According to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American women underwent over 9 million cosmetic procedures last year. Americans spent almost $10.5 billion on cosmetic intervention in 2009.
During that same time, some 2 million dogs were euthanized in this country. The Humane Society estimates that animal shelters care for between 6 and 8 million dogs and cats every year in the United States.
As a dog lover and dog owner since childhood and a plastic surgeon for some 23 years, I believe I am an expert on the subject of the love of dogs and cosmetic surgery. While a facelift can be a wonderful and satisfying experience, I would like to share with you why I believe getting a dog is a better alternative:
Follow Robert Tornambe, M.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RobertMTornambe
|
Post a Comment
No. 1 does it for me. My black pug Elton de Perralla de la Cacahuete lived a fabulous 13 years and after a debilitating stroke which crippled him, he had to be put down. He knew and he was ready but I wasn't.
I cried like a baby during and after he was put to sleep. Memories will never fade about my black boy, from his trying to mount a female adult Great Dane, to having his own passport to travel all over Europe and his fans in airports and on trains, to giving me the eye about feeding him late because I was engrossed in a book, sitting on a visiting pug to show who was boss. HAH! Treasures to be cherished.
My memories of Elton are golden.
As soon as I settle down I'm getting two pugs this time.
Yup. You got a fan here bud!
Cheers
$30 a month for dog food comes out to $4,000 just for 10 years, and most dogs live longer than that.
Vet fees cost about $300/year AT LEAST, so that's another $3,000 for a 10 year lifespan of a dog.
Plus dog toys, accessories, flea medication and things they chew up when they are puppies would probably put their price tag well over $11,000.
Not to mention if you pet unfortunately has an illness that needs to be treated with medication, which can also be costly.
Lorelei Shellist
Author of Runway RunAway A Backstage Pass to Fashion Romance and Rock 'N Roll
I have been rescuing dogs for 20 years now (all my life if you ask my parents!) and despite the fact that I've lived in a camper without running water for 14 of those years below the poverty level, I've saved over 2,000 animals.
Yesterday I learned our rescue checking account is overdrawn. Again as rescue ain't cheap.
Anxiety set in. As I stood there, knowing there was nothing I could do about it at that moment,
three of my dogs (I currently have 15 here at my Sanctuary) came tumbling through the door; Daisy the bloodhound, Percy her doppelganger and Cash, a blue tick coonhound all rollicking in the moment.
Life is fun!
I stepped back into the moment: to hell with the bank. I focused instead on my canine charges,
floppy before me I asked the magic question here: "who wants a treat?!" Happiness abounds!
I could have had children but it didn't work out. Right before he died from leukemia, my husband
told me he was going to try to come back as a dog I would rescue. You might say I took his lead...my
first rescue was Betty Ann, a pitty mix puppy I found in a dumpster six months after his death. She
snored just like him.
Thus my lifelong avocation became my life's passion and I never looked back.
That's why I'm called "The Dog Lady". I've got "kids" but mine have four legs, not two.
My Buddy was a rescue; my remaining dog, Baby, is a rescue. And Merry Christmas to us...we're off to the shelter for our new family member next week!. Happy holidays everyone!
Recently I rescued a large hound. Upon his arrival, he was wearing one of these devices. His people
also gave me his current round of antibiotics, specifically for his "staph infection" on his neck/throat. As
soon as they left, I removed the metal menace and examined his neck. I worked in veterinary medicine
for a few years; this poor dog didn't need antibiotics so I stashed them away. Within four days, his
"infection" cleared up because his flesh wasn't being mangled by the steel spikes of his "collar".
It's not that his people were cruel. They were simply unenlightened. This device is used to "break" a dog from pulling the leash holder along at a canine pace. I don't believe in "breaking" any creature, from
horse to dog to human. I don't house BREAK dogs, I house TRAIN them. It may sound like a matter
of semantics at first but seriously, do people toilet BREAK their children? Hopefully NOT.
It's a philosophy, a tenet of compassion. A gentler way of teaching those under our care.
PLEASE NO METAL PRONGS IN THE NECK OF ANY SPECIES.
The evil is in the details. Pls elaborate :-)
Never had a dog who watched TV like this one, or paid as close attention to his surroundings.
Take care,
On Wisconsin
F&F for your strength, honesty, and incredible outlook on life.
I love pugs (we've had them before) and the kids want one so bad, but I just can't bring myself to do it again. Life is simpler and calmer with no pets.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. No puppie chow needed.