I really do love dogs (most dogs anyway), and I like cats alright. There is no reason to love a cat, because a cat doesn’t love you (there may be exceptions). The old saying that dogs have family and cats have staff is pretty accurate, I think. Not that this makes a dog a better pet. A dog loves you unconditionally, and really who wants the burden of that every day? But I do love dogs as a species. They have been a great blessing to humanity, and continue to be. Our ancestors could not have succeeded as hunter-gatherers, or as farmers without dogs. We are no less dependent on dogs today. Service dogs, rescue dogs, guide dogs, seizure dogs, police dogs, military dogs, watch dogs make society possible. I love dogs, and respect all they do for us. I need to establish this fact first of all, lest I lose you, dear reader, or gain your angry email. I doubt your emails will be as agitated as I get when I watch those commercials on television where someone describes themselves as a “pet parent.”

            The worst are the commercials for high-end dog foods. Concerned pet parents, these commercials assert, will make sure their pet-child eats the best. I want to say to that lady who insists on feeding Boomer free-range organic kibble: “Lady - that dog (any dog) will eat grease soaked coffee grounds out of the garbage can, and wag his tail while he is doing it” (2 Peter 2.22). Let me say unequivocally that a pet parent is a dog, a cat, a box-turtle, a kinkajou, a clown-fish…..but never a human. Humans give birth to humans, and parent humans. Animals give birth to and parent animals. Animals are not humans. Anthropomorphizing an animal is no favor to that animal. How is it a good thing to deny a creature’s true identity and nature?

            I love dogs. But the thing about a dog is that he (or she) is a dog, not a person. God made dogs for people, not people for dogs (Genesis1.28).

            Genesis makes clear that one of the oldest covenants we have is with the environment God gave us. He made it for us to live in, and expects us to act as stewards and caretakers (Genesis 2.15). Some would have us believe that all species are equal. This is not a biblical view. Others believe that cruelty, waste, and damage are not sinful. A person who is cruel to animals is a cruel person. A person who wastes resources is a wasteful person. A person who damages the world God gave us violates that ancient covenant to cultivate and keep the created world.

            But this world will end. People endure. Either in heaven or hell we endure. This is what matters. The love we have to give, the resources we have to invest, the patience we have to apply, the gifts we have to share, the wisdom we have to express – every good and perfect gift we have we have from God to pass along to each other (I Peter 4.10). It is easy to lavish these on our cute, cuddly pets and have none left for each other. But to do so is sin.