Get a dog”, they said. “Children need a dog”, they said. “A house is not a home without a dog”, they said. What they didn’t say is that helpless little puppies can and often do grow to be big, 30kg, bark-at the-moon, let-me-onto-the-bed, catfood-thieving hounds that have an unnerving ability to worm their way into the deepest corners of your heart. And just when you think you have a handle on this new-found love and have instilled some discipline into the fifth (and possibly the favourite) child, you make the fatal error of adopting another furry child, rescued from the depths of despair.
Said sixth child is of the Jack Russell, can-barely-be-trained, likes cuddles just after indulging in cat poo for breakfast ilk. Or rolling in mud before jumping onto a clean, white bed. A special art, that.
But I digress. The point of this convoluted introduction into the characters of our dogs, Lola (3) and Snowy (1), is to explore why it is that dog-mom guilt feels that much more visceral, intense and heart-wrenching than human-mom guilt. What’s with that? Part of me thinks it’s because they are somewhat helpless without us, but another part thinks that we have entered into a polyamorous relationship with two narcissists who – like the very worst of their human counterparts – can never be rehabilitated.
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Balanced Life.
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Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Balanced Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
5 MINUTES WITH VIWO KULATI SINGER SONGWRITER
You know you've made it in life when one of your career highlights is having worked as a back-up vocalist for the acclaimed Zonke Dikana.
What's on?
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