wpainterw

I must reread Caroline Knapp's book, "Pack of Two", where, following her recovery from deep addiction to alcohol, graphically described in "Drinking- A Love Story", she describes how she became "addicted" (does she use that word?) to her dog. Did she really mean "dependent?" Perhaps that is a better expression, since her dog certainly did not cause changes in her brain's neurology. She became dependent on her dog perhaps because, like many or even most alcoholics, she may have been a dependent person. I know that I myself was shy, uncertain of my relationships with others, inhibited (really needed a drink or two to work up the nerve to kiss a girl- could dance cheek to cheek after a few more drinks- built up a tolerance so I never fell on the dance floor!). Unathletic, a bit of a nerd, I cultivated friendship and support from brilliant "jocks", persons at the top of our class who were football heroes. Smart move for a nerdy shy guy who was always on the bottom of the football pile up, either face down in the mud or with football shoe cleats in my face. Drinking meant for social acceptance, particularly in college.
Now, sober for 28 years, age 89, I'm a sucker for dog dependency. Unlike alcoholism, there is no possible recovery. If something happens to the dog get another right away. Overnight Fedex if necessary!

W.

Delizadee

Dog lover here
They are loving children on a plane of their own. I can't live without mine.

wpainterw

Beware! They are not completely children. Any dog or horse has an agenda of its own, particularly if it is brought up in the Nation's Capital, the home of the "hidden agenda". Such animals are always looking for an opening, a bribe ("campaign contribution"). When on a leash are you leading the animal or is the animal leading you? As for cats, no-one can really unscrew the inscrutable, the cat- who knows all things, but will never tell...

W.

Dee74

I can't find anything positive in addiction but I can find many many many positive things in pets.

Perhaps it's not a dependency at all either...but that rare creature, a relationship built on completely unconditional love?

D

wpainterw

I agree. Love is the essence of everything. Isolde for Tristan. Adam for Eve (Milton's final passages), Sigmund's love for Siglinde (Die Walkure Act 2). But unconditional love comes only from a dog who has been loved from the start, except for those who have been rescued from previous abuse. Those who have been abused but have never been loved are justifiably resentful and often dangerous. Horses are the same. A truly loving dog thinks of its owner as a God. An understandable but grievous, embarrassing error.

Bill

Winslow

I love my Winslow- he's a tad irritated that I used his name and picture on an addiction website, he says the only thing he's addicted to is table scraps and walks haha

ardy

Hi all.. paws up and claws in... love my friends dogs to bits.. they love their Aunt Ardy.. its like a group of 4 year olds all running at you at once.. with all the noise.... and my cats would be lost without Shadows HI at the top of her voice.. Mrs. Tilly and her nurses hat on tight and Captain Jack looking at the corner of the ceiling until I look and he smiles... Made you Look Made you Look made you buy a penny book... even my sons cats .... they are not there for anything but clean the box and feed me Aunt Ardy Feed me.. and in the night when Ed is in hospital and I am in tears. curl up under my arm and then wrap their paws around my neck.. and sleep comes easier.. breath with me ardy with me... Addiction vs. Dependency....... I don't know.. but
isn't life the complete thing I have to have now VS I need need and am sad without it... hugs to all.. good thread of thoughts....

August252015

Another dog person here. As an ex (the one who gave me my current dog, quickly after my beloved passed unexpectedly) said, "you do much better with a dog."

I also learned long ago to trust the doggus about any man I bring into the picture. He sure loves the one I have now.

wpainterw

My dog is Fur Covered Prozac. A hairy antidepressant. Unlike some antidepressants however, the more dogs you get the higher and more manic you might get eventually losing control as the pack increases exponentially. I wonder whether for those who find themselves truly "going to the dogs" (i.e. "losing it") I wonder whether there are "Doggie's Anonymous" 12 Step Groups. What would Bill W. think? Did he own a dog? Two dogs? Three dogs....etc. ?

W.

Gilmer

My avatar demands bribes. He does not beg; he demands. I acquiesce!

wpainterw

Yes, in politics these days no one uses the "bribe" word. The procedure has been sanitized to "pay to play". This has been modified in the dog world. A dog doesn't think he has to pay to play. He wants to be paid to do stuff he may not want to do ordinarily, stuff which would not normally be on his or her agenda. Like not chewing up the furniture, keeping off the couch. But, as in the political world, these are dangerous waters, since a dog may figure he'll jump up on the couch so he'll get paid for jumping off. It's a complex world we live in, even in the animal world. Cats, for example, invoke a species of paranoia. You never know what they're up to, plotting. And they never tell....

W.