Article: Pampered pooches

LONDON LOG

By CHOI TUCK WO

Even a Great Dane could have bitten off more than it could chew.

It’s not that the gigantic dog is a big softie when it comes to confronting thieves; it can send them scurrying off with their “tails between their legs.”

So, who needs a car alarm if you have a 60kg giant lumbering around? They can be just as effective in scaring off would-be criminals. But if you’re talking of a £250,000 (RM1.4mil) doghouse complete with spa and a 52-inch plasma television, the gentle giant, too, can be a little over-awed by the sheer luxury.

Recent reports about the proposed construction of the world’s most expensive kennel in Britain have literally made a monkey out of the phrase “it’s a dog’s life”. Even by British standards – pooches generally enjoyed a pampered life in Britain compared with their counterparts in other countries – the bespoke structure is simply out of this world.

Who would imagine a dog sleeping on sheepskin-lined, temperature-controlled beds, soothing their aches in a spa or watching canine-friendly programmes on a giant plasma TV? While it’s true that every dog would have its day, the kennel planned for two Great Danes belonging to a female surgeon in Gloucestershire beggared belief. Loving and pampering a dog is one thing. But to splurge that kind of money on a doghouse makes little sense where animal welfare is concerned.

Doesn’t it leave a nasty stench as well as explain why the owner might want all eyes elsewhere, particularly during the economic squeeze which hits the pockets most? In fact, large dogs would probably prefer to live outside, happily sleeping on the porch or verandah than be showered with all kinds of luxuries their minds cannot fathom. And many would love nothing more than to curl up and snooze on animal sofas or beside the fire-place – just to be near their owners.

Surely, our furry friends won’t care two hoots about the plasma TV or the spa, so long as they get all the love and attention from their owner that they can get. And, I’m sure, they would rather spend as much time as possible with their owner inside the house than to be living separately in a kennel.

What a world away all this is from poor families who can’t even afford a decent roof above their heads.

Of course, it’s the surgeon’s money to spend as she sees fit. She may even have her reason for showing her love for the dogs that way. Yet the luxurious doghouse has raised serious questions about whether it is the most appropriate way to keep the pets. For what they really need are not the most expensive beds or the best spas on the planet. Rather, it’s time, love and affection from the owner.

Far from making other dogs and their owners green with envy, the kennel may end up becoming a white elephant if the “occupants” decide to spend more time outside than inside.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle 4 December 2008.