Often its the dog that loves us most.
In a pet industry filled by our wants, desires, bank
accounts, and of course dogs; we have the good, the bad, the ugly, and the
extreme. Magazines, TV, and now Social Media engulf us with ideologies of what
the value our four legged friends should be. We’ve seen everything from the
Hollywood teacups, the unfortunate reality of dog fighting infamously tied to
Mike Vick, the courageous search and rescue dogs finding people after a
disaster, and even the special dogs who gets royalty treatment as if they were
human. We are truly creatures of fine taste and others frenzies’. Yet, in all
the madness, there is a sense of pride and joy that makes us spend money on
things we value, and that value could be a million bucks. But would some really
spend a million dollars on a dog?
It’s safe to say that most of us have run across the neighborhood
stud that managed to get loose and find his way to the neighborhood pooches
that were in heat. Just for clarifying terms I am still talking about dogs, not
people. It seems so random how he chooses, and yet we are often captivated with
curiosity as he does his thing, and then finds the next pooch. If we’re lucky
and watch long enough, the studs may even look at us as if to say, “Mind your Business”. The results of his choosing
pooches are often a mixed breed of who knows what that find their way around
the neighborhood, and sometimes even animal shelters because they aren’t
valued. Then you have those prized breeds. You know the ones that require the
scientifically selective bloodline and breed matching capable of putting
Match.com out of business. They often go through more test and security
screening then the poor guys dragged on The Maury Show for DNA tests just to be
told, “You are or are not the father”. Like everything else that we humans do,
in some odd sense it’s about the control of it all. Knowing what we need to do
to yield a specific personality, character trait, color or size is often just
for convenience of having it. We invest time, research, planning, or possibly
just spend the money to get exactly what we want without regard for the true
value of it all.
Over my tenure working with dogs and now running
Whistling Wings Kennel, I have seen a variety of breeds, shapes, sizes, and
personalities in dogs and their owners. Even with our goal of helping to create
the Ultimate Sporting Dogs, the value still has a funny way of standing out.
From the little boy who loves to play in the pond, the elderly couple seeking a
house pal, the Hunting Pro needing a good hand, and even the dainty little girl
with her teacup Yorkie; it is truly to each its own. Still for many people out
there, the value isn’t driven by the color, the height, the breed, the
historical references, the bloodline, the gender, or whatever other qualifier
there may be. The value is driven by the compassion, the character, or the
simple fact that our four legged friend found a way to our hearts by filling a
void, or servicing a need. Even if that need cost us a $25k just to have a
piece of a selective bloodline; whatever it is, it’s yours for the choosing.
Just be sure that when you do choose, you don’t abandon the value of your
choice like the neighborhood stud who does his thing, then runs off to find the
next best thing to do. It’s easy to get involve in someone else’s business, but
sometimes the best thing we can do is to simply mind our own. Someone will
always have a different value to place on things not theirs, but only we know
what we’re willing to pay for something. So as you go out today, or any day
with your four legged companion, your children, your spouse, your business ,
your job, your car, or whatever else this can apply to; remember the value YOU
place on it, and be happy with it. After all, it is the value that You
Placed On It. So Mind Your Business.