Who Rules Your House?

Our dog Leaf is such an alpha guy that we started to think he was top dog in our home. But then, we began to notice signs that maybe this just isn't so.

Last week, Leaf was regularly following Linda upstairs to her office to sit in a comfy chair and snooze while she worked. Cuddles, our little black-and-white cat, also likes to keep an eye on things from her perch next to Linda's computer.

One day, when Linda was ready to go downstairs, Leaf and Cuddles stood at the top of the stairs to precede her. Leaf started to dart down the steps, but Cuddles was determined to teach him manners. "It's supposed to be ladies first," she seemed to say with a hiss, an upraised paw, and extended claws.

After she took a couple of swipes at the dog, he decided it was in his best interest to pay attention. He backed off and let her go ahead of him. From that day on, when the two of them leave upstairs with Linda, Leaf always lets Cuddles go first.

Okay, does that mean the cat is ruler of our house? We began to be more observant, trying to figure out who's in charge.

That's when we noticed that Leaf would be barking over nothing. He'd stand in the middle of the room, not looking out the window, with no one at the door, yet barking as if to ward off intruders. Before the barking outburst, our cockatiel Sunshine had been screeching. Was this a pattern?

Sure enough, we observed that every time Sunshine screeched over whatever only he could see or hear, Leaf followed the bird's command and began to bark.

Okay, does that mean the bird rules our house?

We affectionately call Leaf "Alpha Dog of the World," because he tends to corral all the dogs at doggy day care and prompt them for when and what to play. Now we may have to amend his title into "Alpha Dog of the World Outside Our Home."

Who sets the pace where you live?

A Service Cat to the Rescue

An article caught our attention this week because it's pretty rare to hear something about a service cat. In a February 4, 2008 article by Theresa Campbell for the DAILY SUN, a newspaper in The Villages, Florida, Campbell writes about Dusty. He is a Persian cat who belongs to Kathy McDonald. She has had seizures ever since being a teen. Although she takes medication, sometimes the seizures still occur. That's where Dusty comes in.

Before McDonald is about to have a grand mal seizure, Dusty alerts her by licking her face. That's how she knows to sit down in a safe place where she won't be hurt.

Dusty is a registered service cat. Trained to walk on a leash, the cat wears a badge and accompanies McDonald everywhere. Dusty sleeps by McDonald's head at night, ever vigilant. In the article she says, "I heard about a lady who has a bird that can tell when she's going to have a seizure. The bird can talk and he says, 'She's doing it again.'"

McDonald calls Dusty her "feline angel." We agree.

Have you heard of or experienced animals, other than dogs, who perform healing services for people?

What does your love of animals reveal about you?

Question: Why would the University of Oregon College of Business Administration be profiling 667 pet owners?

Answer: People with pets are major players in the world of business.

The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association reports in its 2003/2004 National Pet Owners Survey that 62 percent of U.S. households now welcome at least one pet into their homes. These humans are fueling $31 billion in pet products, more than people spend annually on human toys or candy. Add to products the popular pet services – massages, chiropractic, acupuncture, liposuction, gourmet dinners, and hotel accommodations – and you get an industry that is vitally interested in what will make you buy that designer dog dish or French day bed. (“New Survey Shows America’s Love Affair with Their Pets Stronger than Ever” by Tierra Griffiths and Julie Rowe)

So Oregon’s College of Business Administration graduate students, under the leadership of Lynn Kahle, head of the marketing department, tried to figure out what your choice of a pet tells about you. With that essential information, marketers can appeal to your sensibilities and convince you that Precious really does need a plastic bowl with a lid that doubles as a Frisbee.

Here’s what they found with their questionnaire:

--Dog owners tend to be more honest and forthright than most other people. They are loyal and religious;

--If you consider yourself to be a cat person, you probably are a bit of a loner yet have fairly high job satisfaction. You tend not to toe the line when it comes to the rules and rituals of an organized religion;

--People who are primarily attracted to fish as pets are more optimistic than most and not as materialistic or concerned about social status.

Kahle concludes, “A more thorough understanding of the motivations, values, and lifestyles of pet owners can help marketers design more effective advertising approaches, both for pet products and in advertisements for nonpet products.” (“We Lavish Love, Money on Our Pets Study Reveals Psyches of Animal Owners” by Ranny Green, Seattle Times, 1993)

So the gathering of this kind of data is how pet commercials are targeted directly at what excites and interests you – not your animal companion.

Well, we have a slightly different take on the subject. We think that not only do animals often reflect a person’s psyche, they also mirror their souls, or the amount of love in their hearts. It’s our opinion that a person who says, “I don’t like animals,” is experiencing a disconnect between the heart and the mind. Ask any animal lover and they will tell you: Animals are our hearts.

In our book, God’s Messengers: What Animals Teach Us about the Divine, we write, “Sometimes before we speak at a book event, we say to the bookstore manager, ‘Watch the people who come in the door. Animal lovers are the most compassionate and generous people on the planet.’ We speak about you with confidence because we know that when you relate to animals in a loving and respectful way, you have the opportunity to learn from some of life’s wisest teachers and to be restored by its most skillful healers.”