10/29/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19hoYc6N4Z/
Some dogs are tethered to a kennel.
Others are tethered to our expectations.
And that tether is much harder to see.
They live inside our homes now.
They sleep on orthopaedic beds.
A few toys to play with. A wardrobe full of coats.
They are loved. Oh, how they are loved.
But a loved life is not always a lived life.
We shrink their world for convenience.
We want a dog that fits into our life,
not a life that stretches to fit a dog.
So before they even arrive, the plan is made.
They will be calm when people come over.
They will be fine with 10 minutes around the same block.
They won't complain when we skip it.
Five minutes of fetch while dinner cooks.
And they will be my loyal companion.
But what if who they are doesn't fit the plan?
What if they were bred to run for miles and we give them a block?
What if they were bred to use their nose, and we never give them anything worth sniffing?
So the cracks show.
The chewed rug.
The paint scratched off the wall.
Whining at the door.
Jumping all over guests because it's the most excitement they've had in 8 days.
And we call it misbehaviour.
So we train them harder.
Not to understand them better-
but to make them fit neatly again.
Calmer.
Quieter.
They need to accept this is the life we decided they should have.
After all, dogs are meant to be loyal companions.
We never stop to ask if we are being a loyal companion to them.
We look at photos of dogs chained to kennels and feel angry.
We all agree, that's no life for a dog.
We give ours a bed instead of a rag on the ground.
A beautiful home instead of a chain.
A couple of toys instead of dirt and twigs.
We just don't see that the chain can still be there
