Walking the dog

An Englishman's home is his castle and his dog is his best friend.
The canine fraternity are a strong force in the country and the sympathy for a mistreated dog is greater than for a mistreated human. Donkeys come out on top in the sympathetic steaks but slipping a lead on a donkey has never taken off.

Even as the weather draws in, the ritual of taking the dog for a walk is rock steady and one sees the resolute dog owner out in all weather with his far less resolute canine friend trudging behind. 

I'm just walking the dog was a Rolling Stones hit but of course it had a very different connotation to our devoted pet lover who's love knows no bounds. It's as if we need a foil in our lives and a dog or a cat provides that unspoken bond in which we can display our latent affection without any challenge. We can expose ourselves without any of the complications which normally accompany letting our vail slip when we express our feelings to another human being.
Unlike the cat who never surrenders their independence, a dog will integrate with the owner on a one to one, lick for pat basis, clearly buying into the relationship thing and offering unspoken (yaps are not counted) undying support.
The business (it is a business) of supplying dogs, breeding dogs, showing and promoting dogs is big business with puppies selling for between £500 and £1000. Buying from a breeder, although expensive is simpler than buying from a rescue animal kennel.
As in virtually all transactions involving "The Authorities" there are layer upon layer of bureaucratic hoops to jump through. The animal itself could take these hoops in its stride but humans have a very sensitive streak and find the intrusive interrogation about their suitability to look after the mutt a little off putting.
Becoming the adoptee of a child is only slightly more difficult but having walked the walk down the kennel cages and selected (I think the they select us) one of the adorable little creatures which you know is on a time scale the end of which is to be put down if they don't find a new owner.
The pack instinct is deep within an animals psych and it's reflected in the park as the 'owners' parade their dogs. Dog training and dog shows are another place that the owner gather to display a connectivity with other dog owners, a sort of symbiotic instinct which gives them a pedigree like their animals, a pecking order symbolised by the breed.
The tough guy has his Pit Bull, the country gent has his Beagle, the city gent his Borzoi, the racing man his Greyhound but most of us are happy with our 69 pavement variety and we shower our love and pride in equal proportions on its head.
The vet bills can sink us financially but we would rather sink than withhold treatment and of course the vets know this and are merciless when they send in the bill.
Dog walkers, dog groomers, the beautification of certain breeds such as the French Poodle, the kit to keep them warm in winter the list goes on and on so, beware if you are smitten, the bill in time and money is bottomless but a lick is, for many worth every penny.