WHAT IS HATE?

I was scouting out new smells in the backyard over the weekend when suddenly I heard a real ruckus in the house.  It’s funny that humans think barking dogs are so loud and disruptive because, in general, we make a lot less noise than humans.

When I ran in the house to determine what was going on, the news was blaring on the TV (more noise) about one human using a gun to shoot a lot of other humans in a place called Arizona.  I know about guns because Jet (my foster mom) and I talked about them.  She has rules about guns like, “Keep the safety on until you are ready to use the gun”; “If you intend to shoot an animal, it better be for food or the animal should be allowed to shoot back".

From what I understood, some whacked yahoo just walked up to some people and a Congresswoman (this is a human that lives in one place but works in a giant white house in a village called D.C.) and started shooting.  When I asked Jet why he shot the people, she just said because he hated what they stood for; hated what they represent.

What is hate?

Jet said ‘hate’ was like a unique poison that gets inside of humans sometimes.  Once inside, the poison sort of kills the loving and kindness parts of the human, leaving angry cells that attack everything they see and hear.  One time, my beagle friend Louie got in to a poison called Anti-freeze and nearly died.  It sounds like the poison called ‘hate’ is much more deadly.  

It’s funny.  Dogs don’t hate.  Dogs don’t know hate.  They may attack another dog or human but it is out of fear, not hate.  Perhaps humans are not so different and they shoot each other because of fear that is so intense that it fuels hate cells that attack the goodness inside them.  Sort of sounds like a kind of cancer.  Hmmm, I wondered if their is an antidote.

So, here’s my lesson of the day… Hate seems to be a poison that humans ingest not acquire.  They get it through their ears when they hear certain types of sick humans; through their eyes when they watch certain types of sick humans.  My lesson?  Humans need to be more selective about who they hang out with or risk getting hate poison.

Okay, the question of the day is from Spitz who asked:  Dear Parker, I love the winter weather.  I’m a Husky breed and have thick fur made for the cold so it makes me happy when my humans let me play outside during this time of year.  The problem? My best friend Allie lives next door and he is freezing most days.  He’s a little fox terrier and easily gets too cold.  How long should a dog like Allie stay outside in winter?  We need to tell his humans.

Dear SPITZ:

How thoughtful of you to look out for your friend Allie.  Some dogs like you, have fur designed for the cold; many do not.  Dogs left outside in cold weather should have:

• Shelter

It should have a floor and a design that minimizes any draft. Insulated shelters are a must and I also recommend a padded blanket of some type on the floor of the shelter or a heated hot water bottle inside a blanket on the floor.

• Water

Make sure the water source is some place where it will not freeze.

Some dogs should not be left outside in really cold weather so make sure your human friends talk to a veterinarian to be sure they are doing the right thing to protect their dogs in winter.

… And thank you for being such a good friend to Allie.