One of the many interesting features of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the increase in people seeking the solace of pets of all types. Adoptions and sales of dogs for example have soared in Canada and indeed in other countries. The buying frenzy is reminiscent of other frenzies at different points in the pandemic ranging from toilet paper to outdoor space heaters to bicycles and exercise equipment. In the United States, pet industry sales grew by nearly 7 percent in 2020 and associated food, treats and supplies grew 10 percent. However, buying a living thing is not quite the same as an inanimate object and any subsequent buyer’s remorse a more serious issue. Indeed, around the world, animal shelters are apparently starting to see an upsurge in older puppies with “behavioural issues.”
An increase in the supply of canines across a wide spectrum of owners who might not normally have acquired one means that there are a lot of first time dog buyers who think the natural and proper relationship between a person and a dog is somewhere between that of a Disney cartoon and your best friend from high school. Indeed, the tendency to treat dogs and pets as members of the family has grown and just as many parents are indulgent with their children, so too are many dog owners. The result is a pandemic of poorly trained and undisciplined dogs who essentially own their owners rather than vice versa. Indeed, there are so many dogs that one is surprised that government have not decided to tax their ownership as a way of paying down post pandemic debt.
The pandemic has aggravated what is a canine behavioural problem sometime in the making. It has come to a head during the pandemic and nowhere more so than during the last few weeks whether sitting on my deck or going for a walk. The standard young couple today is no longer two people and a couple of kids but two people and at least one or more dogs and sometimes a cat or two for good measure. And when they walk their family members, the dogs are not always well behaved on their leash. Indeed, we have now come across several who are not on their leash or even if on a leash dart right out at you and begin to paw you supposedly because they want to be your friend. Of course, if I behaved in a similar way towards the pedestrians I came across on my local walking trail, I imagine I would soon be a featured on the local newscast in a most unflattering manner and soon after would have to spend some time in forcible confinement.
The fact is that many dogs are not being properly trained and they are becoming a hazard to other pet owners as well as people who do not own pets. Today, an off-leash dog barked and chased after us in a nearby park while its owner was off ruminating thoughtfully in the distance. Later in the day, while driving, we saw another off-leash dog scamper across the street pursued by an arm flailing owner entreating it to please come back. Yesterday, a person with two rather large German shepherds paused to check their phone as we walked by and barely prevented one of the dogs from successfully lunging as I walked by. And the coup de grace, several weeks ago a rather large and ill-tempered dog actually got off its leash and attacked another two small dogs out for a walk with their owner.
It is probably only a matter of time before more serious incidents start to emerge in greater numbers as playful puppies turn into more hellish hounds. Needless to say, while your friendly neighbourhood spider man might say, with great power comes great responsibility I would add that great responsibility also comes with dog ownership.
