Dog is your friend, but are you his?

  They say in my old country that dog is your friend and I see lots of dogs here, in London, Ontario too. Actually I think I see too many dogs here. I understand when people have dogs and cats in their own house with good backyard and lots of space. But what about small apartments in high rise buildings where space is at premium and you can hardly fit everything necessary for your everyday existence there and there is no extra space for a dog. That means you have to go out with your dog very often and go where your dog can run and jump and feel free or you can turn your dog or cat into a sofa pillow and get out for 5 minutes twice a day as you do not have more time, you have to go to work and be there. In that case I think you should not have a dog or cat at all.
    I never had a dog but I had cats and I remember when we had to move from a house to an apartment how hard it was for them to adjust to that life in a small space without going out. And they appreciated their freedom in and around our house. They could go out when they wanted and they learned pretty soon where their property is and where it is not. Now I don't have cats or dogs any more and living myself in a bachelor where even kitchen is included in that room where I sleep, I cannot imagine to have animals there too, though lots of my neighbors have them and though they don't bark a lot (dogs, not neighbors, of course) most of those animals are very restricted by the time they go out.
   One of my neighbors goes out with a dog to the corner of our building and then turns around and goes back to the house right away. I don't think 5 minutes outside is enough for the animal to do his business; may be enough to get some smoke inhalation from his owner as most of them around do smoke (and I mean neighbors, not dogs), but not enough to get some exercise we all need, both humans and animals.
    So if you think that dog is your friend, give him freedom he needs to stay healthy and if you cannot do that for this or that reason, do not keep him in prison of a small apartment where you can hardly fit yourself, give him for adoption to a better place and then tell me that you care about him.
    Of course some people might say that they need a companion, they are lonely, I understand that. Still you have to remember that a dog or a cat is not a toy and to feed him or pet him is not enough and some of us just do not have enough means to take great care of their pets. Just remember, they cannot do it themselves. They cannot rent a bigger apartment or go to work and earn more money and you can. And if you want to keep a pet you have to do just that. You need a good exercise and healthy food every day and so is your pet. You need fresh air without cigarette smoke and so is your pet, you just have to remember that and not to smoke around your pet or your child, I see a lot of that too. Be good to your pet and you will enjoy its healthy company for many years to come.

London, Ontario - I am still here.

 

    Last year I wanted to go and live somewhere else so badly but now I see that there is no place I can go for now. I cannot return to Toronto though my best friend is there and it would be nice to live somewhere near her and see her more that 2 times a year during big holidays when her boyfriend can drive her to London. But living in Toronto is beyond my financial possibilities and there is nothing like in London where I can afford good apartment at least for now. I don't need a lot of space but  I like to have my own with my own furniture and my own bathroom and kitchen. I don't like to share those with strangers.
    I  remember when I was young and newly married I lived in Leningrad, Russia in a communal flat. They had lots of apartments like this at that time in large cities. You have one or two rooms that are yours and the rest of place you have to share with other people. When you have to live with people you don't know and don't want to know and may be you do not even like those people, it's very difficult even when you are young. We had me and my husband there and 3 more families. I don't know if they still have those apartments in Leningrad (St.Petersburg I think it's called now). I hope with name change they changed some social conditions of people who live there, I don't know. I never liked living like that but now I think many people in Toronto have to share their places with others. Renting is expensive in Toronto.
   When I lost my health and my job I realized that if I want to stay in Toronto this is my only option, so I moved out. Canada is big. You always can find a good place to live there, if you don't like yours. You just have to look around.
   For now my life here is quite comfortable. The only thing I am missing is beach in summer and traveling is rather expensive in Canada. And not every place is covered by bus or train. You need a car and driving and I don't have those. And paying for a taxi to go to a different city is not for me and I think not for most people. So I still have to figure the best way to travel here. Of course you can always walk, can't you?










































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