I was shopping in a pet store recently. I love to window shop in pet stores to see what fine tidbits I can find for Sambo. I was actually looking for a clicker to do some training with Sambo. He does pretty well with the usual commands such as sit, shake, shake other, roll over and now he is learning the dance command. He is also working on stay so that he does not pounce on someone the minute people walk in the door. However he needs to work on coming when we call him as once in a while he decides to sneak out and journey into the neighborhood.

As I was lurking in the aisles of the pet store I noticed all of the cute clothes that they had for our pets. There was a darling pink hot stuff sweater with rhinestones that would have complemented Sambo’s fur. The other owner of Sambo would not let his dog be seen in a pink sweater. I argued that Sambo could not possibly know the color was pink so it would not do anything to his ego. I then switched my argument to adopting a wife for Sambo and we could dress her in pink.

I do not know if dogs can detect color but our former pet Alexis, our cat, knew her colors. As long as the groomer put a pink bow in her hair it was left in for weeks. If it was any other color it was out the moment Alexis set foot back in our home. Maybe Sambo would know the difference. He is pretty smart.

As I strolled the aisles of the pet store I pondered the changes in the way we view and treat our pets in 2009. We were the owners of dogs when I was growing up. Our dogs never had clothes or sweaters unless I put my doll clothes on them. Our dogs ate table scraps. I don’t ever remember the variety of pet accessories and pet stores that we have now. Our dogs had dog houses but they weren’t anything special. They didn’t cost hundreds of dollars, and we didn’t spend a great amount of money on their beds.

When my pets died we buried them in a cardboard box and had a small funeral that little kids need. We didn’t spend money on cremation or pet burial. If our pets got sick they were put to sleep because no one had a lot of money to spend hundreds of dollars on surgery.

Times have changed. Our animals do become members of our family. We spoil them and sometimes we treat them like they are human. Right or wrong, we do that. Pets have become a huge business. You can find an outfit or a collar or a leash for your pet in any color or design. I recently read an article in a magazine stating that when your dog is outside in the winter he should have a jacket on to keep him warm and boots on his paws so that the ice pellets do not hurt his paws. It made sense to me.

However Sambo had other ideas. He has a Vikings jersey courtesy of his other owner. After all, the grandchildren and our children are in Gophers attire on Saturdays and Vikings attire on Sundays. Sambo had to fit in. Sambo will not move when he has his Vikings jersey on. It could be that he doesn’t like the Vikings but I suspect it has more to do with “I have hair, I don’t need clothes.” Boots are not to his liking either. He told me he likes the squishiness of the snow between his paws. Yes he does talk to me with his eyes.

There are pet spas where you can take your pet for pampering when you leave town. These spas offer piped-in music, raised beds, playtime, swimming pool, treadmill and cameras so you can check on your pooch. Funeral homes offer information on services and urns for pets. Our pets are sometimes treated better than many children that are growing up in many homes.

I asked myself what it is inside of ourselves that makes us feel the need to humanize our animals. I don’t have an answer. Maybe we are all searching for that unconditional love and we find it with our pets.

In spite of all the love we give to Sambo he escaped through an open fence door that his other owner accidently left open. When the open gate was noticed Sambo was already gone. We scoured the neighborhoods with our cars. Someone was in tears. It could have been me. The wonderful UPS man alerted me to Sambo’s whereabouts and I found him. The minute Sambo saw my van he came running and hopped into his bed in the back seat, happy to be home. During the short time he was missing I realized what he brought to our lives and how much he would be missed.

Sambo was adopted a couple of years ago from a pet rescue. Humane Societies and Pet Rescues are receiving many animals that have been abused or have had to be given up by their owners because they could not afford to keep them in these difficult times. I didn’t want a dog but the handsome guy I live with was insistent. He had lived with our cat for 16 years and now it was his turn for a dog. Now I can’t imagine our life without the antics of Sambo.

If you can’t or don’t have the means to adopt a pet, please support your local pet rescues and humane societies if you can. Humane Societies and pet rescues rescue animals from animal cruelty cases. If a person can abuse an animal think what they might do to a human being. It may seem silly that we are giving so much attention to our pets these days but it is a widely researched area. Pets can help you heal emotionally and physically.

Put a Sambo in your life and you will have a constant smile on your face. Of course at times you may be singing “Oh, where, oh, where has my little dog gone?”

Wells resident Julie Seedorf’s column appears every Monday. Send e-mail to her at thecolumn@bevcomm.net.