore, I’d rather not have to clean carpets after puppy accidents. After dealing with Alex’s sleep difficulties over the years, I now enjoy sleeping peacefully through the night and wouldn’t appreciate being awakened by a pet needing to go out or wanting attention.

Nonetheless, at times, I have idealized notions of a boy and his dog and wonder if having a dog might be beneficial for Alex. After all, one of his favorite places to go is Pet Supplies Plus, where he carefully studies all the different dog foods and is especially fascinated by the bags weighing more than thirty pounds. At these times when my heart wants to rule my head, ever-practical Ed reminds me that Alex never watches where he walks, and he would likely be stepping in dog doo every day. The thought of cleaning the bottom of Alex’s shoes and any places he has walked is always enough to remind me we don’t really need a dog.

This week an unusual situation occurred that gave me a chance to see how Alex would interact with a dog. When his music therapist arrived at our house for his weekly session on Thursday, a cute little dog followed him from his car to our front door. Although I didn’t recognize the dog, it wanted to come in the house with him and cried when we left her outside. Since she wasn’t wearing a collar or tag, we couldn’t identify her owner. Feeling sorry for this scared little pup, I decided to put her on our back screen porch and try to find where she belonged. Any time I left for a moment, she would whimper, so I told Alex to stay with her and talk to her. Half-heartedly, he talked to her, but he had no real interest in her, even when I assured him that she was a nice dog. Fortunately, through a neighborhood online group, we were able to return her within a couple of hours to her very relieved and happy owner.

This experience once again showed me that getting a dog for Alex would not be a good idea. If he didn’t respond to this adorable, well-behaved dog, he would not be likely to warm up to any dog. Moreover, I wouldn’t want to take the risk of getting a dog that would not be as nice as our temporary visitor. Alex wouldn’t be willing or able to take on the responsibilities of feeding, walking, and grooming a dog by himself, and I’m not eager to take on those tasks myself. While I had thought that my motives for not wanting a dog were somewhat selfish, I realized that Alex really has no interest in having a pet, so there is no point to getting him one.

Essentially, Alex only wants to relate to those who can do something for him. If we could find a dog that would prepare food for him, drive him to Pet Supplies Plus, put Epsom salts in his bath, and find the belongings he has misplaced, he might be more enthusiastic about having a dog. In the meantime, doing all those things for Alex keeps me busy enough that I don’t need a pet that requires my care, as well. Now, if we could find that magical dog that could serve as Alex’s chef, chauffeur, valet, and concierge, I could be persuaded to reconsider. In the meantime, we’ll just enjoy other people’s dogs for short periods of time and continue to browse Pet Supplies Plus without ever buying anything.

“With My great strength and powerful arm, I made the earth and all its people and every animal. I can give these things of Mine to anyone I choose.” Jeremiah 27:5

Animals

While most children love animals, Alex has never had a particular interest in them. We bought him various animal books with pictures in them when he was younger, but he preferred dictionaries, almanacs, and medical books instead. Even when I tried teaching him about different animals, he acted bored, which is probably why he still confuses some animals, such as dog and cat, today. The most he learned about animals came from an interactive electronic learning toy, but what he mainly focused upon was whether they were herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores; that is, what they ate. Leave it to Alex to be concerned with animals’ food. If asked what his favorite animal was, he was likely to say, “Zebu,” an Asian ox, only because it began with the letter z, and no anagrams could be made of its letters. Other than that, he didn’t really care about zebus. My mom once suggested that Alex didn’t particularly like animals because they couldn’t do anything for him, which is probably true. If they couldn’t fix him a meal, help him find lost things, or drive him places, they held no appeal for him.

Because Alex hasn't been big on animals, we’ve never taken him to a zoo. The next closest experience he’s had has been going to our annual county fair. If asked what animals he likes there, he’ll tell us, “The hosses” [a.k.a. horses—for some reason he talks like Toby Keith sings in “Beer for My Horses,” which he also pronounces as “hosses”]. Maybe as Alex watches the 4-H members ride their horses in the show ring, he realizes that they could do something for him, which gives them value in his mind. Another animal exhibit he likes at the fair is the tent with farm animals that has quizzes and statistics about the animals, such as how much they weigh, how old the baby animals are, and how many stomachs a cow has. Of course, with Alex’s mathematical mind, all these numerical facts are right up his alley. He doesn’t really care about the animals themselves; he just wants to know their weight, age, and number of stomachs so that he can categorize them in his mind. Before salmonella outbreaks prohibited them, the petting zoo exhibit held Alex’s interest at the fair, too. He wasn’t really interested in getting up close and personal with the goats, sheep, or llamas, as most children do. No, his favorite animal was a giant tortoise that, according to the sign above his head, was over 150 years old. The tortoise was too slow and too old to be entertaining to watch, but Alex stood there amazed by the most elderly member of the traveling petting show. Since none of the other kids liked the boring tortoise, Alex could stand and watch it as long as he wanted.

Taking care of Alex has kept us busy enough that we’ve never had the desire to have pets. Plus, Alex wouldn’t pay any attention to them anyway. When we’ve asked him if he’d like to have a pet, he always says no, except he occasionally gets notions that he’d like to have a dog named Zeke (after seeing one on the “Stupid Pet Tricks” segment of The Late Show with David Letterman) or a cat, which is not happening since I’m allergic to cats. He finds our neighbor’s small dog amusing when it barks at him whenever he’s in the backyard, grinning but not really paying much attention to it. Whenever I have romantic notions of a boy and his dog, Ed realistically reminds me that Alex never watches where he steps, so the likelihood of stepping on a dog, or more likely, dog doo is a good possibility. Not thrilled with the prospect of cleaning dog doo out of Alex’s athletic shoe bottoms, I appreciate that Ed always makes me see the light on the having a pet issue. Once when Alex was a preschooler, my friend Charlie brought over his Sheltie dog, Elwood, who was very smart and had a nice disposition. At first, Alex just watched Elwood cautiously. A few minutes later, he ran upstairs to his room. Then he brought down an old stuffed animal, willing to share it with Elwood. As a little more time passed, Alex seemed to become more trusting of Elwood, and he ran back to his room again. This time, he brought back his favorite stuffed animal, Barney the dinosaur, and proudly laid it at Elwood’s feet so that he could play with Barney. I’ve always remembered that incident because it revealed how Alex cautiously interacts with others until he’s certain they’re okay in his book. Once he deems them trustworthy, he’s willing to share his most beloved possessions—even with an animal he’s just met.

“Where is the one who makes us smarter than the animals and wiser than the birds of the sky?” Job 35:11