Addicted

It is scientifically proven that caffeine is a real addiction. According to Joseph Stromberg from Smithsonian Magazine, caffeine is a chemical drug that has effects when you try to quit. If you are a regular coffee drinker, you can have light headaches, muscle pain, and lack of alertness.

No, I'm not addicted to caffeine. But Doug is. Doug enjoys the leftover coffee in anyone's cup every morning. It started when my Mom started to give it to him after she was done with hers. It's the very traditional story. One taste and he was hooked. He is very aware of what a mug is now and will jump onto the coffee table to get to any coffee he can. 

Courtesy of my phone

Courtesy of my phone

" I'm just so worried about him lately. He's been distant and really jumpy. I just want to get him help. You know? It's not healthy and he's going to end up ruining his life this way. One day he's going to overdose, and I just don't want it to get to that point. I really love him and I just want to get him the help he needs." -Kendall

(Just kidding. That was fake, I wrote it myself.) If you didn't know, caffeine is poisonous to dogs. When I researched it the effects on dogs were awful, one was death. How is death a side effect? It said that coffee is almost as poisonous as chocolate. Not that my family has ever worried about chocolate. Ed has eaten either Kendall or my Halloween candy each year, many batches of brownies, and even a five pound bag of M&Ms. So I'm not worried. My great grandmother fed her dog eggs and coffee every morning for breakfast, and that dog lived for almost twenty years. 

I'm not worried, but I do have some concerns. I don't know any dogs who like coffee as much as Doug. My Mother's boxer drank beer but that was a one time thing. Doug drinks coffee everday. One day he could overdose on coffee and fall over and die. Well, that actually couldn't happen. What would happen if we went on vacation? Who would give Doug his coffee?

While it's scary to think about what could possibly happen to Doug. I could never afford dog rehab, and I can use his addiction to my advantage. If you show Doug that there is coffee in your cup, he follows you around the house barking and jumping until you give him some. Perhaps, I could use this to get Doug to do anything I want. Coffee lovers don't even come close to Doug. He would go to the end of the earth for coffee. 

*Do not attempt to take Douglas to a coffee shop.

Anthropomorphize/Naked Cats

The word anthropomorphize may sound like it means-to transform into another animal, but it's actually the opposite. We don't realize it but everyday we anthropomorphize, whether you have a pet or not. The easter bunny is a notorious example. The word anthropomorphize is a verb that means to ascribe human features to something. When you talk about a thing or animal as if it were human, you're anthropomorphizing it. 

So why do we do it? According to Rick Nauert from Pysch Central News, An entity is more likely to be anthropomorphized if it appears to have many traits similar to those of humans (for example, through humanlike movements or physical features such as a face). Which is why we tend to anthropomorphize our pets. By giving animals emotions and personalities we make sense of emotions and relationships in our lives, without even realizing we are doing it. Some people do it out of loneliness. They cannot or will not connect with other people, so they end up creating relationships with their pets, like imaginary friends. Thus, the crazy cat lady is formed.

Winston and Ferguson Courtesy of Hollywood.com

It's not that your dog doesn't have emotions, he does, just not in the way you think. Pets feel excited, jealous, lonely, depressed. But they are not actually beyoncé's sister who loves pancakes. Their emotions are much simpler than we make them out to be. But this post isn't supposed to get you to stop anthropomorphizing your pet, it's actually supposed to inspire you to continue giving pet human emotions. I believe that anthropomorphizing is like therapy. It creates a stronger relationship with your pet, helps you understand different emotions, and combats loneliness. I'm not crazy but on days that I'm alone in the house, I bring my fish Joey to the coffee table and Doug onto the sofa, then as I watch television I make comments to them. 

In conclusion, anthropomorphizing is a good thing. It's fun and we should never stop doing it. Without it we wouldn't have pet instagram accounts and pet blogs. I hope that fifty years from now we still we continue to be closer friends with our pets, then some people that we know.

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Since these topics are both topics that I don't want to write a ton about, I decided to split the blog post in half to give me the opportunity to write about two short topics. The second topic I want to touch on is naked cats. 

I have always thought that hairless cats were the ugliest creatures ever. They were all wrinkly and looked like little ferocious people. Until last year. When I was scrolling the web like any normal teenager. When I came across one of the well-known hairless cats. 

My first thought was "ew", but then I looked more deeply into the eyes of the cat. I realized at that moment, that the hairless cats were most likely miss-judged. They suddenly didn't appear ugly or out of the place in the world, because I understood. They looked different from other cats, but maybe they were funny and sweet. So I looked more deeply into them. 

What a found was surprising. Hairless cats are actually a rare breed called the Sphynx. They don't actually get too cold and they have very low amounts of health problems. They are also sweet and friendly. For something so ugly, they are great cats. And they shed no hair, which works for anyone who is allergic to cats. Someday I plan to get a Sphynx and name it Voldemort or Smeagol, and we will live happily ever after. 

If Doug Was in High School

If Doug was in high school I don't think he would do better than most of us. He might have just learned how to climb up stairs, but that just proves that he's a quick learner. Doug would be the kind of student who would be sharing. The other day my Dad gave all the dogs a milk bone and Doug decided to set his own the ground for a moment. Before he could pick it up again, our golden retriever, Yogi, had inhaled it. Poor Doug, at least he's ok with sharing. Doug would also be the kind of student to not raise his hand. He enjoys lots of attention. But more importantly Doug would be a great student because of his willing attitude. Unlike Doug, I wake up many mornings just considering if it's really worth it to leave my bed. And any student that wakes up at six in the morning should understand the struggle. I wonder how a teeny tiny dog like him could have more excitement in his little body than most people do. Doug would make the best student because he would be excited about everything and anything, especially learning. 

A tradition for high school graduates is to have a quote under their senior year photo. Many students choose inspirational quote like "In response to those who say to stop dreaming and face reality, I say keep dreaming and make reality” - Kristian Kan, and others choose their own path. Often a comedic one, like Taylor Lautner’s “I hate shirts”. Man, that kid knew himself so well. 

So as I sat in awe of Lautner’s wonderful yearbook quote, I thought “If Doug were to go to school he would need a senior quote, too”. Therefor at dinner, I asked my family what they thought Doug’s yearbook quote would be. My little sister, keeper of Doug (it’s better that way, otherwise he sits in my room and barks at 5 in the morning until I take him outside) said that Doug’s serious senior quote would be “Forget the tennis balls, I want to be a hero” and her funny senior quote would be “I like chasing tennis balls more than I like chasing my dreams.” Ok, so slightly a double negative but it works. My mom said that Doug’s serious senior would be “Carpe Diem” while my Dad said that Doug’s senior quote would be “Life is like a box of dog treats you never know what you’re going to get”. He was completely serious. But if you asked me my personal opinion I would say that none of those would be his senior quote, because Doug is so hard to define in just one sentence. Although Doug is one of the funniest dogs I know, I would say that he would choose a serious quote, something to inspire people. As he inspires us all to be more free and live life to the fullest. To live life like Doug.              . 

Doug would have to wear clothes to school no matter how many times he would object. So here’s a picture of Doug wearing a sweater. 

Doug's Halloween Sweater