Re: Dogs & kids in Camp

[K S Swigart <katswig@deltanet.com>]

On Mon, 26 Jan 1998, Julie Coats wrote:

> Ah, but to people who do not have or want kids,
> dogs, horses, etc are their family and just
> as important to them. 
> Julie

And Glenda Snodgrass wrote:

> >Some people don't like dogs.  I can understand and live with that.  I
> >personally don't like children.  However, I am willing to tolerate your
> >well-behaved children at camp if you are willing to tolerate my well-behaved
> >dog.  :))
> >
> >The Snodgrass Family
> >Glenda, Lakota (equine) & Bailey (canine)
> >Ruby, Charlie, Jerry & Wilson (serpentine)
> >In Memory Of:  Simon & Sarafina (lizardine)

As much as many of us would like to believe that our pets are like our
family and therefore entitled to the same rights as children....just try
convincing the restaurant or movie theater manager of that when you try to
take your pets (dogs or horses) out for a night on the town.

The argument "my dogs are like my children" argument is fatuous, to say
the least.  To make such a comparison when talking about where we take
them makes absolutely no sense.

My horses are MY "kids" (I don't have any dogs and I don't have any
children), but I don't expect to be able to take them to Disneyland with
me.

Whether dogs are appropriate companions at endurance rides is a completely
separate question from whether children are appropriate companions at
endurance rides, despite the fact that both dogs and children are loved by
their families and both dogs and children can be well-behaved or poorly
behaved and both dogs and children (assuming that the children are not
riding in the ride) are superfluous to the event.

Note also, that I don't have an opinion about either.  I have never been
bothered by bad dogs or bad children at a ride (even those running loose),
but that's just me.  The day they tell me that I can't bring my "kids"
(the horse) to endurance ride is the day I stop coming :)

kat
Orange County, Calif.