Why do we love our pets so much?

Sometimes I must ask myself this question. Not that I DON'T love my pet, far from it. But there are times when you question your sanity with regards to your pet, and this is one of those times.

The dog is driving me crazy. My husband has gone out of town for four days, and the dog is clearly blaming me for this problem. He hates any variation in his day-to-day schedule. We need to get up at approximately the same time every day, leave for at least part of the day (I'm assuming this is when the dog gets his rest), come home at the same time, and go to bed at the same time. Variations on this theme are not tolerated.

The problem began this morning as my husband began packing. When the suitcase comes out, the dog gets upset. Suitcases mean bad things. We don't take suitcases to the park or the skating rink, which means it may be a trip he's not going on, or (almost as bad) it may be a long trip in the car. Not that he hates trips, but he hates being trapped in the car for that long. Anyway, the dog began following us from room to room, but he dodged out of the way every time one of us reached to pet him. He was pissed.

Packing continued to annoy him. By the time my husband finished, the dog had planted himself at the front door, attempting to block our passage. He sat with his back to us, showing his dislike for the situation. It was to no avail. We brushed him aside, shoved him away from the door (an open door is frequently an escape and subsequent chase around the neighborhood), and left him sulking in the living room as we went off to the airport.

I came back by myself, and so the dog was left with no other option but to blame me for the lack of "Daddy" in the house. He's been walking aimlessly from room to room ever since I got home, yipping forlornly. You'd think with behavior like this that he is normally lovey-dovey and can't stay away from us when we're home, but he's actually very standoffish, much like a Siamese cat. He wants to know where you are, but he doesn't want to be "with" you. It's the fact that his normal routine has been disrupted that is irritating him, and so he's going to take it out on me. I anticipate the behavior will escalate as the evening wears on, and when bedtime comes and there is still no "Daddy", he's likely to be restless all night so I don't expect much sleep. I won't sleep well anyway since my husband isn't here.

Why do we put up with pet behavior? Why can't I just have a fish instead? Why did God make animals so darned cute that we keep them around? I don't know. Stay tuned for four nights of annoying dogness...