Reigning cats over dogs

@wwaycorrigan

[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click here.]

'Do you prefer cats or dogs?'

My almost instinctive answer to that, what some see as a character-defining question, had been to pick the canines over the felines. Had been, that is. These days, I'm much less certain.

Demanding dogs: The canines are more of a pain than the felines.

Deadly dogs

Truth is, I've had too many encounters with annoying dogs over the years that I can't live the lie that I particularly like them. And it's not a case of a couple of curs giving the rest of their more refined furry friends a bad name. No, for each slightly acceptable dog I meet, there's at least two that I wish didn't exist.

With cats, while I can't say I'm too fond of them either, at least they usually leave humans to their own devices, outside of when they want food, which is understandable.

More specifically, a domesticated cat is highly unlikely to start meowing frantically at me as I pass by its place of residence or wherever it happens to be, never mind show a desire to attack me physically. In contrast, many dogs not only make an unholy racket on seeing somebody, nay anything, but some are keen to go to battle.

'Barmy barking happens too frequently to be shrugged off as a tolerable dog idiosyncrasy.'

Even with non-aggressive, docile dogs, most have a tendency to get overly excited when they see other beings approaching. Tone it down, Lassie. For a witty insight into what might be behind this whining, yelping nature, P.G. Wodehouse's short story, The Mixer, is well worth a read.

Cool cats

Cats, in general, are just far more chilled and less excitable. I can't recall even one occasion when they woke me up from my sleep and proceeded to keep me awake with their screaming. With dogs, barmy barking happens too frequently to be shrugged off as a tolerable idiosyncrasy.

The most annoying cat trait that I can think of is their fondness to brush up against one's legs. That can be quite annoying. But they can rather easily be persuaded to stop doing it. And it doesn't tend to last too long in any case. Plus, they're unlikely to do it to a stranger.

Some dog lovers point to the fact that your pet cat will resort to eating you if faced with starvation, were it to be trapped alongside your dead body. A loyal dog, so it goes, would choose to starve to death alongside its owner in such a scenario. Ergo, cats are selfish, dogs are not.

But what does it matter when you're dead? You're not going to feel or know that your cat started eating your body. On this score, cats can be seen as being more practical.

What's more, it may not be complete loyalty that's at play with a dog. It could be thinking that it'll be accused of killing its master — an act a cat would most likely be incapable of doing — should it start tucking into his corpse. Granted, this is making dogs out to be more intelligent than they are.

Taking it that cats are low maintenance, seem to prefer solitude and silence over multitudes and madness — and aren't known to be great swimmers — then it's only natural that I'd be more comfortable in their company than with dogs. I think I have more of a feline personality than a canine one, minus the fondness for lounging about for hours on end.

This does not mean I'm a cat man in all instances. It's just in this specific case, comparing them with dogs. Other pets are available, after all.

If I were forced to have a non-human companion, I think I'd opt for something other than a cat or a dog. I'm just not sure what I'd choose.
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A dog's life in Colombia

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

OK, I must make an important declaration first. I'm not a pet lover. This isn't to say I'm anti-pets. I've no problem with them as long as I've little-to-no involvement when it comes to their care and attention.

Scene of the crime: Not the culpable dog in the picture, though!

It's the same way I feel towards children, really. Sure, I can interact with both children and pets for a while, safe in the knowledge that they're not my responsibility.

Dirty, rotten mongrel

So it does bug me quite a bit when pet owners appear to force their love for their balls of fur on me. In the same way that I dislike public displays of affection between couples, I don't want to see apparently grown-up folk being all lovey-dovey with their "best friend" and practically insisting that I feel the same way towards the "adorable" mongrel.

Yes, I'm using terms associated with dogs because it's mostly those canine creatures that I'm referring to here.

Now I must say that, traditionally, I've never been much of a cat lover either. In fact, in the past, I'd always say I preferred dogs to cats. However, these days I appreciate the more independent and, largely, not-bothered, selfish nature of cats. Dogs, on the whole, tend to be so much more demanding, not to mention noisier.

Nonetheless, even if a particular dog owner thinks his/her mutt is the greatest on the planet — they all think this way, don't they? — as long as he/she is a responsible, respectful owner then I'm OK with that.

It's with those who are anything but responsible that I have, um, quite the bone to pick.

Similar to how they probably raise any children they might have, these self-proclaimed animal lovers allow their fleabag to roam the land unrestrained. Should said fleabag inflict damage on an innocent passerby, they either deny that it was their bundle of joy who did it or blame the victim for provoking the incident.

'Impunity reigns supreme here. When it comes to looking for support from the Colombian state, indifference is the default reaction.'

It was the latter stance that was taken with me after a dog bit my left calf muscle, drawing blood in the process. 'Why are you walking around here?' 'Eh, it's a public road, I have a right to be here as much as anyone. Why can't you control your dog or put a muzzle on it?'

'Only our dogs run free'

Cue the typical Colombian response when confronted by a foreigner. 'It's none of your business, it's how we do things here. If you don't like it, don't come around these parts.'

In mitigation, the man who responded thus had, it seemed, the same number of cells in his brain as the average person has on the nail of their little finger.

The children who were with the dog when it bit me were more understanding. Perhaps there is hope for the future, although this thoughtful side to them will most likely disappear. The dominant culture of taking no responsibility for one's actions is sure to shine through.

I would, of course, have been within my rights to report the incident to authorities, especially with the general lack of remorse shown. Experience has taught me, though, that this is an utter waste of time.

Impunity reigns supreme here. In the main, when it comes to looking for support from the Colombian state, indifference is the default reaction. Trust in officialdom to act as an impartial arbiter is practically non-existent.

In such an environment, little wonder a community spirit is generally lacking. It's self-interest first and foremost, sometimes followed by a strong loyalty to family. (For an academic discussion on Colombia's 'weak state, weak society' listen to this interview with the renowned British economist and political scientist, James Robinson.)

The net result is that nobody tends to feel safe. It's every man, woman and child for him/herself. Only the dogs seem to truly run free. And Álvaro Uribe Vélez, to a lesser extent albeit.
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