Mummy of a different name...

Let me start this by stating I am not an animal person. It's not that I don't like animals, it's just that animals and I have never really bonded.

My animal ownership is very limited. When we were little we had a English Settler x Sheep Dog. A lovely black and white puppy that liked to share lemonade ice blocks and chew my barbies to pieces. She also loved to chase us around. And because she was so big, and we were so small, she bowled us over and the "games" always ended in tears. In the end (when my sister was born) we gave her to a farmer. No she didn't "go to the farm" but yes, she did go to the farm. We visited her. She loved it.

The next pets I remember are in no particular order because they all ranked equally boring in my outlook. There was a few budgies, some peach faced loved birds, gold fish, a cat called Sandy and various chickens.

The cat called Sandy "belonged" to my sister. As did the birds. I think of all our pets I liked Sandy the best. I get cats. They love a cuddle but are cool enough to do their own thing. And they seem sneaky which is cool. Sandy was run over on Christmas Eve when we were out visiting friends.

The chickens were practical. We had a number of them over the years. They ate our scraps and gave us eggs. Winning. But they ran at me while I tried to collect the eggs and threatened to peck me, so I didn't like them much. Also, my chicken died in the Great Flood. That is, the great flood of our chook pen.

Since moving out of home I've had a number of fighting fish. They were pretty cool and seemed to have a good life innings. Until one died on my birthday. That was the end of fish ownership.
  
The kids ask for a puppy all the time but I just know it will be me looking after it, and frankly I can't be bothered. I'm sure if given the chance though, I'd be quite the animal person... actually I doubt that.

But this blog wasn't intended to be a boring run down of my tragic pet history. It was intended to be about the crazy dog lady I've seen recently and the subject of "Fur Mummies".

I don't get fur mummies. I understand people having pets and treating them a their "children" until they have human babies. These pets tend to receive the affection a human baby would get until a human baby comes along. I understand people who choose not to have children and have pets instead, and I understand people who sadly can't have children and opt have pets instead.

But I don't understand people treating their pets exactly as you would a human baby. I have friends who buy their pets Christmas presents. That's cool. Pets need things. But don't go to extreme. It's the people (like the lady in my neighbourhood) who pushes her ugly, squashed up pug dog in a baby's pram and takes him for walks. Seriously, if your dog can't walk, why push it around in a pram? If someone can explain it to me that would be great.

Until then I'm going to continue to be amazed and somewhat disturbed by this crazy lady.