We have entered a new chapter of life, where our family has increased by four feet! A perfectly adorable Pembroke Welsh Corgi joined us a few weeks ago and life has definitely not been the same since! Both my husband and I grew up with dogs, but this our first venture with owning one.
With that comes the delights of watching his floppy ear start to work its way skyward, the love of the hard puppy toys which result in slightly less razor-sharp teeth that frequent themselves on our clothing, and constant vigilance to protect our now mostly-white carpet. In the past two weeks, I have also discovered that social norms drastically differ for perfectly adorable puppy owner than the average 28-year old female taking a walk through the park.
Though I do not doubt that this will change once Nigel is a few pounds heavier, less soft, and has a bigger snout, his doting admirers (very friendly strangers) often share one commonly heard comment: referring to me as his *said in high-pitched baby voice* "Mommy!" The first time someone bestowed this title upon me, I was both shocked and slightly reviled. Now, after having heard it on many, many occasions from numerous sources, I am less shocked and slightly more reviled.
Yes, I am the (usually) happy owner of a perfectly adorable puppy, but Nigel is not my offspring. He is not my world. And, he is not the best thing to happen to me. The idolization of pets is never something I realized was such a huge deal until I got one. He is a DOG. He can keep me company, sure, but he can't speak truth into my life or enjoy hospitality with me or be a sounding board when I need wisdom. God created people for that role, and the more I'm aware of my own interactions with my dog, the more I am aware of the high pedestal so many pets are placed on. Humans were created and commanded to rule over the Earth (including animals) and to be good stewards of it, but the fact is that animals, even the perfectly adorable ones, are not what God made in His image. I am the Alpha Dog, but nothing more.
