The Story
When Pets Become Accessories
When people hear the name Paris Hilton, another name is quick to pop to mind: Tinkerbell. No, its not because both blondes have pointy noses and impossibly long legs-Tinkerbell is the name of Hiltons Chihuahua, a dress-up doll that also doubles as her most touted accessory.
Many a photograph circulates the Internet and newsstand in which Hilton and her pampered pooch mug for the camera in coordinated apparel. Indeed, so notorious had the couple become, that tabloids pounced on the "story" when, starting in 2004, Hilton began parading in public without her furred companion. Reporters leapt to the conclusion that Tinkerbell had been "Ditched!" and replaced by a younger, thinner model. As humorous as such accusations may seem when printed as headlines, the mentality behind the heiresss behavior is no laughing matter.
Hiltons doggie-donning is not a practice limited to the obscenely rich and famous-whether theyre aware of it or not, a large proportion of pet owners are guilty of conceptualizing pets as accessories.
While Tinkerbell still stands above the pack when it comes to canine-couture, many pet owners have leapt on the bandwagon of animal-adornment. In downtown malls and scattered across the Web, there are boutiques dedicated to providing pet owners with cream of the crop pet products, ranging from clothes to water bowls. The website for one such boutique claims to offer "designer dog collars, spectacular dog carriers, luxury dog beds, soothing dog shampoo and spa products, whimsical dog toys, dazzling dog jewelry and gourmet dog treats." Spa products? Perhaps I should feel guilty for subjecting my dogs to Palmolive and Suave. "Whimsical dog toys?" Im not sure how whimsical an old boot is, but Pepper sure had a heyday with it. In fact, my animals never once complained of deprivation; the obvious truth is that luxury pet products exist to satisfy the owners material wants and stylistic whimsies. Not only do these kinds of pet supplies go unappreciated by the animals (what dog seriously wants a cubic-zirconium studded necklace?), they also feed the notion that pets are expressions of our personal style. The unfortunate logical extension of this mindset is that animals are not beings in and of themselves-they are objects that exist to compliment our physical appearance and self-image.
Lest you assume that only a small crust of wealthy narcissists operate under this belief, think again. Even comparatively parsimonious pet owners consciously and unconsciously select their pets to match their own self-image. Its not mere coincidence that soccer moms frequently have "family dogs" like Goldies and Labradors, while many teenage boys talk about wanting a Husky. Certain dogs carry with them specific associations, and people like to own dogs whose images mesh with their own.
You may be wondering, "So what?" So what if people choose pets for their breed or appearance? This doesnt make them bad pet-owners. And so what if someone wants to spend pocketfuls on a Coach collar? The recipient pet is no worse off. The problem with the mentality that leads to these practices is that while some pets are pampered, less fortunate animals are left in the lurch. A pet owner who places importance on being able to treat his/her pup like a princess is that much less likely to take on multiple pets who might compete for the feather-bed and china bowl. And while wanting to own a certain breed of dog may seem like an innocent desire, breeds are ranked by value in our society, so that some breeds dont stand a chance.
In any given shelter, a Golden Retriever or German Sheppard stands a good chance of getting adopted within days, while mixed breeds and antagonized breeds are consistently overlooked. Pit bulls pose the most tragic example: pit bulls are frequently abused, resulting in a long-standing and ludicrously false belief that they are naturally bad tempered. Because of this belief, a homeless pit-bull stands almost no chance of getting adopted, and will almost certainly be killed. The image assigned to pits is a "tough" image, and thus the people who seek out pit bulls are usually those who think of themselves as "tough," and are therefore more likely to mistreat their dog (see the cycle?). A nice family or gentle pet-owner is likely to pass over a pit-bull in favor of a dog with a "nice" or "gentle" image.
This tendency only exacerbates breed profiling by ensuring that only the "nice" breeds get nice homes. Furthermore, the demand for specific breeds makes dog and cat breeding a lucrative occupation; many people would gladly pay hundreds for an animal of a given breed, rather than adopt a mutt for free. As a result, millions of animals are being purposefully bred at the same time that our overflowing shelters are being forced to kill millions of unwanted pets.
Animals arent only advantaged or disadvantaged according to breed, though. Shelters are a kind of death-row beauty pageant, in which only the winning contestants make it out alive. While volunteering at a local animal shelter, I have consistently watched visitors reject certain cats and dogs because they are too fat, too scraggly, or simply not as pretty as the animal in the next cage. Recently, I inquired as to the whereabouts of a tiny puppy Id played with the week before, only to learn that he had been destroyed because he had lost some of his fur to mange, and "people only want pretty animals."
So whats the scoop on Tinkerbell? Did Hilton really ditch her when she got too old and fat? Paparazzi sources say "no," Tinkerbell is apparently alive and well but has retired from the limelight and is (to her great relief Im sure) no longer expected to squeeze into two-piece designer suits. I dont mean to dump on the heiress, who spokespeople say, is a true animal lover. I only wish to call out the glamour-girl or boy in all of us-the one who would gladly use a pet as a fashion statement or an expression of personality. Animals are individuals, not ornaments. Their worth should not be dependent on our aesthetic tastes. Please remember this the next time youre looking for a new pet…after all, beauty is only fur-deep.