Pampered pets
Kory Thornburg loves doting on Lola, her 3-year-old Chihuahua with bright brown eyes and an apple-domed head, perfect for petting.
Thornburg, 23, of South Strabane Township, has turned Lola into a canine fashionista whose wardrobe includes party dresses, winter sweaters and boots. Her toenails are adorned with bright dog nail polish, her collar encrusted with jewels befitting a princess. Lola also has accumulated a sizeable toy collection, including a favorite red bear that Thornburg calls Lola’s “go-to toy.”
“People make fun of me and say, ‘She’s like your little baby,’ but she is my little baby. I fell in love with her the minute a friend of mine showed me a picture of her, and I had to have her,” said Thornburg, who adopted Lola from the Beaver County Humane Society one day before her first birthday.
Lola’s pampered lifestyle might seem overboard to some, but animal lovers like Thornburg are happy to spoil their pets.
According to the American Pet Products Association, U.S. pet owners spent more than $53 billion on their furry friends in 2012. While medical expenses account for much of that, pet owners were willing to shell out a significant amount of hard-earned cash for grooming, boarding, pet-sitting and toys.
Why?
Because we love them. Animals contribute to people’s happiness and psychological well-being, said Dr. John Hansell, a veterinarian who operates Washington Animal Hospital. Several studies, including recent ones conducted by the National Institutes of Health, show pets can provide social support and stress relief.
“People become quite attached to their animals and the companionship and love they provide,” said Hansell, who has noticed more young married couples adopting pets – sort of a trial run for parenthood – and older people adopting animals who become reliable, trusted friends as they age. “Pets are good for us.”
Consider Christie Fennell of Prosperity, who has two sheep that she showers with love. Fennell raised them from birth (they were bottle-fed), and the sheep, Mia and Sammy, follow her around like puppies.
They live in a miniature house in the backyard, complete with curtains, and Fennell feeds them second-cut hay – they turn their noses up at first-cut hay, she said – and dresses them up for holidays. For their fifth birthday, Fennell made silk sashes and bought party hats for the sheep and treated them to apples.
“I love these guys. I can’t go to bed without looking out the window to see if they’re OK,” said Fennell, who teaches fitness classes. “They’re kind of like dogs more than sheep. Mia looks at me like I’m her real mommy. She follows me and calls to me, and if I leave her too quickly she gets mad. My husband thinks I’m crazy, but I love them to death.”
Hansell, who said he sees no harm in people pampering their pets, has noticed another trend: more pet owners adopting rescue animals. Owners sometimes lavish attention on their pets to compensate for their rough experience.
Kelly Backo, general manager of the Washington Area Humane Society, said about 50 to 75 dogs and 25 to 30 cats find new homes each month, and while pet owners are adopting mixed breeds, a surprising number of those dogs are purebreds, including dachshunds, Papillons and Chihuahuas.
Four years ago, Sophie, an 8-year-old rottweiler and black Lab mix, found a home with Pete and Eunice Delmer of Canonsburg, after Delmer brought a cat that showed up on their doorstep the day after Christmas, near death, to the humane society for medical treatment. Delmer walked through the kennel filled with barking dogs, except one: Sophie.
“She was so calm,” said Delmer, who fell in love with the 90-pound dog on the spot. “She has a fantastic personality. She’s scary looking, but she’s the sweetest, most easygoing dog you’ll ever meet.”
Today, Sophie enjoys chasing balls, playing with 15-year-old Ethan Linderman and the family’s cats, and riding in Delmer’s sports cars. The hulking Sophie squeezes herself onto the passenger seat of Delmer’s Lotus, snout poking out the window sniffing at the wind, tongue hanging from the side of her mouth as she and Delmer cruise along.
In recent years, Delmer has spent a small fortune on Sophie’s medical bills, which recently have included surgery to remove a large tumor and visits to a Pittsburgh neurologist for treatment of a neck injury.
“We’d do just about anything for her. Nothing’s too good for Sophie.” said Delmer.
The same can be said for Jon Cody of Washington, who plans to turn to modern science in the event that something happens to his beloved 11-year-old Boston terrier, Max.
Cody, who works in the oil and gas industry, pays a monthly fee to a Texas company to store Max’s tissue so that he can clone Max when the dog passes away.
Cody said Max has been a “road warrior” and faithful companion, traveling with him as he moves around the country for his job. He dreads the day that Max, still spry but slowing down, dies.
“He goes everywhere with me. He’s my prodigal son,” said Cody, recalling how Max loves chasing the beam from the laser pointer Cody carries, how he attacks the water in the backyard sprinkler and how he once jumped out the truck window in West Virginia to chase a bear (the bear got away). “I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
So when he saw a television segment about a company called ViaGen that could clone his dog, he jumped at the chance.
Cody can bank Max’s genes at ViaGen for several years and, when the time comes, ViaGen (whose scientists are among the world’s foremost experts in animal cloning) will transfer the genes to a company in South Korea for cloning – which can cost upward of six figures.
Cody, who recently adopted a Boston terrier whom he affectionately calls “the trainee,” is well-aware the clone will not be Max, but will have identical genes and a similar temperament and will look like Max.
“I’m not planning on Max dying, but it’s better to be prepared so that I have the opportunity to do it,” said Cody. “I sincerely believe and know it won’t be the same dog, but it will look like him and his brain will fire the same way, and he’ll be in the same environment, so it’ll be very close. Max is getting a little older, but he’s always fun.”
And then there’s Andrew and Aliesha Walz of Washington, who took in an energetic 3-year-old Australian cattle dog named Gypsy for a friend who moved to Philadelphia.
“Gypsy is a country dog; she didn’t do well in the city,” said Aliesha, laughing as she described how Gypsy loves to play, making figure eights in the yard when she’s chasing a ball.
The couple, who don’t have children, and the high-spirited Gypsy have formed a happy friendship.
“She’s really smart. She really likes puzzles, and she likes dog treats in Kongs so she has to work to get them out,” said Aliesha. “She’s high-energy, but she’s also very cuddly.”
Aliesha loves Gypsy’s “emotional range” and said the cattle dog knows when she’s in trouble and gets “really embarrassed” when she does something wrong. Gypsy hates getting picked up (it’s so shaming to her, Aliesha said), so that’s all the Walzes have to do to correct her.
The Walzes love Gypsy and the unconditional love she gives them in return.
“It’s so nice to come home from work and have someone who’s happy to see you. It’s a happy, positive, wonderful thing,” said Aliesha. “We do indulge her, and we love having her in our lives.”