

Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me

Do you feel sorry for your dog?   ﻿

Look at him right now.

Go ahead, look at that face. Are his eyes mournful? Do his ears droop forlornly? What is he saying to you?

My ﻿clients gaze into their dog’s warm brown loving eyes and seem to hear little doggy recriminations:

﻿﻿﻿”You left me alone ALL DAY. How could you?﻿ You’re heartless.”

“Life would be so much better for all of us if you would just let me up on the sofa. It won’t kill you. You know you want to cuddle with me. So why deprive yourself of this simple pleasure?”

“What’s wrong with giving me people food? You eat it. How bad could it be?”

“What do you mean, you’re done throwing the ball? My body requires 2 hours per day of fetch. If I fall ill and die a horrible, painful death as a result of your neglect, let it be on your conscious.”


But I want to go HERE on our walk. No, not THERE. Aw, geez, why? There’s no good smells over there. No fair. You get to go outside any time you want. This is MY one and only time out, and you deprive me of this chance to enjoy life.”

“Can I go outside now? So what if I just came in. You’re not busy right now. How much effort does it take to open the door? Seriously, do you want to test me and see if I really have to go?”

“Whatever it is you have to give me, it’s not what I want. You can never truly fulfill my needs. That’s why I am and will always be sad.”

Its a fact that we humans tend to anthropomorphize our pets.

Chances are that voice you hear is your own, not your dog’s. Remember that in any healthy relationship, guilt should not be part of the bond you share.

Rachel Baum