“If you can’t put your pet first, then maybe you shouldn’t get a pet,” said David.
Unfortunately, many of those who shouldn’t have gotten pets realized this too late, and consequently gave up their animals. The pet surrender puts additional strain on the city’s animal shelters. This past summer, two shelters in Atlanta fell in a state of crisis. “We are up 304 animals,” said a spokesperson for the Fulton and DeKalb County Animal Services in an interview with The Dodo. It is unclear whether the strain has been alleviated, but the thought of half a dozen abandoned dogs squeezed in a small cot, caged, under-exercised and with a case of Winter Blues is not a happy one.
David shared his thought on the matter, “Adopting a pet, finding a home for them — it’s always a good thing. Yeah, it can be more challenging, but sometimes more rewarding.”
Louie, walking both of his big, old, adopted dogs in the park, knew the feeling. “I can’t live without my dogs!” he said. “I got both of them back when I lived in Massachusetts. This is Dinah.” Dinah perked up at the sound of her name. “She was one and a half when I got her. They found her in the woods and were going to put her down — but I fell in love with her from pictures on the Internet and got her shipped all the way from Texas to New England. And Kodi, I got him when he was four. He was abused and rescued. He was originally from Georgia, actually; he’d made the round trip back!” Both of the dogs re-entered the South as happy canines, now enjoying the first signs of winter.
Having a pet can serve as a hobby, but looking after a pet as demanding as a dog is a whole other experience. “It checks your ego,” said David. “If the world revolved around you before, now it can’t anymore.”
In the bleak winter months to come, dogs need their humans even more, and busy working Atlanta dog owners fight against their jobs demands and Mother Nature herself to ensure their pets don’t become depressed, sleeping, furry logs under the Winter Blues. On a simple walk down Peachtree Street, one can see the dedication that, unleashed within pockets of free time, borders on obsession: dogs in puffy jackets and flashy shoes are already strutting all over town, their innocent minds unburdened by human society’s concept of appearances, their owners emitting a kind of proud glow by their sides. It’s not just from the joy of playing dress-up with a live, four-legged, barking doll, it’s the knowledge that no matter what god-awful outfit they fit their dogs into, there’s a guarantee of love and companionship that no bad fashion can spoil.
“And, in the end, that’s just what people want,” said David.
So if you’re a dog owner, this holiday season, don’t hesitate to dress your dogs up in whatever you deem fashionable and show them off in the street in the daylight. If you’re not a dog owner but are ready to be, perhaps consider adopting from the shelter — your dog’s Christmas present would be a nice, new home. Give these urban canines the best of a winter in the city.
