Over a Cuppa by HOO BAN KHEE
I HAVE a little secret to confess. Whenever I am “abandoned” by my wife at the shopping mall, I have the tendency to stray to the nearest pet shop. Not that I feel lost and need a pet to hang on to but pet shops have become an incredibly interesting place to browse around in. Having been to several, I have made some observations and come to a few conclusions, as well.
Pet shops are not like what they were before when they only had budgies, parrots, rabbits and some sad-looking cats and tick-infested dogs, all kept in smelly cages.
Affluence has changed all that. Walking into one is like walking into wonderland in springtime. Birds chirp and sing, freshly-groomed cats play ball, while others nap in the comfort of their clean cages in an air-conditioned environment. And the dogs in their gleaming cages look into your eyes with confidence as you walk by. They don’t stink and they are not preoccupied with scratching themselves.
When you buy one, you not only get a receipt that reminds you how costly it is, you are also assured that it are pedigree and comes from good family lines.
It would have been de-wormed, had its necessary injections and all you need to do is to take it home and enjoy its company.
And lest you forget, the shop assistant will remind you of the things you need to get for your little doggie before you leave the shop, one of which would probably be an expensive cage as a simple cardboard box just won’t do anymore.
Then there's a nice mattress-lined basket for it to sleep in, some toys to keep it amused when you are too busy to play with it, bones and shoes made of leather for it to exercise its jaws so it would spare your RM500 leather shoes.
By now you are probably thinking, “Am I adopting a baby or buying an animal?”
Yes, a dog’s life now carries a different meaning and some pet dogs are so pampered that it absolutely irritates us no end.
Big-time pet business has spilled over into Malaysia and judging by what I see, it surely is a multibillion-ringgit business worldwide.
Coming back to the business of keeping your dog healthy and happy, there is quite a bit of shopping to do. You have to get them food. Not scraps from your dinner but canned meat in different flavours and sauces, and vitamin-filled biscuits, which are almost good enough for human consumption.
And how about getting them some clothes? Haven’t you seen those cute little doggies that are all dressed up – he in jacket and cap, she in blouses and skirts and ribbons? How they turn heads when they are paraded in the streets by their proud owners!
Having bought one expensive pet, you need to do lots in terms of upkeeping. You would need shampoo, fur brushes and a hair dryer (if you don’t want to share yours with it), and a nail clipper and file.
To save you all the hassle, you may want to send it over to the grooming shop which will do the work for you. They are smart centres where you can drop off your little darling for a nice shower and rubdown; have its fur trimmed, as we human beings have our hair trimmed and coiffed.
I am of course talking about pet dogs. They are cute, lovable and intelligent. No doubt they are also good company for people who find it easier to express their love to them than to some fellow human beings.
Dogs earn our affection by being loyal, obedient and brave. There are endless stories about dogs trekking hundred of miles to return home, dogs guarding the graves of their owners for years, and dogs sniffing out drugs, criminals and surviving victims buried under debris. Dogs also pull sledges and lead blind people. They are our best friends not for no reason.
Unfortunately eating dog meat is very much part of a culture shared by the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and Vietnamese. It is believed that dog meat warms the body and thus, it is a specialty during wintertime.
I have noted that how a society treats animals is a reflection of how affluent and civilised it is.
Way back in the 1980s when South Korea’s economy was taking off, I saw in Seoul many boutique-like grooming centres for dogs. Downtown, young ladies were seen taking their four-legged companions for a walk.
China is another dog-eating country but as the society becomes more affluent, one can see more and more dog owners taking their pets for an evening walk on tree-lined walkways and in public parks. Obviously, a booming economy has put more money into the pockets of the Chinese people who can now afford to keep pets instead of putting them into cooking pots.
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