Walking on a street, I saw three dog owners pushing their pet dogs in strollers. I’ve seen people give their dogs Christmas advent calendars, giving them a small treat each day leading up to Christmas. On my Amazon feed I even saw a bottle for a dog/cat facial:

“3 in 1 full body shampoo, facial cleanser, and color brightener for your pet!”

“Pamper your pet with a facial that is both aromatherapeutic and pH balanced!”

There’s even tear stain remover for dogs and wrinkle paste to clear their wrinkles! When should we draw the line when it comes to pampering our pets?

If you’re a pet owner, at this point you might be wondering, “What’s so bad about caring for and spoiling your pet a bit?” Although I’ve never had a pet, I can understand the feeling of wanting to take care of someone you love. Many of the ways people raise their pets, however, can ultimately harm them.

Going back to the people I saw pushing dogs in a stroller, I think it’s okay to carry your dog once in a while, but most of the time it’s better to let them walk on their own. Similar to us, dogs and other pets need exercise. It’s better for their health to let them run around and burn off their energy. As you probably know, more exercise is better for anyone, whether they’re a person or animal.

The issue with the advent calendar, though, is a bit harder to fix. Many foods made for pets now are possibly filled with many chemicals that are bad for your pet’s health. However, it definitely isn’t easy or convenient to cook food for your pet each day. That choice can be very expensive as well. To keep your pet healthy, feed them food that is organic. Although that is also very vague, most products similar to advent calendars are for commercial purposes and most likely will harm your pet’s health.

Lastly, the facial. Can you figure out what I’m about to say? But, okay, to be honest, I never would have even thought that a thing like this would exist. Putting aside the fact that facials for pets are probably made with even more chemicals than the facials that humans use, are pets really able to benefit from “aromatherapeutic” treatment? Most may argue that they could. But this is probably based upon the fact that we humans can benefit from these types of treatment. Companies working in this industry are appealing to the idea that since we benefit from it, our pets must benefit from it too. And if you spend money to buy these, you’re not only wasting your money, but contributing it to a rising industry that should be put down.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t care for your pet. Pets, for many people, are the biggest source of happiness in their daily lives. Therefore, they are willing to go to a large extent to help them live the best life they can. Although many pet products can make it seem like they will make your pet happier, in reality, that’s not how most of them work. Before you buy these items for your pet, think about whether it will truly make a difference.