Pets are not people, not more worthy of life than humans. I distinctly remember experiencing reverse culture shock to an extreme when I came home for a quick vacation during my teaching stint in Honduras. Fresh off the plane, I went to one of my brother’s lacrosse games. I overheard person after person talk about their pets. I felt like an alien. Thoughts of Honduran life consumed me: I live next to children who wear the same clothes every week. These pet fanatics probably spend more money on their furry friends than then my neighbors will ever see.
Penny hanging out at a July fourth event in northern Mexico
I moved home July 2007 after 15 months of teaching in Central America. I started dating my now husband, and he introduced me to Penny Lane.
Seven-year-old Penny has been a part of my life for three years now. She’s a 70-pound white Labrador and Shepherd mix. Her annoying white hairs weave themselves into the threads of my shirts, ruin every blanket we own and even creep underneath the plastic-covered display screen of my cell phone. But I love her more than I ever thought loving a dog was possible.
She’s lived in Mexico with us this past year, but her arthritic hind knee can’t handle much more of the desert terrain. Thorns everywhere, concrete everywhere — neither one a dog’s best friend. Living in Latin America with a pet ostracizes you a bit from the culture you’re surrounded by. Most animals just hang around, very few have names and there’s way too many people in a Mexican family to recruit a pet for the position.
I don’t spend all my time talking about her, but I find that a big part of American culture is sharing pet stories. We allow them to take a place in our culture they just wouldn’t have in others. Especially now, when we are about to part ways, I’m learning that attachment to a faithful slobberer doesn’t necessarily dehumanize the humans who also need my attention.
Gena Thomas is a women’s coop laborer and faith-based coffee shop co-manager with her husband. For more on her experiences, check out her blog.
Latest posts by genalou
- Cheesecake Philosophy - July 11th, 2011
- Counter-Culture Appreciation - January 31st, 2011
- Maneuvering Mexico's Methods - December 31st, 2010
- Pregnant in Latin America - Now What? - December 17th, 2010
- Unregistered Nursing - November 19th, 2010
- On Coffee and Marriage - November 5th, 2010
- Combat Mosquitoes with Karate Moves - October 22nd, 2010
- Day in the Life: Bungee Fun - October 13th, 2010
- Skyping for School - September 24th, 2010
- Worlds Apart - September 10th, 2010
