Has America finally gone mad? No, I’m not talking about invading and occupying defenceless third world countries on ridiculous pretexts, while a dictator in North Korea is left unmolested to grow a nuclear and ballistic capability. I’m talking about how America treats its canine friends as oppossed to its most vulnerable citizens.
Maybe it’s a question of numbers. There are 80 million pet dogs in America, but only 40 million citizens with no healthcare cover. And for those who like statistics, it’s interesting that around 22% of the US population own a dog (so if you’re doing the math, some people own more than one dog), which curiously enough is the same percentage who own guns, though don’t get me going on that one. But it gets worse. In San Diego, where I currently hang my hat, the City voted the most desirable place to live in America, there are over 10,000 homeless who sleep on the streets, yet it seems a new hotel for dogs springs up every week.
Now, if you are reading this post sitting comfortably somewhere in America, you will not have fallen off your seat to hear that, but if you are living in most other parts of the world, you well might have. What is the world, or specifically America, coming to when we treat animals better than humans?
A little more on the nature of dog hotels, for my international readers. Most of us are familiar with the concept of kennels, those spartan storage units where we drop off our canine friends and cross our fingers, before shooting off on vacation. Well, no such emotional anxiety with dog hotels. For as little as $200 a day, your dog can eat from an a la carte menu and you can watch the little mutt on a webcam being read a bedtime story, before being tucked securely in a Queen Anne sized bed. Ok, maybe I made the bit up about the Queen Anne bed, but the rest I assure you is true.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against dogs, I even bought one when I first realised I was not going to be a hero to my own wife. But hotels for dogs when the homeless are begging on the streets?
What should be done? Frankly I don’t know, and I’m sure not going to suggest we tax dog owners like car owners. For a start the money would only go on more bullets and bombs, or on jollies for fat-cat politicians. But if you have a thought on the topic, please post it below.