Dogs lovers are confused people. These animals don't belong living in our society and they definitely don't belong at a market in the city. The New York Times is a pro-dog news organization. No matter how much damage dog lovers and their dogs do to innocent people, they continue to portray dogs as nothing but productive members of our society. Nothing is further from the truth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahTBMJOsIUo
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THANK you for the laugh! Your article obviously brought much-needed smiles to many faces -- something we certainly need more of in these dark days. As SM from New York wrote of Chi, my tiny dog spreads love and brightens lives everywhere we go. He seems to know instinctively that this is HIS purpose!!
Methinks some of the commenters are a little over-anxious about Pronto. Some breeds are bred for working and enjoy having a task. The author obviously cares for her dog. If Pronto tried to shake off his saddlebags, I have no doubt Ms. Friend wouldn't have him to carry her vegetables again.
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Meant to say , after spending a minute or more with them .
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Sorry , he may weigh 80 lbs but don't make him your beast of burden . Most of us have dogs not because they're useful , see the film " A Dog's purpose " but because they are our companions thru thick and thin. My Chi is a small dog and ferociously loving and I'm just as fierce with love back ; he spreads his love around , he doesn't care , homeless person , children , people who are in wheelchairs , sad people , happy people , they shine after he has spent a minute or more with him .
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A Canadian-vet-in-Britain, whose name I unfortunately forget, summed up the character of Yorkshire terriers in three words: Attila the Yorkie.
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Missing my 90-pound big girl.
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"The heartbeat at my feet." - Edith Wharton, lover of small dogs
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Hey NY Times, All that is missing here is a picture upload function so I can post pictures of my 14 pound Yorker-Poo, (named Harley Brown, cutest dog in the whole darn town) and others can post pictures of their gorgeous ( I am sure) 100 plus pounds beautiful beasts.
Although I would never saddlebag my dog, probably not good for the hips, not sure of him carrying 1.4 pounds of anything would be a big help to me.
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Which brings to mind the question: does a Yorkie really count as a dog?
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No. Count as a bug :)
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Small dogs count as squeak toys for big dogs.
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Please stop bringing dogs to the Greenmarkets!
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My dog is better behaved than most of the people out in public. I don't trust people who dislike dogs.
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ridiculous - dogs are not a problem - some people are
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Sounds like a Wheel off Fortune "same last name" puzzle:
SUSAN
and
MAN'S BEST
FRIEND
Here, I guess in the idiom "man's best friend" it seems "man" mean humankind, no gender specificity or identity. Is there a universally accepted replacement idiom yet? Can't find a real answer on google!
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Ms. Friend:
Why have you strapped saddlebags onto your dog ? Given that you've written about this in the New York Times, it seems that you don't realize that what you're doing is wrong.
"Mindful of his comfort and balance, I carefully load each side with equal weight."
If you were mindful of your dog's comfort, you would be loading each of YOUR sides with equal weight, or purchasing a rolling cart.
Please stop doing this to your poor dog.
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DJS, what an interesting point of view on this. I hadn't thought of that. Example: With our late corgis, one hated being dressed up as a physical burden, the other was patient but loved the attention on the street that came with the dress-up. (Our current pet also enjoys attention on our block.) Pronto in the Diary item seems to have gotten warm attention from Ms. Friend's having him carry things, which I'd suspected on reading that he enjoyed or might have thrown the stuff off the first times, but I do see your point: Maybe a moral is that unless your pet seems to like it, get something positive form it,don't try it a second time.
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Freddie, That's what came to mind, immediately to me. Given that the author strapped saddlebags onto Pronto, I don't have the impression that Pronto can throw them off.
I'd imagine that Pronto could get warm attention just for being Pronto. I don't have a dog, but moved into a building full of dogs, recently. The dogs are lavished with attention by the staff, and myself, (possibly the only dog-less person in the building ).
