Source: Shutterstock

From YourTango

My name is Liz Newman, and I love my dog like a human being; if we’re being totally honest, I actually love him more than most human beings. Ok, pretty much all human beings. Fine, I’d jump in front of the bus from Speed (so long as it didn’t plummet below 55mph!) for my dog, ok? There! I said it. (This is the part where you all say in unison: “Hi Liz”, and try not to judge me).

But wait! You can’t judge me, because according to a recent study by AVMA’s U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, singles are much more likely to identify pets as members of the family, rather than merely companions or property. This certainly applies to me as, like countless others, I’ve been burned by boyfriends, and managed to move on without overly dipping my pen in the crazy ink. But try and take my dog away? I’ll cut you.

In fact, to further reiterate that AVMA’s latest discoveries are totally founded, I, a single girl living in New York — and whose heart beats for a 7lb maltese (damn right, I fit the profile!) — am going to break down the top three findings with a corresponding, completely factual tail — I mean — tale.

1. Pet ownership among single people increased from 46.9% in 2006 to 54.7% in 2011.

It’s hardly a secret, pets inherently know only one way to love: unconditionally. I actually, and quite accidentally, acquired Joe (said 7b maltese) after a major breakup. I wasn’t even thinking about getting a dog, but he came into my life and was an instant healer; it was remarkable. This little guy is so overly excited when I return home he physically cannot stop running circles for a solid 30 minutes, unless it’s to shower me in nonstop affection. “Oh please, my boyfriend did that all the time,” said no one ever.

Red more on YourTango.com.

Source: Shutterstock

By Jada Gomez-Lacayo

I’m the proud owner of a 2-year-old cocker spaniel named Lola who lives up to her name’s pop culture references in every sense. I absolutely adore her, and judging from her wagging tail and happy little brown eyes when she sees me, I think she’s pretty crazy about me, too. My bond with my canine got me thinking about the way we view their two legged best friends — you know men– and though we tend to compare men to dogs when they’re at their worst, the truth is when they cheat or throw bands to make strippers dance, they’re not reflecting our four-legged friends at all.

I don’t think the “dirty old dog” connotation is quite as on point as it seems when we scream it after slamming a door, or playing Bey’s “Irreplaceable” as we delete his photos from Facebook. Dogs are busy little buggers, but they’re as loyal as they are mischievous, and their unconditional love is what makes them man’s best friend. Need a refresher on why all men really are dogs? Consider these 10 points:

Like dogs, men are loyal, protective, and a bit wayward

It’s like DMX says in his collabo with Aaliyah, “Every once in awhile I’ll break out the backyard to roam/ and get wreckless/ but I still know that home is home.” Lola loves to be free, but when it’s cold outside or she’s unsure about a bypassing dog who wants to sniff her butt, she clings to my side like a 5-year old clings to their mom on the first day of school. Like their canine brethren, men need to roam. They need to feel like they’re not tied to a post in the yard. If you’re looking for a guy who wants to be around you 24/7, expect some resistance back at the ranch. Just as it’s healthy for you to have a movie night, or a margarita or two, with your girls, it’s just as important for your guy to turn up with his friends every now and them. Let his crew come over for Sunday night football, and let him out so he can go to that Bachelor Party. But make sure you get some extra sweets when he comes through the door.

They Love to cuddle (But only when they want to…)

When Lola was first born and her breeder would send me pictures as she grew, I just knew I was getting a cuddle buddy. I assumed she would always want to curl up in my lap on the couch and watch movies, or sleep next to me in bed while I napped peacefully. From the day she arrived, it was clear that Lola was no one’s lap dog. She loves to give her version of a hug and kiss, and will curl up for some belly rubs, but she is not about that lap dog life. And the same is true for most guys. They love affection. Rub their back, give them kisses, and they are putty in your hands. But you’ve only got a short window for the lovey dovey. They will cuddle with you and hold you, but once that arms gets tired, they’re over it.

They’re absolutely helpless when sick

Most of the time Lola feels like my little sister more than a child like I assumed she’d be, but when she’s sick, she’s as helpless as a 4-year-old. When Lola is sick, I first have to figure out what caused it, and then how to keep her away from whatever caused her to throw up all over my couch in the first place. She’s usually just a mass of sickness, laid out with only enough gumption to resist whatever medicine she needs, unless I mask it in a treat. Although most guys hate to admit they’re even coming down with the sniffles, when the flu hits, they need their mom — or their woman. It’s not the time for “I told you so’s,” it’s time to play nurse. Feed them soup, cuddle up, and soothe them Claire Huxtable style. Just make sure they give you TLC when you’re under the weather.

They need attention

If you’re looking for a companion that needs minimal attention, then you’re probably not in the market for a dog or most men. Once Lola came into my life, I had to make room for her in my schedule. She needs to be walked and fed, needs a sitter when I go on vacation, and needs my attention every day. And to be honest, that’s fair. But if she doesn’t get enough, she’s very vocal about it. The same is true for the man in your life. Take the time out to be with him and only him. Listen and hear him. Find out about his day at work, what’s stressing him, what viral videos made him laugh. Considering they’re not as verbose as we are, they’re not likely to go on and on about coworker drama like your girlfriends might, so give them attention. It’ll mean the world.

