I have read your excellent comments with great interest, thank you all so much for writing. I do agree that in many ways it is far too simplistic to sort the world into two groups as I did in my earlier post. I suspect that it’s easy to oversimplify when you are frustrated, and truth be told, I was feeling a bit frustrated when I wrote last week. Part of that stemmed from recently hearing what I believe has been meant as a compliment to Calling All Pets. Several times I’ve heard people say that Calling All Pets is a good show for Wisconsin Public Radio because “it brings in people who wouldn’t normally listen to pubic radio.” This presupposes that the show’s listeners are different than most listeners of public radio. Does that mean that most people who listen to public radio are not that interested in pets and animal behavior…? I have to say, in fourteen years of doing the show, I’ve heard hundreds and hundreds of people comment on the show, and never once has anyone said “You know, I never listened to public radio before, but now that I’ve listened to your show, I”ll start!” That is what got me thinking about the word ‘pets’ and how ambivalent we are about it (and them) as a society.
Speaking about how we categorize the animals we live with, I love Jeff’s comments about the three perspectives that the dog food company grouped people into: 1) dog as dog, 2) dog as part of the family and 3) dog AS family. Of course, as many of you so appropriately pointed out, there are vast continuums within those 3 categories, but I like the way this grouping gets you thinking about where you place your own animals. (And oh yes, yes, it is so true that “Just a….” can be applied to any group, whether it be cats or rats or gerbils. You can find earlier writings that talk about children as “just children”… sigh.)
One of the continuums that I find especially interesting are people who would be categorized as “dog as dog” people… those who have working animals on farms or ranches. I have spent a lot of time with farmers and ranchers who have working dogs and horses, who ostensibly will tell you that their relationship with their animals is mostly that of utility. And yet, nothing can choke up a cowboy quicker than losing a dog he worked with for ten years, and a great horse who became one of his best friends. Perhaps that’s one of the most interesting part of our complicated relationship with our ‘pets’.. that they can assume so many roles: family members, colleagues, and best friends too. This, of course, includes the knowledge that family members don’t always get along, colleagues can drive you crazy and best friends can betray you… our relationships with dogs and other pets isn’t always smooth, but it sure is interesting.
Speaking of interesting, I just talked to Temple Grandin (author of Animals in Translation) and she has a new book coming out soon, titled Animals Make Us Human. I have a review copy and can’t wait to read it… It’s coming out in January. I’ll keep you posted.
Back on the farm.. here’s some photos from the clearing out the 5 huge elm trees that died a few years ago, and have been threatening to fall on my power lines. A bunch of wonderful folks came out, chain saws a’blazing, and we cut and hauled and ran branches through the rented chipper for 6 hours. Tired, but what a wonderful day to work outside. Poor Will didn’t get much work that day… but if I can get my work done before dark, he will tonight!
David Wilford says
Hi,
I thought you would like reading this item about how one dog matters a lot to a U.S. soldier in Iraq:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/news_cut/archive/2008/10/no_pets_allowed.shtml
Dena Norton says
That last picture of Will looks like he’s thinking, come on, let me work, let me work, let me work.
Carolyn K says
Hi,
I am so sad that the Calling All Pets has been canceled. I just discovered that I could get podcasts and I am working my way through them, but I have been following your work since your show on Animal Planet.
But to put lie to WPR’s claim about your listeners, I run a self-service dog-wash in Ann Arbor (I had to work the day of your seminar) and I have NPR on all the time. I cannot tell you how many times customers come in and thank me for having NPR on since that is what they listen too also. O.K., the local NPR station is the most popular station in Ann Arbor, but the people I know who listen to NPR, I would say, they would be more likely to be animal people.
Linda Barker says
I think it’s human nature to categorize and even over-simplify because it is human nature to be inquisitive, to try to figure out the ‘why’ as well as the ‘how’, to try to understand. In doing this, we tend to create dichotomies; in vs. out, big vs. small, sweet vs. salty, plant vs. animal.
This can cause us problems when we try to use such dichotomies to describe how complicated systems work, or to make hard-and-fast rules for living (good vs. bad, liberal vs. conservative, believer vs. non-believer, them vs. us). One of my false dichotomies is to divide people into those who know we, too, are part of the animal kngdom and those who don’t. I find it helpful in choosing companions for long walks in the country. The trick is in knowing the limitations to the analysis, and to be able to laugh at oneself.
Linda B., aka Dogged Knitter
p.s. I do hope the elm logs went through a bark stripper, or they could possibly be vectors for Dutch Elm disease.
trisha says
All my paws are crossed for the solder in Iraq that Dena wrote about, my heart goes out to her. I interviewed a soldier who did manage to bring a dog home from Iraq and wrote a book about it…From Baghdad with Love: A Marine, The War and a Dog Named Lava by Jay Kopelman. It was amazing what he and many others went through to bring the dog back. I can only hope that things turn out for Gwen and Ratchet.
And Linda, and agree with your analysis that categorizations can be useful, if not downright essential, much of the time, but what’s important is to know the limitations. Well said.
Regarding the elm…. it probably did die of Dutch Elm disease, as have all of the remaining elms on my farm in the last few years (the ones that were remaining from the last time Dutch Elm was especially problematic, perhaps 10-12 years ago?). It’s very sad. We were not worried about spreading the disease, however, since the wood wasn’t going far at all, and only to a place where Dutch Elm is already all over. It seems that out this way, the trees are either immune or not (of course, one can treat for it, but it costs a fortune as I understand it.).
Lori says
My apologies for commenting so late on this post, but I just discovered your blog and have been reading through the archives.
My comment is on a point brought up in your first paragraph–Are people who listen to public radio inclined to be animal lovers?
Our public radio station in western Montana has only one fund raiser a year. It is one week in March, and the whole community gets involved. One great part of the fundraiser is that local listeners donate premiums to be given away with pledges. So for instance, for a 80$ pledge you can choose from anything from llama poop for your garden, to therapuetic massage sessions, to a catered river rafting trip–all donated by listeners.
But by far, the climax of the whole week is Pet Wars. Pet Wars is always Sunday evening at the tail-end of pledge week, and people call in and make pledges in the names of their pets (living and deceased). A tally is kept as to what species of pet, and at the end of the pledge week they announce what species won. It’s always a runoff between dogs and cats, but I have heard people pledge in the name of mice, rats, gerbils, sheep, goats, snakes, and aphids, just to name a few. They read the name of every pet over the air, including any comment the pledger would like to make. It is hilarious and infamous. People hold off pledging all week so they can pledge during Pet Wars, and we are all riveted to our radios listening to the pledges and funny comments. The radio station doubles the number of people staffing the phones, and they rake in the dough. They literally make tens of thousands of dollars during Pet Wars.
If you ever want to see a public radio audience go wacky over pets, tune into Pet Wars on Montana Public Radio. It’s amazing.
labrador training videos says
I do think that anyone who contemplates adopting a dog (from animal shelters or rescue groups, of course) should request himself if she will benefit her dog