Even with shorter lifespans, dogs are my best investment
Mixed feelings from people who like pets but don't want them because they die quickly
Dog lives are (reasonably) short. This is fairly obvious to anyone who has ever owned a dog or has loved ones who have had or currently own dogs. It’s also one of the reasons I’ve never been thrilled with the idea of volunteering at a dog adoption shelter or animal hospital. As exciting as it would be to see dogs get adopted on a regular basis, interacting with senior dogs and ill dogs is tough. (I cried for almost the entire 30-minute stroll with a senior dog who could barely walk in a straight line and had to be carried up and down the stairs. If I wasn’t wearing sunglasses, I’m sure a passerby would’ve thought I was in trouble.)
Somehow that has never stopped me from wanting to adopt a dog. After 13 years of owning a Lab mix and nine years of owning a German Shepherd, I still wanted another dog after those two died. Trying to talk my parents into getting another dog when I was living in no-pet apartments and condos didn’t prove to be successful. So, I started walking dogs and house-sitting dogs to fill that void. When I joined the condo board and ditched the no-dog rule, I decided to adopt a dog of my own on Juneteenth 2021. I was ecstatic to do so, and five years have flown by.
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But every blue moon I hear from someone — usually on podcasts — who wonders why people get pets knowing how quickly they die. The first time I heard this sentiment was from former NFL player Ryan Clark in regard to race car driver Lewis Hamilton’s dog dying. While Clark never had a dog because of a pet’s short lifespan, actor Sterling K. Brown from “This Is Us” was hesitant to get another dog after his childhood dog died. (Brown also has a complex relationship with his current dog that his wife made fun of and admits the Humane Society incident with his prior dog may play a part in this.)
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And there’s a part of me that understands why people have this mindset about dogs. While the Dog Aging Project studies the lifespan of dogs and why some breeds (and sizes) seem to live longer than other dogs, the easy answer is those nine to 13 years are worth every day. I’ve walked new puppies who were immediately adopted after a prior dog I walked in the same household died. The idea of these homes never having a dog again was not even an option, and I’m going to assume I’ll feel the same way judging from my attitude about my last two dogs. (I would prefer Junee live forever — and a winning lottery ticket — though.)
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During Junee’s puppy year, I used to wake up in the morning and tell her to “get a job.” Her response would be a round of Zoomies before a walk or looking up at the refrigerator where she knew her dog dish was placed before a morning meal. Around year three, I switched to saying, “You’re my favorite investment.” She still looks up at that fridge or toward her leash for the same morning walk. And I catch myself saying this same “investment” line in the afternoon and evening too. A dog is a security guard, fitness trainer, emotional support companion and the most comfortable pillow all in one body.
Saying you won’t get a dog because you don’t want to dedicate the time, energy and money involved is totally understandable. But criticizing people for mourning dogs or getting dogs solely because they live shorter lives is a weak argument, specifically for someone like me who has seen multiple childhood friends die before my 95-year-old grandfather and 100-year-old great great aunt died. An uncomfortable amount of kids I grew up with didn’t live to reach the age of 18, never mind 21. One high school friend of mine died in a car accident at the age of 15. Lifespans don’t have contracts.
Of course the counterargument could be that humans generally live multiple more decades than dogs regardless of accidents or violence. So knowing that a pet is bound to die earlier, why put yourself through that kind of mental pain? Here are my five answers to that too.