Pullin' Up Pups

I can't imagine being a child or raising a child in New York City. Perhaps this has to do with the fact that I grew up on a three-hundred-acre dairy farm in the rolling hills of CT. But I cannot fathom not having a yard – or a field, for that matter – to run around in.

The little NYC kiddies have it pretty bad. Their only escapes are playscapes. No tree forts to climb up into. No dirt mounds to play King of the Mountain on. No hills covered with evergreens to sled down in the wintertime.

Yes, city kids have it bad. But poor NYC pet pooches have it far, far worse.

There are certainly some no dankes having to do with the dogs themselves. But this entry in particular has to do with their disdainful owners.

I don’t particularly care for small dogs. I’m much more of a big dog kinda gal (Coop!) The petite ones prance. They yap. They’re overly confident and vivacious. But the fact that they know nothing but leashes and grey concrete is no fault of theirs, poor things. They didn’t choose to live in this city, to be cooped up in an apartment 23 hours a day. Yet their owners punish them for wanting to act like a real dog and sniff at a tree (or another dog’s booty). It’s just so unfair!

My heart breaks each time I see a mini (albeit extremely annoying) pup being yanked along by its collar. Every single day, without fail, I see fluffball Pomeranians, ratty Chihuahuas, hotdog Dachshunds, Yorkies, Scotties, Beagles, French Bulldogs, Cavalier King Charles', Sheba Inus, Pugs – every little dog you can imagine. Big dogs too for that matter! And at least one has an owner who’s picking it up, dragging it by the throat, killing its sniffy curiosity, and cutting off its oxygen intake.

Sometimes the evil owners hold them up by their neck and pull them along on their hind legs like those depressed circus dogs (sans treats). Other times they’re just lying down, not waaaanting to walk, and they’re yanked. Sad, sad little poochies!

Please, pet owners. Stop draggin your doggie by the throat. Better yet, don't become a pet pup owner if you live in NYC. Dogs are for the country, not the city. Cooper loves roaming around his yard. He sticks his tongue out at you city dogs!