HOW TO PICK JUST THE RIGHT HUMAN

Chapter One: Basic Choices

Ok puppies and dogs are you ready to start my course on How to Pick Just the Right Human? Some of you are puppies just starting out, others may be adult dogs who have made bad choices or have had bad experiences and some of you may be senior dogs who have lost a beloved human and need a refresher course on how to pick just the right one. What all of you need to know is right here. But before we get into picking and choosing there is a very basic question you need to answer: Are you SURE you want a human? There are other choices. The principle other choice is Living in the Wild versus Living with Humans.

LIVING IN THE WILD: Yes, there are undeniable benefits to living in the wild. And they are nothing to be dismissed with a wave of the paw or sniffed at. For one, you are free. Really free to chart your own course in life. You are free to go where you want, when you want, do what you want, pick your own spouse, raise your puppies the way you want.

But unfortunately, there are serious draw backs too. Just imagine trudging through blinding snow drifts in blizzard conditions looking for food that can't be found.

Now imagine the opposite, trying to make you way through an arid desert, panting while hunting for water that can't be found.

Then imagine getting injured, perhaps severely with no veterinary service nearby to treat your wounds, make you well again, save you from being a crippled or even saving your life.

Yes, food, shelter, veterinary care, human affection are all missing from the picture. But wait, hold onto that dog bone! We've got one other choice to consider. STREET DOG STATUS. Some dogs opt for a more casual relationship to humans. They think they can find food and a quiet corner to sleep in. And sometimes that works. But other times it doesn't. Foraging through garbage cans isn't likely to get you a gourmet meal or even an adequate one. Sometimes you will find food and other times you won't.

And then there are chances for injury or illness much like living in the wild. You may or may not get veterinary care when you need it. And then there is another risk even as serious as living in the wild. Dog catchers. This is an extremely serious risk. Estimates range from 300,000 to 1,000,000 dogs are murdered each year in the United State alone. Euthanasia is the euphemism that humans use should you want to look it up in human sources.

Ok, so we have jumped that hurdle. And you have made the same decision that our remote ancestors made--to opt for human companionship for food, shelter, safety, and care. So, are we done with the preliminaries? No, not by a tail wag. We have more underlying issues to explore and master so that you can confidently pick just the right human.