by Marianne Lange

Created on: July 10, 2008

It's true! Americans are obsessed with their pets. Look at some of the pet products that are out there; it's pretty excessive and in the eyes of some, even downright ridiculous. Wardrobes and furniture for pets? Leona Helmsley's dog has more money than most of us will see in two lifetimes. Having said that, there's more to the story of Americans and their pooches.

In just about every city and small town across this country, you will find people who spend a great deal of time with their pets. Doing what? Working! This piece is dedicated to all the working dogs out there, and the numbers of them and activities in which they participate; all of which are growing daily. Even those pets who may not yet have "a job" bring happiness and satisfaction into the lives of their "humans." They are working.

Dog obedience classes have been going on for years but their popularity is growing exponentially. The basics that dogs learn in these classes have set the foundation and whet the appetite of many for new adventures. Besides the typical dog shows, which also greatly adds to our pampered pooches' skills, we have many "new" service dogs.

Almost everyone would be familiar with the term "seeing eye dogs" as they were once called, but now there is a broader group, Canine Working Companions for example, who perform the most unbelievable tasks for their humans. These dogs serve as companions for the blind, deaf, para and quadriplegics; there are even seizure dogs, cancer sniffing canines, search and rescue, drug sniffing, bomb sniffing, protection and one of my favorites the therapy dogs. These last do a noble job of showing affection to the elderly, disturbed teens and abused children. Most nursing homes today have their regulars who come to work to bring some joy or peace into lives that are empty. I had the privilege of having one of these kind souls who brought joy to many.

These canine companions are amazing. They learn to open doors, climb everything, put clothes in the washer, pick up phones, perceive all kinds of danger and bring comfort most of all. I remember reading a story of the seizure dogs. One person experienced upwards to 60 seizures a day. They were housebound. When they tried to go out, if they had a seizure, and they would, not only did they have to worry about hurting themselves by falling or worse, they had to worry about being robbed. When the seizure was passed, a person might still be "out" for a period of time. Anything can happen then. These dogs would lie on top of their person until he or she came to. In the meantime this accomplished two things, it stopped the thrashing about but it also discouraged any whose intent was harm. When the person became conscious, the dog would be "released."

For those who serve in war and in police agencies, they serve willingly and sometimes pay the ultimate price. There is no shortage of stories about them and the people they've saved over their careers. Many dog periodicals have stories of canines that saved their families from fire or intruders. So yes, some of our pooches are pampered but many deserve it and more.

How empty our lives would be without them! How boring! Sometimes, their crazy behavior just makes us laugh. It brings relief or a moment's release from the stress of the day or the hardship of a trial. Pampered? Maybe. Deserving? Definitely!

Learn more about this author, Marianne Lange.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.