I’m not ready yet to take the lead from new dog owners
IHAVE diagnosed a new syndrome: cockapoo overload. Is it just me, or has the number of these dinky bundles of fluff romping around increased dramatically? No doubt many of my social circle (where cockapoos are now ubiquitous) suspect I have a hard-bitten prejudice against dogs.
But they are completely wrong. I am very fond of dogs.
Not all dogs – but then I don’t love all humans. There are some dogs that strike me as unattractive,
demanding and frankly bad-mannered, but most are adorable.
I totally understand the appeal of their companionship, constancy and unquestioning devotion.
In many respects, they are like the children you wish you had: much less trouble and much more reliable. Yet suddenly everybody has a dog, and not only a dog
but a dog that runs their life.
The other day I was amazed to see that even John Pawson, the superstar minimalist architect who does not allow a cushion or visible plug socket in his house, cuddling up to a messy puppy on his austere sofa.
But we don’t own one and that makes us a rare species.
Not having a dog in these times reminds me of my early 30s, when I hadn’t yet had a child.
When I visited friends, they would start apologising for the noise and
chaos of their children in a way that was both unnecessary and patronising. They clearly felt sorry for me not being in the same position.
Now it’s the same with dogs. Except that it’s worse, because whereas people used to attempt to
get their children to behave, now they merely smile indulgently and explain that their dog is clawing at my leg because ‘he’s excited to meet you’.
Then follows an elaborate explanation of the newly discovered appeal of dog ownership.
As two relatively new dog owners told me the other day: ‘When you get a dog, you are going to realise how much of your life has been wasted not having one.’
That’s as may be, and I will no doubt make such a discovery, since I do plan on getting a dog one day – when I’m ready to hand over control of life, trudge round a muddy park first thing in the morning and spend a fortune on doggy daycare. But that’s not quite yet.