Simon Ateba sits at DuPont Circle in Washington DC on 16 June 2017. Photo: Jennifer EhidiamenHere at DuPont Circle in Washington DC, the lovely capital of the world, you see people pampering their dogs like human beings.
They give them premium food better than the one in my fridge. They also give them wine and artificial testicular implants to give the pet a ‘more natural look’.
American Pet Products Association even estimated that pet spending reached a shocking $63 billion last year.
In fact, 41 percent of Australian dog owners under 25 always bring their dogs on vacation.
A survey recently concluded that two-third of all dog owners consider their dog’s comfort when purchasing a car or getting a divorce!
Some dog owners ask judges to consider “the animal’s best interest” before ruling is given, an approach previously reserved to children!
In one famous case, a California woman spent $146, 000 on her divorce case, which centered around a (successful) bid for custody of Gigi, her pointer-greyhound mix.
There are also a cornucopia of lawyers for dog cases. There are now 150 North American law schools that teach animal law, including pet custody disputes.
In fact, pet and human healthcare spending is almost the same.
Shockingly, two companies now sell “cat wine”, a mixture of liquid catnip and beer juice. A bottle goes for about $12.
But people like me and millions others have so little to eat and drink in this same USA! You know, I have lived long enough, and got white hair by the way, to know that whether here in Washington DC where I’m writing this, or over there, wherever you’re reading it, the truth remains that in this country, the more I look, the less I understand.
SIMON ATEBA is the publisher of SIMONATEBA.COM. He’s operating from Washington DC