Some people don’t like dogs. We get it. They’re not for everyone. And if you don’t like them, by all means, please, don’t adopt them. But a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed titled “The Many Reasons Not to Own a Dog” made us feel a little growly.
In the curmudgeonly article by Joe Queenan (which you must pay to read, in addition to completing a lengthy subscriber onboarding process), he propagates several untruths about dog ownership and insults dog lovers to boot. We’re here to call B.S.
While we have no beef with the Wall Street Journal per se, we heartily object to Queenan’s anti-dog rhetoric. So we’re going to take down his arguments, one by one, and prove that dogs aren’t the problem; human attitudes that stink worse than dog poo are. Without further ado, here’s why the Wall Street Journal is wrong about dogs.
Dogs are beneficial to human health
Queenan states that “dog lovers retain a jaw-dropping ability to ignore unimpeachable evidence that dogs do not, in fact, improve your quality of life.” He then cites a mere two personal anecdotes in which he and a friend were injured chasing the same puppy. Of course, accidents can happen in canine or human interactions, but research shows that owning a dog benefits both the dog and their owner.
The National Institutes of Health states that “interacting with animals has been shown to decrease levels of cortisol (a stress-related hormone) and lower blood pressure. Other studies have found that animals can reduce loneliness, increase feelings of social support, and boost your mood.”
Can someone get Queenan an old-fashioned dictionary so he can look up the definition of “unimpeachable”? Thanks.
Dogs are as diverse as humans
In the article, Queenan lumps all dogs together, a telltale sign of ignorance. Hundreds of dog breeds exist, and canine temperament and behavior vary widely across them. Every dog has unique needs and will be better suited to different dog owner lifestyles. If you’re a senior citizen like Queenan, a rambunctious puppy might not be suitable for you! (Though we have several persuasive reasons why dogs make excellent canine companions for retirees.) Perhaps Queenan should consider a senior dog and/or a breed with lower energy and exercise needs. (On second thought, we hope he doesn’t ever adopt a dog.)
Dog owners don’t have to be physically able to walk a dog
Before you jump to conclusions, we mean that while all dogs require exercise, you don’t necessarily have to provide it. People of all physical abilities can give dogs loving homes and find ways to meet their canine’s physical activity needs.
Queenan’s argument is that he recently had a rotator cuff repaired, and therefore cannot walk a dog. “If a dog on a leash should go lunging after a squirrel or the DoorDash driver it’s going to wreck my shoulder for good,” he writes.
Well, guess what? There are these nifty things called dog-walking apps, with which you can hire someone to walk your dog! What’s more, in the case of an injury or a disability, hands-free leashes allow you to walk your pup without the use of your upper body!
But tell us again why you can’t walk a dog, Queenan. Oh, right. It’s not because he can’t, but because he doesn’t want to. “I was not put on this planet to walk dogs, and this is a situation that is never going to change,” he writes. Thankfully, many people on the planet happily walk their own dogs and other people’s, too!
You can have dogs in your life without owning them
According to PureWow, a hot 2023 dog trend is “fairy dog parents,” a newfound concept that caring for a dog doesn’t have to be the undertaking of just one person.
“Many pets are finding their care in the hands of multi-generational hands—whether it’s grandparents taking their grown children’s pets on walks or for overnights, or even younger generations sharing pets with parents who might not be able to tend to them full-time,” Sarah Ashley writes.
In the same way that it “takes a village” to raise a child, sometimes dog owners need a support system of people to help them meet their pet’s needs. These helpers are called “fairy dog parents.”
Queenan might be shocked to hear that the four weeks a year he spends “frolicking” with his son’s dogs qualifies him as a fairy dog parent. Congrats!
Dogs can be expensive, but they don’t have to be
One of Queenan’s canine gripes is: “Dogs are expensive. They constantly need tendon surgery or exotic medications or reprogramming for personality orders [sic] such as lunging at strangers or snacking on $1,795 Christian Louboutins.”
Just like every writer needs an editor (see typo above), every dog needs ongoing veterinary care. But it doesn’t have to break the bank. Thanks to free and low-cost vet clinics, community resources like pet food shelves, and pet insurance, dog owners can find the financial support they need. People of all socioeconomic levels can and do take care of dogs. The real question is why anyone would spend $1,795 on a pair of shoes. Do you know how many shelter dogs you could feed with that money?
Dogs are not the problem
In his most bizarre argument, Queenan mentions (but does not cite) research that claims “apps used to keep track of a dog’s whereabouts or monitor its heartbeat can easily be hacked, exposing pertinent login information and even revealing the pet owner’s current whereabouts.” We’re pretty sure you could say that about, oh, every app in existence. To blame dog apps alone for identity theft or nefarious behavior is not only shortsighted, but it’s also pointing the finger at the wrong species. Dogs don’t steal data or rob houses; people do. Maybe Queenan’s next article should be “The Many Reasons Not to Trust People.”
The Wall Street Journal is wrong about dogs
After reading Queenan’s piece, and our counterpoint, perhaps we can all agree that there’s a reason many people prefer the company of dogs to humans. We’ll take a messy, loud, expensive dog over a privileged and bitter writer any day!
