I want to talk about buttons. Not the kind that keep your coat closed on a blustery, cold day. Not the kind that hold up your pants, or keep your breast-pocket secure. Ah, I’m really not sure why there needs to be a button on a breast-pocket on a shirt or jacket anyway. I mean what are you keeping in a breast-pocket that requires that level of security? Oops, now I’ve probably tapped into someone’s button. They LOVE that extraneous breast-pocket with the exceptionally useful button security. Sorry 😬!
For my purposes here, buttons will be defined as those incidences when you get irritated or annoyed by something that happens. It could be something small or meaningless to others but to you it’s like a switch gets flipped. I’ve heard people say “they see red” or “felt their face get hot”. I just fume and sometimes may, may, use words not heard in polite society. So periodically in my blog, I’m going to discuss my buttons, if for no other reason than to take away some of their power.
Button No. 1: Television shows or movies, and especially television commercials, that show pets eating foods that aren’t good for them. Let me give you an example. Picture a lovely family eating dessert. The dessert is a luscious three-layer chocolate fudge cake for octogenarian grandma’s birthday. Spot, the family dog, is included in the celebration as a devoted member of the pack. In an effort at levity, everyone in the family slips Spottie a chunk of the birthday cake and a good time is had by all… and scene. There is no disclaimer running across the bottom of the screen warning against feeding your dog chocolate. Especially dark chocolate. Not in cake, candy bars, pudding, ice cream, Hershey’s kisses. While your puppy may not drop dead after ingesting a very minuscule amount of chocolate, it definitely will cause illness and could, in a big enough amount, cause death.
Many of us know about chocolate and dogs. We might be aware of the warnings pertaining to grapes, nuts, onions, garlic, chewing gum and avocados. Did you know there are many, many more foods, drinks and medications that are dangerous to your best friend? Beer, chives, coffee, milk, mushrooms, raisins and tomatoes are definite no no’s. There are lists online of the foods AND medications you can not give your BPF (Best Pet Friend). In my estimation, it is imperative to educate yourself about these foods and medications when you give a pet a new forever home. I’m glad I knew how bad sugar-free foods are for pets. I have the unfortunate habit of getting rid of used sugar-free gum by wrapping it in the original foil wrapper to throw it away. My baby puppy got hold of one of those foil wrapped balls and chewed on it for probably a second before I realized what she was doing. I freaked out! Aspartame is poisonous for dogs. I called the vet who assured me there wasn’t any danger because it was ABC (already been chewed) gum so most of the aspartame was probably gone and the foil wrapper probably kept her from chewing too much because the foil wouldn’t feel good on her teeth. Whew!
Take a look around you. We have an obese society. I’m convinced some of this obesity is caused by all the fast food we eat. I also think other medical issues on the rise like infertility, attention deficit issues, increased gastrointestinal problems may be a result of GMOs and other modified ways of producing the foods we eat. Yet we don’t think twice about giving a fast food burger and fries to our BPF. Why would we stop when commercials, T.V. shows and movies show these wonderful creatures eating (and craving) all the foods we eat and crave? I love my dog as much as the next guy so when we have pizza or burgers and fries, and she begs, I’m tempted to give in under the umbrella of not being cruel and heartless. But I don’t though, no matter how cute my baby is giving me the “I’m a good girl” look. Sometimes you have to be unfair to be a loving pet parent.
I wish I could convince the irresponsible writers of T.V. shows, movies, cartoons, and commercials to stop implying dogs, cats, hamsters, gerbils, birds, et. al. can eat anything and everything we do with no consequences. I’d like to be rid of this particular button forever. However until that happens, educate yourself about what is good for your BPF and what isn’t. Don’t be suckered into believing your furry/feathery/scale-y friends can eat whatever you do just because you see it on T.V. or in the movies or on a commercial. Your best friend will thank you and so will I.
Soosey’s Ruminations 