I'm happy to see a psychology article on dogs! I really love canines and, although I had thought many times previously why dogs are so cute, I had never connected this with oxytocin or any neuropsychological explanation, whatsoever. Very good article!

This was a great article. I pamper my dog, Brody a one year old yorkie, but I don't go as far as dressing him up and taking him EVERYWHERE. Although, he loves the car rides so much I do take him anywhere I go quickly that has a drive thru. I do see the connection with oxytocin. You even said it yourself, there's nothing like coming home to your dog who is just so excited to see you. That is honestly the best part of my day. Especially when I've had such a hectic day at work. When I get home, I hear Brody barking before I even get out of my car and as soon as I open the front door he's jumping up and down, licking me, and hauling off to get his teddy bear and bring it to my bed where he knows I'll sit and play with him. I honestly doubt that'd I'd be able to afford thousands of dollars to keep him going, but if I had the money I would make sure he lives as long and as happy a life as possible.

I recently made the big move from Canada to Australia. When I was in Canada I had 2 dogs and 2 cats. People thought I was crazy when I told them that I was bringing all of them with me. I did everything to bring them all with me but unfortunately my one dog Bart died suddenly of old age and one cat Pickles decided to disappear. I did bring my mini dachshund Winnie and my cat Sam with me all the way to Australia. It was an expensive adventure for the pets but worth every cent and I don't know what I would do without them. Winnie is a real ice breaker when meeting new people especially because there are not many "sausage" dogs here in Australia.

I love my pets and don't know what I would do if they wern't with me.

Thank you for explaining the mutual attachment between dogs and people in an accepting way. I believe that I learned to love from my first dog.

The question of how much to spend on a dog's health is one I've grappled with. We adopted our third dog, Toby, knowing he had diabetes and might be expensive. In the five high-quality-of-life years we gave him, we spent enough to put a kid through community college. In those five years, I'm sure thousands of perfectly healthy dogs were euthanized.

We called Toby our very expensive hobby -- it was cheaper than smoking or doing drugs, at least.

But Paul, you look at moral and economic choices on the societal level. How should we make this kind of choice? Wouldn't it be better to adopt a healthy shelter dog instead, and then give the money we save to the food bank instead? And, when a pet gets really sick or old, forgo the hip replacement or chemotherapy and give the money to the shelter?

It's as easy to love a healthy dog as a sick one.

I agree whole-heartedly with your article. I run an online shop that caters to pampered pooches. I have found that 50% of my clients are the women that have put off pro-creating for career reasons (Like you said) and surprisingly, the other 50% are the baby boomers whose kids have flown the nest. Our pets fill a need, a need to be a caretaker, to have that unconditional devotion, etc, etc. I completely understand the oxytocin. We recently moved across the US and were feeling blue from the drastic move. We got a new dog, and immediately were uplifted. I'm sure a lot of that also has to do with walking him daily. There is a lot to be said for the power of walking to combat the blues. I look at my baby and wonder how he could possibly be a descendant of the wolf. That is until recently when my cat tried to lick his dog bone. The wolf showed its colors ;)
Luxury Dogs

$13,000 was the final vet bill for my dog. My dead dog. No insurance. I did everything I could to keep him alive, but this is one instance where all the money I had (on credit) wasn't going to help.

I have two new dogs now, Brody, a female Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and Jonah, a male Pembroke Welsh Corgi. They both have health insurance so we don't have to go through that again.

Anthropomorphization runs deep in my house. My dogs are furry children, where only the best will do. I don't have children of the two-legged variety, nor do I have a husband or boyfriend. All my time, attention, and affection is given to my darling Brody and Jonah. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

In addition to the above, I need to add - my one year old boy Jonah came to me with hip dysplasia and luxating patellas, which insurance will not cover. For six months I was spending almost $1,000/month on physio for him before I had to stop. I know though, in the future, he will need a new hip to the tune of $6-10,000, which will not be covered by insurance.

Susan's comments on forgoing hip replacement and chemo and instead giving to the shelter are interesting. I would rather put that money, that I worked for, and can choose to spend however I want, into my own dog. While I deeply admire those who adopt shelter dogs, I will always be a "purebred snob" and insist on purebred dogs from ethical breeders. And no, I don't have alot of money. I work an average job, taking home an average wage. I have a mortgage, car payments, and credit card debt. But - I choose to spend my income on my pets. As one who suffers from severe depression, they've saved my life. More than once I've been ready to take my life, only to decide I can't leave my dogs behind. It's a trade-off, but I seem to always be on the winning side of things.

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Patricia

http://largepet.info

Tippy 1/2 airedale, 1/2 Scottish Deerhound..Smutty-English Greyhound. Henrietta, 1/2 Chow-1/2 German Shepherd, J.J. Cale-small mutt.....whom I picked up on a busy highway in Pilar, New Mexico.
These 4 dogs went with me through the most horrible divorce that you can imagine. I was very suicidal afterwards and living in another state....they saved my life one day. They were with me when my parents died. Tippy had adopted my mother (had 5 strokes) and he slept outside my bedroom for the first time in his life..he supervised her care and slept behind her hospital bed. During the night I would hear her shift around in the bed and Tippy would wag his tail. My mom could not talk but I would hear her say "Tippy" and he would wag tail to let her know he was on the job. They would both go back to sleep.
Tippy affected the mental health of all in my family. You can't keep from feeling good when you see a "dog" doing something so thoughtful and kind.