Being a "dog person" in a pet crazy world

Anyone who knows me, knows I love dogs.  I have pretty much always had a dog in my life.  My first job was working at a resort for pets.  Since then I have pursued dog training, volunteered at animal shelters, worked at a vet clinic, and currently own 2 dogs.  Reality is, if it weren't for being in a rental, and having a second child on the way, we would be very likely be dumb enough to have 3.  There are many benefits to owning a dog.

This reminds me of my parents "security dog".

Best alarm/home protection system out there (our dogs once deterred someone from our yard in Colorado in the middle of the night.  Who knows of times we were unaware of or not here for!)
Companionship/mood boosters- they even have studies showing the results of this, but I am too lazy to look any up.
Can help you with fitness- it's easier to motivate yourself to go for a walk when you need to walk your dog.
Dogs help teach kids responsibility/kindness
Wonderful heat source in the winter- I love being able to stick my cold feet under the dogs in winter!
My favorite- new research keeps coming out to show how kids are LESS likely to have allergies when growing up with dogs, they help strengthen immune systems.
There are many more, but I'm going to keep the list short and practical for now.

I'm hardly motivated to throw my toddler
a birthday party, much less a dog!

I have very strong opinions about being a responsible pet owner- beyond shelter and food, but also about nutrition, exercise, training, and basic pet health (vaccines and such).  While I shower my dog with affection, I do not do much beyond those basic things.  You will never see me throw my dog a birthday party.

 We don't buy Christmas gifts except with the rare exception when we find toys on sale. I do not refer to our dogs as our 'kids' or ourselves as their 'parents'. They are my dogs, and we are alpha in this pack, that's that.  Not that those things are necessarily 'bad', I just see my dog, as a DOG.  Granted, he is also my friend, and a very dear and old friend at that.

That being said, to some people I might be a bit extreme in my love for dogs- I hardly ever buy black clothing, because I know anything black will just be covered in hair in about .05 seconds.  I have to vacuum at least every other day to try to stay on top of the dog hair.  We have to budget our finances for the overall well being of our dogs.  We have had to base finding places to live on the fact that we own two dogs.  I lay on the floor and cuddle with my dog. I am constantly paranoid of my house having a 'dog smell', and buy Febreze and candles to freshen my house's smell.  We have to, to a certain extent, have a lifestyle to accommodate our dogs; in that we try to come home most nights to feed them and let them out, we do not however deter our plans to socialize or stay out late to take care of our dogs (we have a child for that kind of inconvenience haha).   So to people who do not like dogs, this might be extreme.

Recently, my old friend Rover started limping pretty significantly.  I must admit, my anxiety shot through the roof when this happened.  You see, while I am willing to do what it takes to make him comfortable (budget some meds if need be, get him a comfortable bed, limit his physical exertion), I was unwilling to do anything that would either prolong his suffering if he was in extreme pain, or to spend thousands of dollars for a surgery, especially at his age.  If he broke his hip or needed replacement, it was just something I knew I would be unwilling to do, regardless if we had the finances or not, which, we did not.  I am so thankful it was something that could be managed, however it made me think about dog ownership in general.

I know of several owners who would have spent the thousands of dollars if necessary to do a hip replacement surgery and maybe even physical therapy to follow..  I've seen people drag out their poor dogs miserable, painful lives because they were unable to say goodbye.  In fact, there was one woman who used to come into the vet clinic I worked at who's dog had to have its bandages changed and cleaned frequently because it couldn't walk on its hind legs so it just dragged it's legs to get around.  To pay for surgery, understandable, just not in my budget/lifestyle to do so, but to pay to prolong your dogs life, I consider to be extreme.  Like I said, it just made me think about dog ownership in general, and how far owners go in their love, care... and sometimes obsession with their pets.   Is there an understood line that overall is just too far?  We all have personal opinions of that line, of course, but I'm speaking a moral line... of people putting their pets before people?  Of people being irresponsible instead of good stewards with their finances for the 'happiness' of their pets?  There are pet spa's and getaways! Anyway, just a thought, and I know for each person there is probably a different opinion on the matter, I just wonder if there is a 'right' and 'wrong' way to care for your pets.

Clearly, the "right" way to care for your pet.

So for now, I am just thankful I didn't have to make that difficult decision with Rover, but I know, maybe not so many years down the road, I will have to make that choice with my dog.  So for now, I am just thankful for the years I've gotten to enjoy his companionship and the joy he has brought to my life.  I am hopeful for a few more good years filled with memories of Rover in our growing family.