Are Dogs Getting the Attention They Deserve?

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Are Dogs Getting the Attention They Deserve? It used to be that you could tell just about how poor a family was by how many dogs they had. If they had one, they were probably doing all right, two dogs meant that the couple were dog lovers, but if a citizen kept three, you could begin to suspect he didn’t own much else. What type of dogs these were also lead people to believe their social status in society. (Hoagland, 1995) Would this lead people to believe that this is true? In my opinion, No it does not. In Edward Hoagland’s “Dogs, and the Tug of Life”, he describes the significance of dogs in our lives, both as social symbols and as reminders of why dogs are taken for granted. He explains why having a dog is giving people the wrong impression and how people need to know the true significance. Are dogs a symbol of social status? Hoagland wholeheartedly agrees with this argument, as stated in the first paragraph, as well some people do too. I, personally, would have to agree with this term of being a social status. Dogs have always been part of many homes. But nobody stops to think that the kind of dog one owns, signifies what type of lifestyle that person lives. This bit of information is incorrect. Just because a family is wealthy, does not mean they are spending lots of money on high class dogs. Who’s to say they aren’t taking in every stray dog that mosies up to their house? Maybe richer people do more with their dog, such as spend lots of money on grooming, feeding, and showing off, but it doesn’t mean the dog is always a pure bred, one of a kind. People are beginning to take dogs for granted. They feel that it is just an animal with no feelings and don’t consider what kind of role a dog really ... ... middle of paper ... ...er of dogs owned and the income of the family have nothing to do with each other. For the most part, Hoagland’s argument was very informative and significant. It is agreed that people are trying to use dogs as a sign of social status, but people who know the real meaning of having a dog, know this is incorrect and falsely justified. Dogs are being taken for granted, and people need to realize the importance of why they have dogs as pets. Dogs are more than lazy animals, dumb creatures, or ways of showing off to others. Dogs don’t help with social status, rather they help with companionship, loyalty, trust, and a bodyguard. In my opinion, dogs don’t help determine how poor or wealthy a family is. Maybe people spend lots or little money on a dog, but that just depends on what type of people they are, not what type the dog is. Nothing more, nothing less.

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