It's A Dog's Life ... We Should All Be So Lucky
Remember when being a dog meant being a dog? Dogs chased a stick, a cat or the mailman. They peed on fire hydrants. They ate, they slept. They licked their... well, never mind. Pretty basic stuff.
Not anymore. Living a dog's life has taken on a whole new high-maintenance meaning, according to these stories.
The New York Daily News reports that pet owners in the Big Apple are getting (I find it hard to write this) testicular implants for their dogs "that look and feel like the real thing." I'll have to take their word on that.
"We did it so Truman could still walk proudly down the street," says Penny Glazier, a Manhattan restaurateur, of her 8-year-old bullmastiff. "We felt it would be good for him psychologically," she adds.
Apparently, this "replacement" therapy is becoming increasingly popular in New York. No doubt.
After the implants are ready, you and your dog can go for something less, er, surgical. Like pet yoga. NPR reported Friday on yoga classes in Seattle that encourage dog owners to bring their pets to the workouts in order to enhance the human-animal bond.
After a hard workout, there's nothing like a good massage. And Fido can have one of those now, too.
According to this AP story (written by my editor, Erica Ryan, before she came to NPR to labor under my cranky moods and bad spelling), advocates for pet massage say "it can help pets relax, recover more quickly from injury or surgery, improve performance in competition and be more comfortable if they have chronic conditions." In Utah, you have to be able to do human massage before they even let you touch a dog.
Let me be honest here. I love my dog, Reggie. She is the best dog I've ever had. I don't mind spending hours playing or combing out her old fur or having her sleep on my feet at night. But when it comes to a massage, I would actually prefer if she could give one to me, thanks. I think I need it more.
11:19 AM ET | 05-21-2007 | permalink
