Our unplanned personal petland

People in our neighbourhood have a thing for dogs. Our neighbour releases her hound for barking practice at least three times a day.  A pit bull named "Angel" frequents our park across the street. Another woman brings her border collies to play fetch.  

Apparently, few in our area have heard of the no-leash dog park one kilometre south of us. That park is so popular that the city just built a new parking lot for it.  

I enjoy seeing dogs run around... in a confined area far away from my home. That's really the extent of my love for dogs, even though I may have once had a fondness towards. The fondness ended in my childhood after four of our dogs died in succession. You see, for a time my family had a penchant for buying overly active dogs that liked to chase everything from cows to cars. The car chases rarely ended well. Even cow chases sometimes ended in injury. 

It was only when we were given a Rottweiler that the string of deaths finally came to an end. People feared coming onto our yard, but it was an acceptable trade-off. 

On the farm, having a guard dog is understandable. Or at least a dog that will keep the deer at bay, which was becoming a constant problem for my parents (their evergreens were no longer so green). In the city, I don't want a dog confined to my home. 

In fact, I'm okay without any animals. Do I need an animal to snuggle up to me when I come home from work? Not really. Do I need a so-called companion? I'm happily married, so again, not really. Do I sound like a complete deadbeat dad when I tell my daughter an average pet costs $30/month? Probably. (I haven't actually told her that, by the way.)   

Despite my distaste for most domesticated critters, this past month I caved. My wife wanted a canary. So she phoned me one day from a pet store and indicated her intentions. I understood. After all, I have cravings, too. Usually for non-living things that require little to no maintenance or affection, but there's a give-and-take in every marriage. 

My daughter and her non-dog

Then it was my daughter's turn. Her friend, God bless her, got a dog as an early Christmas present. Naturally, this made my daughter wonder why she couldn't have a furry, affectionate animal to slobber all over her. She knew a dog was out of the question, so she contemplated a hamster. Hamsters are okay, I suppose, but they're still rodents. Coming from a farm, I'm so used to killing rats and mice I'm not sure how I would react (I'm very unpredictable).  

But then I surprised even myself when I suggested a cat. I must have a subconscious love for felines. They can be cuddly without being clingy; they're somewhat independent and don't require outdoor bathroom breaks.  

So last week my wife and I visited the Humane Society and made the plunge. My daughter's first response? "So does this mean we're not getting a hamster?" Child, we thought to ourselves, you're getting the equivalent of a sports car instead of a tricycle! Forget the furry rodent! 

She forgot about it soon enough. The cat is (so far) a fine companion and also offers great entertainment. It's amazing how she always finds a way onto our canary's cage. 

But this, I certainly hope, is the extent of our pet adventures.  

While I concede that a hamster may still one day be in the offing, I can assure you, it won't be a dog.

Early thoughts on Election Armageddon

When I texted "Happy Armageddon Day!" to my family the morning of the U.S. election, it was a joke. I, like most Canadians and Democrats (perhaps Republicans, too), felt Hillary was going to win the night. Now that the joke's over (or just starting), I thought it might be therapeutic to write down my thoughts on a Trump electoral victory... And yes, after this election, I may need therapy. 

Women and minorities obviously didn't show up to vote, at least not in big numbers. Multiple women accusing Trump of sexual harassment had little long-term effect. And African-Americans, Latinos, and Muslims, all targets during Trump's campaign, failed to overcome the white voter turnout. As Michael Moore foreshadowed, this was white male America's last kick at the can. And they kicked it hard. They know they're losing their political strength, so have mounted a campaign against the "political elites." This could be their last stand, but it will be a prominent one.

A former Republican president of the United States, George W. Bush, did not vote for Trump.  This is nothing short of extraordinary. Compared to Trump, the president who led America into an unnecessary war that Americans are still fighting to this day, looks more and more like a saint. 

Speaking of sainthood, is there something inherently evil I don't know about Hillary Clinton other than her use of a personal e-mail server? I'm still trying to figure this out. Whatever her vast accomplishments over the last 30 years, they failed to resonate. They failed to even resonate with Democrats, hence the rise of a socialist senator named Bernie Sanders. Really makes you wonder if he could have won...

The effects of the 2008 financial crisis are still being felt. While the crisis helped propel the first black president to power, it also sowed the seeds for malcontent in America's rust belt that ultimately awarded Trump the presidency. Both the far left (Sanders) and the right fed off the economic malaise of the last eight years. Economic recessions are seedbeds for political radicalization, which can be sometimes good, and well, sometimes disastrous. 

It's an unfortunate reality that the entire world is influenced by how Americans vote. Being the global power that it is, the U.S. can give the world a cold by sneezing. You can bet the world is aghast at the election results. Not only is Trump known to be highly temperamental and undiplomatic, he's also largely ignorant of foreign matters. I can foresee him easily influenced by self-motivated advisors, military generals, and world leaders including America's newest ally, Vladimir Putin. 

Speaking of Putin, will Trump use his new position of power to grow his business? As an astute businessman who worked tax loopholes to his benefit, I can't see why not. Starting with massive tax cuts to the wealthy, he may well be on his way to becoming not just a very wealthy president, but an extraordinarily wealthy president. I'm not sure if he'll compete with Putin's $40 billion in accumulated wealth while president, but the sky's the limit for those who seek office. 

The Republican-controlled Congress may be the only check and balance on a temperamental president. Many Republicans don't like Trump. As Obama's tenure showed, the office of the president is limited by Congress, at least to an extent. Trump will have to wine and dine many a Congressman to get his way – with his ego, something he may be loathe to do. 

So much for action on climate change. If there's one thing that Trump and his Republican colleagues in Congress agree upon, it's that climate change does not exist. After all, it's a hoax developed by the Chinese. As laughable as Trump's statement was, it's clear that the Paris Agreement will be set back another 4-8 years when it comes to addressing one of the world's most imminent environmental threats. 

           That's all I got for now. Group therapy, anyone?