Owning a pet is — in some ways — like having a child. I don’t intend any insult to parents here; I know parenting is incredibly hard work. But there are times when living with a pet is like living with a toddler.
You know how parents go through and baby-proof the house when the baby is ready to start crawling? Pet parenting is like that sometimes. You have to constantly keep an eye out for potential hazards — from a cup or plate left on a low table (easy access for scavenging pets) to a lamp in danger of being knocked over by a wagging tail or climbing kitten.
In my house, I have to watch what goes into the garbage and recycling very carefully. My dog Moose is quite the scavenger, and has been known to nab cans from the recycling bins if they haven’t been completely rinsed out. I’ve caught him chewing holes in empty dog food cans to get the last bits of flavor!
And I’ve got to watch Moose when he’s outside, too. On more than one occasion, he’s scavenged bits of food (at least I hope it was food!) dropped near the dumpsters in our apartment complex. He also sometimes picks up cat poop outside and gobbles it up! And I’ve talked before about his “collar trick” — the one that led to him getting hit by a car back in 2007.
I joke that Moose has no sense of self-preservation. But that means I have to be extra-vigilant because I am responsible for him. I don’t want him to get sick or be hurt… but if I relax my attention, then I’m giving him the opportunity to get sick or hurt.
How constant your vigilance has to be really depends on your pet’s personality. Moose is a dog who takes a lot of supervision and correction. My other dog, Lally, is not quite as needy. Once in a while, she’ll grab a taste from an unattended plate, but she generally leaves the garbage and recycling alone. She doesn’t scavenge too much around the dumpsters at the apartment complex, either.
My dog before Moose and Lally — Miko, a shepherd/husky mix — was a no-vigilance dog. He came to me from a shelter and was already incredibly well trained. I once fell asleep on the couch, leaving a nearly-full plate of dinner on the coffee table… and it was still there when I woke up. Miko could go outside without me and would come back unerringly and without hesitation when I whistled.
But with Moose, constant vigilance is the order of the day. I want him to be healthy and safe — and I don’t ever want to have to deal with glitterpoop again!