None of the dogs has been saddled with anything to carry. In fact, some of the humans carry their dogs .My neighbor across the hall picks up Twinkie, so that Twinkie can lick "Aunt Deborah's "face .Twinkie and I enjoy each other's attention & affection.
I concur that if a pet seems not to like something, it shouldn't be done a second time.
while I don't believe in strapping bags to a dog, to carry something for the human. I don't think dressing a dog up is in the same category as strapping saddlebags to a dog, as long as the dog doesn't mind.
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Not sure about that but I do know I can have a cart built to fit my Bernese Mountain Dog that she can pull. Maybe the wheels help distribute the weight but no where have a read that big dogs can't carry stuff.
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A funny story, but I will defend both dogs because I have two dogs like these. One eight pound Yorkie and one 80 pound sighthound pyrenees mix. Both are great companions...one lap/love machine dog: one long walk dog. As far as jobs, the 80 pounder is the Yorkie's yard protector from hawks, coyotes, and bob cats.
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I always wondered about the motivations of people who have two very differently sized dogs!
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Perfect New York story and so well written I could hear that woman's voice. Thanks for the laugh.
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Why are you forcing your dog to carry your groceries?
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Dogs raised as livestock. Interesting.
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Big dogs!??
We think of our 115 pound dog as small compared to our other dog, her 135 pound aunt, and they'd both look tiny up next to their 160 pound fathers. 80 pounds sounds kind of puny. Ok for a little spinach and arugula, I guess, but you'd want something more substantial to haul the cucumbers and zucchini home.
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So, you have to carry plastic lawn&leaf bags when you walk them daily ?
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But I’m 100% sure that “useless” was said with irony and love.
Tune of “My Guy”
Nothing they can say
Can carry the day
Like my dog
No thought they impart
Can lift up my heart
Like my dog
I’m doting on my dog
Like I would on a child
Even when my dog’s wild
I’m so beguiled
(big ending)
Can’t push a shopping cart
But still can lift my heart
That’s my dog
Can’t carry home no food
But still picks up my mood
That’s my dog.
My dog!
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Hey Freddie! I always think of the Whoopi Goldberg movie Sister Act when I hear My Guy (or read your lyric) and will think of you the next time I walk past the church used for the exterior shots on the movie (located near me in San Francisco). It's a popular dog-walking spot, after all. Thank you, again.
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Thanks, Kathy. I really liked the Sister Act film a lot, too. Laughed so much. And I loved the still hilarious but also deeply moving Alan Menken musical that was on Broadway a few years ago. So glad this recalled that!
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Oh wow, this has got to be my favorite yet (yeah, I've said that before.) I love my little dogs! (I just amended my screen name to make it clear who Shawn was.) But anytime my 7lb dog has a tummy upset and I have to clean up a 7lb-dog mess, I am grateful that there are people out there who love big dogs and don't mind cleaning up their bigger messes.
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So true...there are big dog people and small or "not so big" dog people. Doesn't matter which group you choose to belong to...we all get along just fine. We know, when everything is considered, it it is always "all about" the dogs!
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Poor Yorkie. S/he shouldn't have to endure such vituperation.
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Funny story. Poor Yorkie!
Some years ago, my neighbors had not just one, but two, Yorkies.
Until they got to know me, they were frenzied high-strung yappers. (The perfect definition of “useless,” but they did warn my neighbors whenever an errant butterfly fluttered by.)
After they got to know me, they were unflappable lick-me-in-the-face lovebugs. They made me think of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, times two!
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Well, that Yorkie can sleep in her bed without taking up too much space.
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Hey. What about big cats? When I first moved to “The City,” I adopted a huge feline (eighteen pounds and then some!) who I nick-named “Sinatra,”as he would meow in such a way that the sound mimicked the song, “New York! New York!” He didn’t carry saddlebags but he entertained the neighbors and kept strangers at bay. Who says big cats can’t be useful? We all stopped latching our doors!
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