Of Humans and Animals

So my crazy adoptive mother got herself a new dog. I'm always going to have issues with her and her dogs because they became more important to her than me starting about the time I was 13. That said, I couldn't help noticing in the email she sent me about said new dog, all the language similar to that used by human adopters.

Apparently this dog was "abandoned," was in "foster care," and is now with my adoptive mother in its "forever home." All of that sounds suspiciously like how we talk about relinquished infants/children.

I got email from her entitled "Hailey's forever home pictures" (the dog is apparently named Hailey) with photos attached. Gag.  In my experience only people who have never had biological children of their own think having an animal is the same thing.

 

Living on Red Alert

Paul Sunderland talks about it in his video. Tonight my wife wanted to rearrange some stuff in preparation for the impending arrival of our new baby. One of these changes involved moving my treadmill to a location where I would have my back to one of the doors leading outside. I basically lost it, I'd be way too uncomfortable with it in such a position to actually use it. I'd like to attribute this feeling to my sixteen years as a police officer but really I had these feelings before that. I wonder if I was attracted to the job in part because my constant vigilance is normal behavior in that circle? Then, of course, I started thinking "wow, I am nuts, no wonder no one wanted me." Isn't adoption fun?