Until yesterday when I did a bit of investigating for my show “Talk With Francesca” on my upcoming guest this Sunday, Marc Bekoff, author of “The Emotional Life of Animals”, I confess deep inside thought I was a little over the top with my dog.
When my mother-in-law would say, “It’s just a dog!” I would nod and think to myself, “she’s right but what can I do about my love for my dog?” So I went along my merry way and knew that anyone who knows me knows my dog is like my child. It doesn’t matter what they say behind my back. I couldn’t eat when my little guy had surgery on his back. My husband practically had to spoon feed me yogurt until my dog returned home. (I have often said it was the best diet I ever went on).
I am concerned when I leave my home to make sure the alarm is always on, not because the house could be robbed, but that someone could take my beloved bichon. Our neighbor’s dog was taken from his convertible when he went food shopping. (Personally, I can’t imagine leaving my roof open when I’m not in the car with my boy.)
My husband isn’t much different, however, he is not as open to admitting such. When we go on vacation, we drive three hours to my in-laws to drop off our dog. We don’t mind. We know he is happy there and he also gets to play with his favorite cousin, Cosmo (a Yorkie).
If you are asking yourself, “Is she all there?” I know it’s a bit quirky. My justification…. if it doesn’t hurt anyone, who cares? But I did have to live with myself thinking that I was a little idiosyncratic about my pet. To really freak out my friends, he has some arithritis in his hip and has hydrotherapy weekly now. Hey, in addition to helping build strength, he is very entertaining. Besides, it’s what his vet recommends. Why is that so funny? WELL NO MORE!!!!
As it turns out, according to Marc Bekoff, professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who will join me Sunday on “Talk With Francesca” at 3:3opm, says that animals have rich emotional lives. Professor Bekoff has published numerous books on animal behavior and animal emotions. He is a regular contributor to Psychology Today and The Huffington Post.
Here’s what he has to say about thinking of our pets as humans. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animal-emotions/201111/minding-animals-persons-beatrice-my-mother-and-jethro-my-dog
So go ahead, indulge yourself. Sit back, relax and love your dog! It’s just a person with a fur coat on.
