Some Dogs Are Useless
I am going to upset a lot of pet lovers today, but here it is: not everybody who gets a pet actually wants one. Some of them are the most hypocritical people you will ever meet. And while we are at it, a lot of dogs are useless. I have nothing against dogs. I love them. But be honest. What is the point of so many breeds when most of them cannot even protect your house from a burglar?
I often joke that some breeds are so useless, yet so fancy and expensive, that a burglar would walk out with the dog instead of the valuables. Dogs once earned their place. They guarded the house. They raised the alarm when wolves came near the children. They warned people of snakes and stray animals. They were useful, fiercely loyal and deeply lovable, all at once.
I can easily love a golden retriever, a labrador, a German shepherd, a doberman and their kind. They are strong, intelligent, loyal and genuinely useful to have at home. You want to care for them for life, and when they die you break down, because it feels like losing a companion. Relentless crossbreeding has given us cuter dogs, but with weaker immunity and frailer bodies. We traded resilience for cuteness, and the dogs pay for it.
Some dogs, trained well, guide blind people through the world. Dogs cure loneliness. They give you a reason to step out and meet people. I have no problem with anyone who keeps a dog for these reasons.
My problem is with a specific kind of person. Some dog lovers want you to believe that dogs matter more than humans. No fucking way. If I ever had to choose between saving a dog and saving my friend, I would save my friend without blinking. Anyone who ranks animals above humanity has their priorities fucked up. I do not want to harm any dog. I am simply clear about where my loyalty lies.
The extreme pet lovers are often deeply lonely. For whatever reason, they have poured all their affection into a pet instead of investing it in another human being. Now they want the whole world to agree that this transfer is not only acceptable but admirable. Dare to disagree and they will hound you for blood (pun intended).
Then there are those who believe the most photogenic dog will win them more attention, on social media and off it. They are using a living creature as an accessory, and the moment anyone questions them, they cry foul as if the pet were sacred. They are the ones inflicting the most cruelty. Imagine keeping a Siberian husky, a breed built for snow, in a city as humid as Mumbai. The poor animal suffers endlessly. They do not care. They just want to be seen as dog lovers.
So here is my point. Some breeds are useless, and they exist only because there are nutcases who want them at home for aesthetics and nothing else. The demand creates the dog. Not everyone who gets a dog is a hypocrite. Some genuinely love their dogs and go above and beyond to care for them. I respect them, and this rant is not for them. It is for the people who buy a cute dog as a plaything.
A dog is a life, not a lifestyle.
I know I will be hated for this. I am willing to die on this hill.