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Pampered Pets

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We always had dogs when I was growing up.  The main two that I remember were Princess the Wonder Dog and Irish Colleen but there were a few others when I was quite young and then my moms golden retrievers about the time I went off to college.

It was much more casual having a dog back then.  No special bowls, just some dry kibble a couple of times a day.  No dog beds in multiple rooms of the house.  No walking dogs; when it was time for their business, you opened the door and let them out (fence or not fence).  No brush of teeth.  No flea and tick treatment, no heartworm pills.  No crates even.

It’s a whole `nother world now.  At our house, Guinevere is technically YA’s dog, so we pretty much play by her rules.  So yes, we have a crate, fenced yard, multiple leashes, all the vet treatments, teeth brushing, regular baths and nail clippings.  And beds (at least 3 of them).  Guinevere gets dry dog food mixed with a large spoonful of wet food twice a day.  Several kinds of dog treats.  Water upstairs and down.  A massive number of toys. Clothes and hats (which she detests).

But the funniest (at least to me) is pet music when we leave the house.  YA has decided that just chilling in her crate when we are both out of the house is stressful for Guinevere if she doesn’t have music in the background.  Since the crate is in the breakfast room, before we leave the house, YA calls out “Alexa, play classical for pets”.  Apparently we are not alone in this because every three or four times, Alexa asks if we want to subscribe to the Music for Pets channel/playlist and pay good money for it.  When we decline, then Alexa goes ahead with assorted classical music for pets. Personally I wouldn’t say that Guinevere likes or dislikes the classical – doesn’t seem to make her more relaxed – I think she’s already calm in her kennel.  And since she is YA’s dog, I play along. 

Every now and then if I’m leaving after YA and know I’m getting home before she does, I ask Alexa to play salsa music, or Peter Mayer or Enya – whatever comes into my head as I’m leaving.  Guinevere does not appear to be traumatized by this.

I try to imagine going back in time to my childhood and then having somebody from the present tell me how spoiled my dog is these days, including having to have music on when we leave the house.  I’m sure I would have fallen down on the floor laughing.

What kinds of things do you like when you’re being pampered?

31 thoughts on “Pampered Pets”

  2. I take that back. I guess you could say that the trip to NYC with my daughter a year ago last June was major pampering, since she was able to get me plane tickets on a work deal of hers and she planned and organized our visit around my interests. We spent most of our time in and around Greenwich Village, including a bohemian/literary tour of village sites, stopped in some historic taverns and art galleries, bicycled around Central Park and just walked a lot around lower Manhattan. Physically it wasn’t luxuriant pampering but it was as mentally satisfying as I could hope for.

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  4. I don’t care to be pampered. Not my style to get special treatment, especially if I haven’t done anything to deserve it besides paying an exorbitant sum for the pampering. Remember, I’m the guy who likes to abuse himself on solo canoe trips to the Boundary Waters every year. 🙂

    So maybe for me, pampering is the absence of hardship and and a harsh environment (sometimes) where you have to do heavy work much of the day.

    Chris in O-town

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      1. I usually rent a Wenonah Prism solo canoe. This trip was a Souris River Tranquility. I agree kevlar canoes are a godsend to old soloists like me, but they still require lugging across portages. They allow me to double portage instead of having to triple portage with my wood strip canoe (now owned by my nephew.)

        Chris

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  5. Oh my gosh, I think about that all the time with our three dogs. How many times I have taken them to the vet, and the pills they are on, and the pillows, and the dog baths, and when I was growing up, they were dogs, they were outside, They always managed.
    I feel out of place and uncomfortable if I’m being pampered. I’m getting used to the massages and I sure appreciate those. That’s about as far as I dare think about. 😜

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  6. Pippin is well taken care of, even if I do say so myself. He can be rather tyrannical about things too. I’ve created this monster, I admit it. And sometimes he’s just plain wrong about things. Like insisting that it’s time for bed right after supper, and getting really pesty about it. He doesn’t like being left alone at all, music or not, and I realize that I’ve been staying home for my dog for a long time now. I leave music or tv on for him, he isn’t too picky about that, and I give him a pile of treats when I leave. He still cries and carries on after I’m gone. I’m really his slave.

    He has all the things: multiple beds so that there’s one in every room; many toys; walks two or three times a day; regular grooming and vet appointments. He used to have more canine friends, and I feel that I’ve failed him there. He lost his best friend when we left Waterville, but in that case I had to prioritize my own mental health.

    I don’t recall ever being pampered. I do take care of myself, and sometimes I’m rather indulgent about it. Such as with this time share condo, which is very peaceful and I can do whatever I want here. I can actually do whatever I want at home too, but there’s a different feeling here. It’s peaceful.

    I went to bed early last night in order to wake up during the night and watch the northern lights. I woke up and I thought I saw them around 11, but they weren’t bright, so I went back to bed. Woke up again around 1:30 and the moon was very bright. I couldn’t see any northern lights. Same thing around 4, so I got a lot of sleep, which was nice. There’s a neighbor here who sent me a lot of photos of the northern lights, so he will let me know if they were indeed out at some time during the night.

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      1. Good idea. I read later that they WERE out around 10:30 when I was up and I thought I saw a glimmer. I was sleepy and I thought I’d just go lay back down for a little while and they’d be stronger in a half hour or so. That was true, but I slept through it. Dang.

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  9. I long for a foot rub. Our little Ernie likes paw rubs a lot, which is supposedly uncommon among the canine people, but there it is. He stretches his froggy little self out on his back, closes his eyes and visits la-la land, which is exactly what I would do if a certain someone I know loved me as much as she loves him, but life is sometimes cruel and I totally get that.

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  10. Rise and Shine, Baboons,

    I already answered the pampering question. But I must say that I have had no luck at all brushing dogs’ teeth. I also think I do not have the patience for that. You really have to seduce the dog into cooperation to accomplish an unpleasant task. Ugh. I woudl rather give them the chewy treats that clean their teeth.

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    1. While YA I was out of town I was in charge of brushing the dog’s teeth. She tolerates it better for me than from YA for some reason. And I always give her a nice dental treat right after we’re done … kind of a reward.

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  11. I get a monthly 90 minute massage, which some people might consider pampering, but I consider essential to my overall health. My therapist uses firm pressure and some of it is painful but I feel so much better afterwards. Things such as mani/pedi do not interest me.

    Our family had two dogs. Dutchess (English Springer Spaniel) had a nice protected doghouse behind the garage. She only was allowed in the basement or porch – not very often. She was fed some kind of wet food, never human food. Candy, our weird poodle, spent most of her time indoors. She slept in the house – either the floor or at the end of my bed. She was a world class beggar at the supper table and I often obliged her. She was fed wet dog food twice a day along with many “human” treats. Those human treats may have led to the pancreatitis that killed her.

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  12. My paternal grandmother used to butter sweet corn cobs after dinner and give them to the farm cats to lick. Our Kyrill is quite spoiled with special small ice cubes we make for him out of leftover bean broth or brodo. He likes them on his kibble.

    I feel sort of spoiled this week going to this conference and doing nothing each evening except hanging out at the hotel in my jammies.

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  14. What a delightful read! It’s funny to think about how much pet care has evolved over the years. Guinevere certainly has a royal treatment! For those of us who love to pamper our dogs, we know how important it is to provide them with the best care—whether it’s nutritious food, comfortable bedding, or even the right kind of music. At hunkyhoundhandlers.com, we share similar values when it comes to keeping our pups happy and healthy. From premium dog food to fun accessories, we have everything you need to spoil your furry friend the right way. Check us out at Hunky Hound Handlers for more tips and products!

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