Dogs Have Their Day in Our Politicized Society

I wanted to write this column about dogs. If you follow me on Twitter or have read my work elsewhere, you probably know that about me: I like my dogs. Though truth be told, I probably like your dogs, too. Because I just like dogs.

It's a common sentiment. Dog ownership has been going up markedly for a while now. There are some who worry that dogs -- and even cats -- are replacing human children as the objects of our devotion.

There's evidence to support the claim. Many young couples are more eager to have pets than kids. Expenditures on pet insurance have soared. One often sees dogs referred to as "furbabies" on social media. Two decades ago, my wife and I struggled to find hotels on our cross-country drives that would accommodate dogs (at least at a reasonable price). Now, many hotels compete for the attention of dog owners. Some businesses eager to hire skilled young workers have generous bring-your-dog-to-work policies, and some even provide "pawternity" care for new dog owners.

A survey by SunTrust Bank found that 33 percent of first-time home-buying millennials said the desire for a better space for their dog was a factor in their decision. Only 25 percent said marriage was an issue, and just 19 percent said children were.

Psychologist Clay Routledge makes a persuasive case that dog ownership is a symptom of America's very real loneliness crisis. As our society becomes more individualistic, Routledge observed in National Review, "pets may be appealing to some because they lack the agency of humans and thus require less compromise and sacrifice."

And the problem will like get worse because, as Routledge notes, young people report much more anxiety and isolation in the era of the smartphone, which is why anxious college students increasingly request the support of "companion animals."

In his book "Them," Sen. Ben Sasse catalogs America's loneliness crisis. We have fewer and fewer "non-virtual" friends. Americans entertain others in their homes half as much as they did 25 years ago. People don't know -- never mind socialize -- with their neighbors the way they once did.

There's much to ponder and debate here. But it seems obvious that Routledge is onto something.

Which brings me back to what I wanted to write about. I post a lot of videos and pictures of my dogs, Zoe and Pippa, on Twitter, that distorted and distorting window on the national conversation. I also follow many of the hugely popular dog-focused Twitter accounts (WeRateDogs, The Dogist, Thoughts of Dog, etc.).

Dogs -- and animals generally -- are among the few things that bridge the partisan divide. Tragedies are a partisan affair. If someone dies in a hurricane or shooting, there's a mad rush to score political points. Last week, a lovely young woman, Bre Payton, died from a sudden illness, and a bunch of ghouls mocked or celebrated her demise because she was a conservative.

Even babies can be controversial since babies can touch various nerves, from abortion politics to the apparent scourge of "misgendering" newborns.

But dogs are largely immune to political ugliness. The angriest complaints I get about my dog tweets -- from people on both the left and right -- are that I'm wasting apparently scarce resources on dogs when I could be expressing my anger about whatever outrage the complainers demand I be outraged about.

This is one of the reasons I love dogs. Because it is an occupational hazard in my line of work to be constantly drenched in the muck of politics, dogs are a safe harbor. They don't care about political correctness. They don't want to Make America Great Again or join the "resistance." They just want to pursue doggie goodness as they see it.

It strikes me that all of these things are connected. The increasing nastiness of our politics is a byproduct of our social isolation. We look to politics to provide the sense of meaning and belonging once found in community and religion, which is why everything is becoming politicized. The problem is that politics, particularly at the national level, is necessarily about disagreement, which is why it cannot provide the sense of unity people crave from it.

And that's one reason why dogs are so appealing. In an era when everything is a source of discord and politicization, it's good to have something that stands -- and sits and fetches -- apart. Because they're all good dogs.

In today’s society in the USA, I don’t think all these dogs represent an attempt to assuage loneliness.

I think they are a warm & fuzzy SECURITY feature with an INSTANT response-—not some hack on the phone asking you if you need assistance...after someone has done a home invasion, and you are bleeding to death. Cheaper to feed my dogs than to pay ADT for their ‘service’. I live rural & it would take longer for ANYONE to come to my aid.

My newest dog is a Queensland Heeler cattle dog & is VERY hyper-—the the point of being psycho-—but she hears things that I don’t & she is relentless with aggressive barking.

I have acreage & have gates closed with chains at night, but she goes off at all hours. Either coyotes or rabbits, both of which draw her attention.

While I do like my dogs for company-—I use them PRIMARILY for security alerts.

I have had about 13 different dogs over the past 52 years, and each of them had their own personality. Some were laid back Labradors, with a deep voice, and some were like my Chow/ ?? mix who would crawl across my legs in the middle of the night & growl in a very low pitch until he woke me up. Prowlers that heard me rack the shotgun went SWIFTLY across my property & away from my house. Bandit didn’t bark in those night time hours—just would growl low & wake me up to the danger. He traveled with me all across the country & I never had any car breakins with him on duty. Even when I was working as a grocery cashier & I had crossed an ILLEGAL strike picket line. Left him in the car with all the windows down & parked right in front of my cashier station. He would just growl & move from window to window and the picketers left him AND my car alone.

Besides-—I can save on heating costs-—Having dogs all on the king sized bed are warmer. Literally a 3 Dog Night.

I currently have 2 cats. I'm very fond of them, and they seem to show a lot of affection for me. That said, I've had dogs in the past, and enjoyed having them. Best dog I ever had was a mutt I acquired in Thailand. She was an excellent watch dog, and very good with our children. I really hated to have to leave her there. Fortunately I was able to place her in a good home with a Thai friend.

Should circumstances permit, I'd probably get another dog. I like having furry members of the family, and I do like dogs. They are loyal and friendly, and respond to good treatment.

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