Ten Things Fido Would Tell You if He Could Talk

Posted on 11 August 2011 at 8:19AM by Ashley Fruno

1. Please get us spayed or neutered. It can reduce or eliminate our risk of getting cancer.

2. I am a pack animal, and I need to be part of the family. Please let me live indoors with you.

Photo credit: Jenny Chrisinger

3. I need to go outside at least four times a day. Can you imagine only getting to go to the bathroom once or twice a day?

Photo credit: Susan Rayfield and PETA US

4. Please give me lots of exercise by taking me for long walks, and let me stop and smell the roses (or daisies). I love to explore, and our walks are my opportunity to express my natural curiosity.

5. Please don’t ever leave me alone in a car. Even on a mild day, the inside of a car can reach more than 70°C in minutes. I don’t perspire like you do and can quickly succumb to heatstroke.

6. Please train me with positive reinforcement. If you don’t train me, I won’t know that I’m not supposed to eat the birthday cake off the dinner table.

7. Play with me, and give me toys. But always supervise me to make sure that I don’t accidentally get in trouble.

8. Please get me a harness in addition to a collar. Harnesses are safer and much more comfortable than collars when attached to a leash.

9. I’ll get depressed without a social life, just as you would. So let me “chat” and play with other dogs on walks and at parks, or set up play dates for me.