The difference between Cats and Dogs

This weekend Hubs and I babysat a friend of mines dog. The CUTEST mini golden doodle. He was so precious. Hubs worked most of the weekend, so it was just me and the dog, Charlie.

Now I have always agreed with the concept that there are dog people, and there are cat people (and we'll just not talk about those animal lovers who love anything!). I have always considered myself to fall somewhere in the middle but closer to cats than dogs. Growing up my family had a 'formula' 2 cats and 1 dog, and nothing more. (We did go through a phase where my brother and I each had hamsters and another when I had a parakeet and he had a turtle.) I always enjoyed my dogs, and would play fetch, and take them on walks, etc. But this weekend, I realized that I am most definitely a cat person.

Now the fact that I have 3 cats and no dog should have enlightened me a long time ago. However, I believe that we human beings change gradually and then all of a sudden we realize something new about our selves and it either rocks our world or just makes you go 'huh'. (FYI: This realization most definitely is not rocking my world.)

So I am fairly busy during the week, and on the weekend I like to do chores and catch up on rest. So I am going about my normal weekend routine but this time I have this little dog jumping at my heels, eating the cat's toy mice, and whining every time I shut the door to go to the restroom! So I took the dog for a walk, and played fetch with him outside, and played in the leaves in the yard (which he LOVED). Then I sat at the computer checking my emails or whatever, and the dog kept bringing me his toy, and I'd throw it, and he'd bring it back, and he'd but his front paws up on my arms and demand my full attention. And after I'd devoted so much time and attention to him I was feeling like:

"What!? What more do you want from me!?"

And that is when I fully realized the difference between cats and dogs. A dog will insatiably want your attention, to the point where it is annoying, chasing after a ball never gets old. Where as a cat will want your attention, perhaps once a day. A good cuddle on the sofa, or playing with a piece of string or toy mouse, and that is all they desire. Cats can find independent joy in life that does not involve you, like staring out the window or hunting bugs... they never tire of it! And I like cats because they are not demanding on my time or energy.

Now a dog person would say: "Cats are cold, they are not loving, they are not as much fun!" But I think that a dog person is simply looking for something more from their pet than a cat would give them. Or maybe they like to feel needed, like how a dog needs their owner. Who knows.

You can also do things with dogs, that you can not with cats. For instance just try to take your cat for a walk (HA). I took Charlie on a walk past the cow farm, and I don't think he'd ever seen a cow before. He practically jumped out of his fur! The cow took one glance at him and continued to eat his grass. Also you can take a dog camping with you, and you can teach your dog tricks. (I do have one cat that will do tricks, but I think she is an exception... she has many dog characteristics). All of those things are why I would want a dog, in a year or two.

I would need to get a dog that is a bit more mellow than Charlie, that is for sure. Hubs came home from work and Charlie practically jumped all over him, and after spending 15 minutes with him, Hubs said

"This is not the type of dog for us."

So at least we're in agreement on what type of dog excitement level we can tolerate: a non needy dog. :-)