Mike Cox I share a home with a lovely, intelligent woman, nine fish, and a Shetland Sheepdog named Boogie. I know my place in the pecking order, so I try to suck up to the Sheltie as often as possible. Sometimes it’s easy; all you need is a box of Cheezits.

Other times, it presents more of a problem. Boogie, like most of her breed, is energetic, loving, demonstrative, and active. And as anyone who has ever owned one can attest, she is also insane.

When her master is around, I’m accepted. I guess she figures as long as the woman of the house lets me stay, she will also. There are even times when we can co-exist without the boss around. I can pet her, feed her, even get her to wag her tail. Then, suddenly, I become an axe murderer and she barks threateningly at every move I make.

I don’t take this personally. I realize dogs, like most domesticated animals, are still animals. They operate through a network of senses and reflexes, and everything they do is based on something either they or one of their ancestors experienced.

I’m lucky enough to live with someone who, like me, understands the difference between pets and humans. Loving your animals and giving them the best of care is one thing. Treating them like your child is another.

But if someone wants to believe their pet’s behavior is a sign of intelligence, understanding, or human–like attitude, that’s okay with me. However, I do find it amusing when someone seems to go a little too far in that direction.

There is no shortage in today’s world of savvy marketing people who use emotion to induce impressionable people to believe a certain way especially if it involves spending some money. So it’s easy to see how some pet owners can be induced into treating their pets like little people.

Understanding all this, I still am having trouble with something I saw at Publix last week. While we were there buying senior dog food for our precious little Boogie, I saw something on a nearby shelf called savory sauce for dogs.

If I understand the premise correctly, the sauce enables a person to flavor the dog’s food so it will be more appetizing. Think about it. How hard is it to get dogs to eat? The little darlings will eat anything you place in front of them, and I do mean anything.

There is nothing so rotten, smelly, or disgusting, a dog won’t eat if given the chance. The mind numbs and this newspaper will refuse to print things dogs have devoured. Every dog owner who has allowed his pooch to get outside can tell you horror stories of something unacceptable his dog has dined on. Even a novice knows the first sign of a sick pooch is an unwillingness to eat.

And now someone has convinced pet owners the processed food their dog eats needs improved flavor. Boy, was P.T. Barnum right.