By Tammy Malgesini
Staff Writer
Published on March 15, 2016 12:01AM
When asked if I have children, I tell people I have two canine kids.
John and I are currently raising Lucifer, 6, and the General, 3, both German shepherds. And, they are very important members of the Malgesini pack.
It seems life insurance companies also understand the value of dog ownership in regards to a person’s health. When I was shopping for a new policy, among the questions my insurance agent asked was did I own a dog.
An article I recently read on WebMD also touted the benefits of being a pet owner. Written by Jeanie Lerche Davis, “5 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health” was reviewed for inclusion on the site by Dr. Louise Chang, who is board certified in internal medicine. The article isn’t merely a pet lover gushing about their animals — the content is actually endorsed by a medical professional.
“Pets help lower blood pressure and lessen anxiety,” Davis said in the article.
While I totally agree with this, I also can attest that pets can act out in ways that raise your blood pressure and increase anxiety. Like the time Lucifer chewed the remote control — then a short time later, he gnawed another and then a third one.
Growing up during the pre-remote control world, the convenience of changing the channel without having to get up is now firmly embedded in our lifestyle. After the third remote bit the dust, Lucifer and I had a serious sit-down.
Lucifer is John’s dog and his affinity for remote controls was putting his status as man’s best friend at risk. Even though my lecture probably was comprehended as, “Lucifer, blah, blah, blah ... no, blah, blah, blah,” he seemed to understand the severity of the situation and discontinued the attack on the remote controls.
As for my dog, the General seems to exhibit symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. At about 6 months old he got weird about drinking out of only one bowl in the house.
Overall, it’s not a big deal if he prefers running downstairs to get a drink — even though he jumped over a perfectly good bowl of water sitting next to the daybed. However, it becomes an issue when that’s the only bowl he’ll consume water from.
One time during a pack outing, I was concerned that he’d become dehydrated or get heatstroke. Panting heavily, his tongue was dangling from his mouth. I finally ended up sucking water out of my CamelBak and then spit it into his mouth. While he didn’t protest, I’m sure it looked rather odd to anyone who might have witnessed it.
Our dogs definitely add to our life ... and you just can’t beat the excitement they exhibit when greeting us at the door after a long day at work.
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Tammy Malgesini is the community editor. Her column, Inside my Shoes, includes general musings about life. Contact her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.
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