They’re persistent and stubborn

Lola is a return to the scene of the crime kind of girl. And she has a thing for curlers. Whenever she visits my family, she goes on a hunt for my mom’s curlers. Once she eyes the bag, she’s on a one-dog mission to chew on some mesh. It drives me nuts, and there’s no stopping her. And sometimes I just want her to sit down. Guys are the definition of stubborn. They don’t ask for directions, they know how to set up the HD TV without any directions, and they’ve got to be right. Just look at their Twitter feeds. No solutions for this one, it’s just the way of the world like the elements Earth, Wind and Fire always say.

Source: brownstoner.com

Greetings Canine Collectors,

Did you get the memo? Wednesday is the official start of summer (I know Memorial Day weekend gets folks confused…). I’ve noticed in my years of living in big cities that not only does warm weather bring out hoochies, hoodlums and hot messes, but it also brings out you all, dog owners, ready to stand on corners and show off your pets. But while that shouldn’t be a problem, I’ve found that people with the least amount of common sense are some of the ones holding onto the leashes of these overgrown, overweight pitts, German shepherds, rottweilers, mastiffs, wolfdogs, and all the intimidating canines your mind can conjure up.

If this is you, please do better.

While writing this post I actually came across yet ANOTHER news story about a child being attacked outside of her apartment in Harlem by someone’s crunk a** dog. If that weren’t enough, a few weeks ago a little boy in the Bronx got bitten on the neck and face by a dog. I even had a family friend get bitten on the arm by a dog after it was accidentally hit with a basketball during a pick-up game. And don’t worry, I have my own story scary story to share with you.

While walking home last month minding my own dang business, two young women were walking…make that, walking by a dog in their possession. It was a grey boerboel with a large chest, a big head and a penchant for running at top speed to find just the right tree to pee on. He was doing that near trees on my street as I walked to my apartment, and every time he would pick up speed, I would use my childhood knowledge about dealing with crazed canines to deal–I would just stand still. He would eventually stop running and wind up at a tree next to me. At one point, I had to yell at the dog as I crossed over to my gate and he lurched at me. It was FINALLY then that the girls yelled at the dog too and yanked him back–only to let his leash go again.

As I hid behind my gate after the fact, I watched in horror two minutes later as this huge dog evaded his dumb a** handlers and raced down the street at the sight of a woman with her two small dogs. Lunch I guess? As he proceeded in their direction at frightening speed, the woman grabbed up the leashes of her little dogs and screamed at the young ladies: “GET YOUR DOG!!!!” At the sight, a man ran down the street to help and proceeded to hit the dog to get him to stop jumping at the lady. What did this crazed dog’s handlers have to say to that reaction?

“DON’T HIT MY DOG!!!”

Oh, word?

Before I knew it, the dog had raced away like a mad man and was almost hit by a car trying to get away from his failed attempt at using smaller dogs for rag dolls. Those two young ladies were left running down the street in an attempt to grab his leash, as they should have done minutes before. And as a woman who watched the whole thing go down walked past me, she said exactly what I was thinking:

“I hope the damn dog gets hit by a car! How can you not have a dog like that on a leash!?”

GIRL, who are you telling???

Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve found that a lot of you dog owners out there treat dogs like your children. That’s cool if that’s what you want to do, but just as I don’t like when people assume I want to be trying to entertain their child or have their child wake me up while I sleep on my flight because they want to run down the aisles, I wish you wouldn’t assume that everybody likes dogs and want them walking around off of a leash, slobbering on our legs, and pooping in front of our homes as you fail to clean up their mess. I can’t tell you how many piles of dog crap I’ve had to do the Heisman on just to walk down the street to get to the store. And I’ve seen enough scary news stories because folks underestimated the crazy in their canine. Do you know what they’re thinking when you let them hop up on people? You might know your pet, but you don’t know them THAT well, so if they bite my a** then you and I both will be looking stupid.

I just want to say that in this upcoming season of hot weather and the freedom of all (students, dogs, etc.), please be a bit smarter about how you handle your pets when you’re out in public. As cute as they are sometimes, you underestimate how much you could be scaring a child or even a grown  adult when you let their growling behinds roam too free or get too close. And just because you leave them tied to a hydrant or pole while you run an errand doesn’t mean they won’t cause chaos while you’re gone. I’m just asking folks to be more aware, because it’s bad owners that create bad dogs, and it’s these bad dogs that give all dogs a bad name (just ask the very misunderstood pitbull and rottweiler families). You aren’t a dog whisperer, and I doubt your dog is Lassie, so please do better when you bring your canines around others, because they don’t all play nice.

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Well, that’s interesting. NFL player Michael Vick, who spent time in prison for dog fighting,  will sit on the couch of dog lover Oprah Winfrey later this month for an interview.  Oprah is well known for her love of animals. Her furry friends have even shared space with her on the cover of O Magazine.

Find out more about the interview over on AOL Black Voices.

Do you think people should just leave Vick alone since he has completed his prison sentence or do you think he wasn’t punished enough and deserves the criticism?