Goin' to the dawgs

It's alarming to see the rapidity with which some trends take over. One example is cellphone addiction. But another is the epidemic of dog owners. Especially singles or childless couples. A few random observations:

i) I wonder how many single women with dogs remain single because single guys take one look at an otherwise appealing woman with her one or two or three or four dogs and think to themselves, "Why in heck would I play second fiddle to that?" Does it even occur to some lonely single women that their dogs make them ineligible? That's the first (and last) impression they make on single men. A guy sees a girl out walking her dogs and says to himself, "No thanks!". He automatically strikes a woman with dogs off the list because he's looking for...a woman! He doesn't wish to compete with her dogs for her affection and attention.

Is this a vicious cycle? She has dogs because she's single and lonely, but she's single and lonely because she has dogs–which is a turnoff for single men. Unwittingly, she's sending out signals that deter eligible men from ever considering her. I don't know how common that is, precisely because it's one of those unspoken motivations. 

I'm not talking about what's fair, or single men with dogs. I just discussing priorities. Given a choice, would they rather be single with dogs or married without dogs? 

ii) Some of this is driven by a misanthropic philosophy of radical environmentalism and antinatalism. You have secular progressives who think it's morally wrong to have children. That it's virtuous to "adopt" pets rather than having kids. They think they're "saving the planet".

iii) I'm struck by how many people take their dogs with them when they drive somewhere. How many dogs like to sit in a parked car? That's no fun for the dog. 

iv) Unless you at least have a house with a fenced in frontyard or backyard, should you own a big dog? Is it fair to a medium to large dog to be stuck inside a condo or apartment most of the day? 

I once saw a video clip of restless dogs at home while the owner was at work. No doubt the dogs are waiting for the owner to come home. But why? Is it because they miss the owner? Is it because they're lonely? Or is it because they can't stand to be pent up inside that stuffy house, apartment, or condo all day long? 

I don't deny that dogs are eager to be reunited with the owner. But that's not the only reason or even the primary reason they are restless when the owner is away. Good sized dogs hate to be cooped up like that. They want to roam free.

It maybe different with insecure toy dogs. 

v) I've resided in both the frostbelt and the sunbelt. I've seen people with huskies and malamutes in the sunbelt, walking their dog on a hot summer day. Isn't there something cruel about having that dog breed in the sunbelt? It has a fur coat designed for Alaskan winters, not tropical summers.