Tony Deyal | Dogs are people too

When I was a young boy, in addition to my parents, I had the attention and affection of a very special, honorary family member – a dog. There were dogs all around me and my family all my life.

Whether we were living in Trinidad with our beloved pets, or in Barbados (better known as Bimshire) and being chased in my “Moke”, (a small, doorless, electric car for which I paid $1,000 but which cost me $1,500 in insurance annually) by large dogs, I was always having grand canine adventures. Of course, the great humourist, Groucho Marx, always joked about everything, including dogs. He said, “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.”

But, in my family, whether night or day, we preferred hearing others saying, “I don’t care who dies in the movie, as long as the dog lives.” Or ,”The only person who understands me is my dog.” Moreover, when they hear about people hating dogs, or getting rid of them, the rest of us made it clear, “Pets, especially dogs, are not a four-letter word!” Even more, singer Patti Page, with her timeless tune, shows us how endearing these pets have always been to us and so many others all around the world.

How much is that doggie in the window?

The one with the waggly tail

How much is that doggie in the window?

I do hope that doggie’s for sale.

From the earliest days, I had Devil, Blacks and my favourite Rugs. Then my wife, Indranie, admired two small breed beauties and we got Mitzi and her daughter Sheba. Then Emily, and a favourite of mine, Scotch, joined the group. Eventually, with support from our daughter, Jasmine, we got three dogs which are still with us - first Lucy, a lady at heart but an alpha by nature, then Bruno, the loving and peaceful; and the youngest, Don Gino, with his bow-legged, gun-slinger swagger and stature. They all sleep in the house but they bark very loudly and savagely if anyone is trying to get into our yard, or worse, the house. Even better, all the dogs in the houses of our neighbours and friends go after anyone walking along the road, especially late at night. These dogs are our family members, companions, and protectors. They are very much like others everywhere in the world. Regardless of who they are, their breed, temperament, or noise, they wake up and bark loudly to protect all the neighbours in the area.

One of the comments I liked was, “Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole -- and full of dog hair.” Another said, “The road to my heart is filled with paw prints.” Some more are, “A dog is the only thing in the world that loves you more than he loves himself”; “There is no psychiatrist to be found anywhere in the world like a puppy licking your face.”; then there is, “Life without a dog is like an unsharpened pencil. It has no point.” More important for many owners is that, when they are deeply troubled, there are things you get from the silent devoted companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source. As one owner made it clear, “My dog thinks he’s human. I’m starting to believe him.” Another wished that he could take his female dog to work with him. He knew that she’s better at dealing with stress than he is. I found three more I liked and enjoyed – “I’d have a better chance of remembering your name if you were a dog.”; “If your dog doesn’t like someone, you probably shouldn’t either.”; and “I like dogs and maybe three people.” Then there’s the one that I really like because it’s true -- “Dog is God spelled backwards.”

A popular song that seems to be about dogs (but is not) is Who Let The Dogs Out by Baha Men, originally written by Anslem Douglas (Doggie). It is a song about women calling out men for “catcalling”. The “dogs” are men, and the women shout the phrase “Who let the dogs out?” asking who allowed these disrespectful men to act out at a party. With the continued popularity of that song over time, the question of who let the dogs out is now one of the top mysteries of the world. But not for the dogs at all,or even a lot of the owners. For most of us, the question is, “Who, who, who, who, who, who, who?” And for us, the answer is always, “Three Dogs.”

As one owner said, “One dog won’t solve all your problems, but three might! Or they could create enough chaos to make you forget your problems!” In fact, some say that dogs are like potato chips, you can’t have just one. Actually, while one lady said that she is one dog short of crazy, a sixty-year-old man said he had three things -- one a dog, two is anxiety, and finally, a dog with anxiety. If you are wondering about the phrase, “a three-dog night”, it refers to a night so cold that you need three dogs in the bed to keep you warm. But elsewhere, the one that many of us actually get problems with is a different trio -- a troublemaker, then an unruly animal, and then as number three, a perfect animal. Worse is what an owner and his wife with a big bed said, “There are three on their backs spread out on the bed.” And then he added when his wife was not around, “These three mean the world to me.”

There are some people for whom owning three dogs instead of two creates a dynamic, self-entertaining pack that offers more love, entertainment, and companionship, often reducing separation anxiety. A third dog balances energy levels, aids in training through modelling behaviour, and ensures no single dog is ever left alone, providing a vibrant, loving household. The ones that our daughter, Jasmine, shares with us, Bruno, Lucy and Gino, are three times the affection and greeting at the door. In our home, we get three times the antics and amusing behaviour. In fact, the house feels more vibrant and alive. Then, when they’re ready to sleep, we have three times the cute sleeping piles and facial expressions. And, if you leave them in the house, they snuggle on our couch, or jump on our legs, and hang on.

We think of the run that we have with our three dogs and their chaos and humour with joy. For us, one dog won’t solve all our problems, but three of them make us happy enough to change our focus and enjoy the moment. More interestingly, I found out that, behind every strong woman is a dog that follows her to the bathroom. Anyone going to the bathroom in our house has three potty guards. However, as I heard from one friend in Canada, “Three dogs are officially a “pack” but, in some houses, it is a “pack of thieves” when it comes to food. This is the “Rule of Three” in dog training: 3 days to decompress, 3 weeks to learn routine, 3 months to feel at home - but only 3 seconds to steal your sandwich.

Tony Deyal liked what Derek Bruce, an HR leader, said, “In order to keep a true perspective of one’s importance, everyone should have a dog that will worship him and a cat that will ignore him.” Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com