Anyone who watched U.S. president Donald Trump’s announcement of the death of ISIS leader Abu al-Baghdadi was treated to the usual Trump verbal garbage soup. Only Trump could take what would be seen as a triumph for the White House and ruin it.
We did learn about Conan, the heroic German shepherd, who helped with the operation. Of course, later in the speech, Trump describes the ISIS leader as having “died like a dog.”
Now that got me thinking, when it comes to language and other things it seems – dogs get the short stick (pun intended) compared to their furry feline friends.
For one, cats have catnip. What do dogs have? Nothing that I can think of. How fair is that? It’s not. Cats get to cut loose and have some wicked fun but dogs have to be all serious.
In addition, dogs are man’s best friend. That’s a lot of pressure. Not only that, but dogs work as service animals. They provide invaluable service to visually impaired people, those suffering from PTSD, and many others. Dogs also work as therapy animals for children and other vulnerable people in stressful situations such as in the hospital, courthouse or accident site.
Could you see a cat doing any of that? Seriously? Do you even ever see a cat coming to someone when being called? Unless there is food involved? Cats do what they want, when they want. Which is usually sleeping.
Even when it comes to colloquialisms, those little phrases we use, dogs get the shaft.
Lazy as a dog. Well, surely, those service dogs and dogs like Conan aren’t lazy. You know who’s lazy? Cats. That’s who. Gone to the dogs. Well, that’s not good either. It means things aren’t good. Sick as a dog. Well, another one that’s not really too good. No one wants to be as sick as a dog. Because that means really sick. Can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Oh come now. You’re telling me because I’m no spring chicken (sorry, chickens, this column is about dogs and cats) but does that mean my learning days are behind me? I don’t accept that. And don’t get me started on the hair of the dog.
Now what phrases do cats get? All the good ones, that’s what. Cat nap. Oh, that sounds good right now. Scaredy-cat. OK, that’s not so good. Cats are kind of afraid of a lot of things. But if you want to get rid of mice, they can come in handy. The cat’s pajamas. OK, what kind of cat wears pajamas? Have you been into my catnip?
As nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. OK, that’s just mean. Poor kitty. Curiosity killed the cat. That’s even worse. Dang. See what I mean. Poor cats. I mean, seriously, you don’t even have to let them outside to go to the bathroom. They can do their business in a box in the house. Super handy.
OK, maybe cats don’t have it so easy in popular sayings. After all, there is more than one way to skin a cat is just rude. Let the cat out of the bag. Why would you have a cat in a bag in the first place? They just go on and on.
Look, no matter what you prefer -- people seem to be either cat folk or dog folk – we all love our animals. They make a home a home. They give us all unconditional love. In exchange, all they ask is to be let out, fed and given the occasional belly rub.
Craig Lindsay is the Mountain View Gazette reporter
