pet connection

Former presidents never had it so ruff. They either came into office with dogs or were given (note to editors and writers everywhere: “gifted” is not a word) them after the inauguration, Rex the Reagan Cavalier being a case in point. Obama probably regrets mentioning his dog deal with his daughters, now that it has taken over the national imagination. Thanks to the elevated status of dogs in society, he and his family face a frenzy of canine politics that previous White House residents probably never even considered.

Dog education (training), health care and food are microcosms of the issues President-elect Obama will be grappling with in just a couple of months. Positive reinforcement or tough love Dog Whisperer-style? National-brand kibble or high-end organic food? Health insurance or pay as you go?

In Slate today, Michael Shaffer, author of the upcoming One Nation Under Dog: Adventures in the New World of Prozac-Popping Puppies, Dog Park Politics and Organic Pet Food, talks about just what pitfalls the Obamas will be navigating as they choose, raise and feed their dog. Here’s a sample:

Picking the breed will be easy compared with some of the other political tasks facing the dog owner in chief. Over the past few decades, the relationship between Americans and their pets has changed dramatically, as the animals have been promoted from loyal servants to faithful pals to ersatz family members.

Ersatz in his mind, maybe; I don’t consider my dogs inferior substitutes for family members at all. In some cases, they could best be described as superior replacements. But I digress.

He goes on:

The change has spurred the growth of a $41 billion pet industry. Only a small portion of that total represents the boutique canine couture displayed at New York’s annual Pet Fashion Week. Most of it involves vast expansions in basic aspects of pet ownership: food, health, training and care. In other words, the same basic nurturing needs of our human families. And like other family matters in a society riven by cultural politics, each category is fraught with controversy.

Read the rest here.

In my own home, I’m dealing with the politics of inequality. That is, why not every dog gets to go on every walk. No matter how many times I explain to Bella that at her age a 2-mile walk is just a tad long or remind Twyla that she doesn’t like leaving the confines of our gated complex, the two of them stare at me accusingly as I make them stay behind while Harper and I walk out the door. “Traitor,” their eyes say. “You like her better. And after all we’ve done for you.”

Thank dog for the canine mind. When we come back, they don’t seem to remember at all that they were left behind.