Apr9 |
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First Book Ever About Dogs To Be Published
Dan Gross reports today Inquirer reporter Michael Currie Schaffer has left the paper to work on a book about dog culture. (Gross also reports Jonny Lee Miller used to have sex with Angelina Jolie. They were married. Yet another good that came from Hackers.) Schaffer says the book is about “consumerism, pet mania and the domestic-animal-industrial complex” — cute last one there. It’s due out in 2009. You may be aware of my feelings about animals (especially pugs) and how I’m not quite sure I understand why they’re awarded a better place than, oh, humans in our society. An explanation of that, at least about dogs, certainly sounds like an interesting book to me. And then I read this:
Earlier today I didn’t know doggy anti-depressants existed. I think I enjoyed my life more back then. Dan Gross | He was a Jolie good fellow [Daily News] |
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Wow, that is the cutest dog ever. She looks like a biter, though.
In defence of doggy-prozac:
Make fun all you want, but my dog, too, is on anti-depressants. To treat aggression, not depression (although, I do think they make him “happier” in the sense that he’s more playful, active, and affectionate.) I think this is where the misconception lies. People hear Puppy-Prozac and they think dog-owners are worried that their pups have some sort existential angst. In reality the problems treated with anti-depressants in dogs can be quite serious and pose dangers to property and people.
SSRIs have been shown to be very effective in treating anxiety in dogs, much as they have in people. Many negative dog behaviors, ranging from chewing pillows when they’re alone in the house to snapping at strangers when they’re on a walk, are anxiety responses. While it’s still important to treat the cause of the anxiety (not enough excercise, poor training), it’s sometimes tough to ask your dog, “Hey bud, what’s bothering you?” In which case, the pills help.
Human brains and dog brains are mostly the same: neurons, neurotransmitters, receptors. Something that makes us less irritable, lethargic, or dangerous to others, has a decent shot of working for them too. My dog is on actual human-intended generic Prozac. Costs me about a quarter a pill, and it works reasonably well. Not a substitute for good old-fashioned training, but an important aid in getting the job done. In any case, I’m sure my neighbors are pleased that, most of the time at least, my dog is no longer trying to kill them as we pass on the street.
C
I know the Schaffer family, including dog and cat. I can assure you that “One Nation Under Dog” will be pure genius because Mike is a man who would never, ever refer to himself as the “parent” of his dog. The dog doesn’t write very well, for one thing.
The doggie prozac is, no doubt, as funny and
embarrassing to Mike as it should be. The question is not whether it works, but how we’ve gotten to a point where we are willing to spend so much money on drugs, acupuncture, and massage for our dogs.
And it’s true, the same way a couple of valium and a glass of wine can make your mother-in-law much easier to take (doesn’t really matter if you take it, or she does), a few prozac can turn a barking, anxious dog into a charming, relaxed “child.” And as far as I know dog-analysis is not yet a recognized field. Though there are dog-psychics, so maybe that is on the horizon.
My children/dogs and I anxiously await the publishing of Schaffer’s book.