The following letter to the editor appeared in the 1/31/08 edition of the Winston-Salem Journal:
Pet Insurance
I laughed reading “Taking Care” (Jan. 22) about companies offering pet insurance. Something is wrong when pets are insured but some people aren’t.
I don’t have health coverage, and my husband’s company doesn’t allow him to claim me as his legal spouse. We are a gay couple, married in 2005 in Toronto, where I am from. Canada respects our marriage, and we would have free coverage there, but we live here because we want to be with our new granddaughter and we like our jobs.
Pet insurance in Canada would be no problem because Canadians have health care; pet care is just a natural extension (notice the biggest pet-insurance provider in the story is Canadian). That’s unlike here, where children are denied the basics and adults have died because of no private insurance or because private companies have refused to pay.
There’s good here in the United States, but offering pet insurance when millions of citizens go without — well, you be the judge.
I could not set this go by without a response, so I emailed the following letter to the editor (I was limited to 200 words or less. so I did it in 199 words)
Even though pets are legally considered property, the writer of the “Pet Insurance” letter of 31 January implies it’s wrong to insure them while there are people without health insurance. He apparently thinks it’s okay for him to insure his property, such as his vehicle, while it’s wrong for others to insure their property, such as their pets.
The writer, who is from Canada, which offers "free" health care, laments not having health insurance since moving here. Most people have a choice in respect to health insurance; they may choose to buy it, work for an employer that offers it, or live in a place that gives it to them. For those unable to take advantage of either of these choices, free health care is available through public and private agencies.
The writer says people here are dying due to a lack of health insurance or from denial of coverage. While this may be true in some cases, it’s also true that people are dying in Canada while waiting for an appointment to receive free health care, which is why so many Canadians come here to receive immediate health care, even though they have to pay for it.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
Dogs and Plants
Dog ownership demands responsibility. Once you claim ownership of a dog, you are responsible for its welfare. If you own a dog you must provide for it (fresh water, healthy food, proper shelter, proper health care, and proper training), protect it (from harming or being harmed by objects, animals, or people), and show it affection (just as with humans, dogs are social animals, they like being around other dogs and people and feeling needed). Dogs first behave as their species is genetically wired to behave, then they behave as their breed has been bred to behave, then they behave as they have individually genetically been wired to behave, and then they behave as they have learned from life or have been trained to behave by humans.
I have a dog. I got him when he was 2 months old and I have had him for 12 years. We are together almost 24 hours a day; we have only been apart for 6 days in 12 years. He is a dog. I know he is a dog; he knows he is a dog. I do not consider him a child and he does not consider me a dog. I let him be a dog and do what a dog does as much as possible. He goes on long walks in different places every day so he can sniff, track, mark, and act as a dog. I do not dress him in clothes, feed him human food, or attribute human attributes to him; I treat him as a dog. He considers me the leader of his pack, looks to me for nourishment, protection, affection and, in return, he protects me and returns affection. It is symbolic relationship that has existed between humans and dogs for eons.
Dogs know we are not dogs, and yet they still want to be around us and they accept us as their superiors. Once a dog accepts a human as the alpha leader, it willingly works for the leader, and will accept anything from the leader, even if it cruel and inhumane behavior.
There are those who enjoy dogs and accept the responsibilities that come with dog ownership. Most dog owner take better care of their dogs than some people do of their children. You read about children being found dead or dying after being left alone in enclosed, hot vehicles during the summer, but rarely do you hear of the same happening to dog. Dog owners insure their dogs are safe at all times; the same cannot always be said about the parents of children.
Some dog owners have psychological problems that cause them to view dogs as the children they have not had as yet, never had, had but who seldom visit, or had but died. They dress them, feed them human food, attribute human characteristics to them, treat them as children, and claim to know what they are thinking. These people are not dangerous, but their behavior is cruel to dogs in that it deprives them of their ability to be dogs.
There are also those who view the attachment dogs have with humans as a way for them to rule over something in their lives. They are losers who have not developed the basics of humanity, so they think they can use dogs for their sadistic enjoyment. Thankfully, these people are in the minority, but there are still too many of them.
Another group is those who view dogs as they view plants, something to keep in the backyard. A plant needs to be fed and watered to keep it alive and it is anchored in one spot its entire life. Some treat their dogs the same way, they chain it in one spot its entire life, fed and water it, and give it an occasional pet on the head. These people do not think of themselves as animal abusers but they are abusers.
I have a dog. I got him when he was 2 months old and I have had him for 12 years. We are together almost 24 hours a day; we have only been apart for 6 days in 12 years. He is a dog. I know he is a dog; he knows he is a dog. I do not consider him a child and he does not consider me a dog. I let him be a dog and do what a dog does as much as possible. He goes on long walks in different places every day so he can sniff, track, mark, and act as a dog. I do not dress him in clothes, feed him human food, or attribute human attributes to him; I treat him as a dog. He considers me the leader of his pack, looks to me for nourishment, protection, affection and, in return, he protects me and returns affection. It is symbolic relationship that has existed between humans and dogs for eons.
Dogs know we are not dogs, and yet they still want to be around us and they accept us as their superiors. Once a dog accepts a human as the alpha leader, it willingly works for the leader, and will accept anything from the leader, even if it cruel and inhumane behavior.
There are those who enjoy dogs and accept the responsibilities that come with dog ownership. Most dog owner take better care of their dogs than some people do of their children. You read about children being found dead or dying after being left alone in enclosed, hot vehicles during the summer, but rarely do you hear of the same happening to dog. Dog owners insure their dogs are safe at all times; the same cannot always be said about the parents of children.
Some dog owners have psychological problems that cause them to view dogs as the children they have not had as yet, never had, had but who seldom visit, or had but died. They dress them, feed them human food, attribute human characteristics to them, treat them as children, and claim to know what they are thinking. These people are not dangerous, but their behavior is cruel to dogs in that it deprives them of their ability to be dogs.
There are also those who view the attachment dogs have with humans as a way for them to rule over something in their lives. They are losers who have not developed the basics of humanity, so they think they can use dogs for their sadistic enjoyment. Thankfully, these people are in the minority, but there are still too many of them.
Another group is those who view dogs as they view plants, something to keep in the backyard. A plant needs to be fed and watered to keep it alive and it is anchored in one spot its entire life. Some treat their dogs the same way, they chain it in one spot its entire life, fed and water it, and give it an occasional pet on the head. These people do not think of themselves as animal abusers but they are abusers.
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