CD's,
I had a particular experience today.
I know a baby sitter. She is white and born in Canada. She has some deramatoligical problem and requires medication and constant visits to the doctor. She is around 50 and has a house. She gets around 21K per year as gross income from her baby sitting (2 or 3 people on an average). She also has to pay for the food and snacks that she gives to the babies while baby sitting. She gives tax receipts for the baby sitting and this means that she files her taxes.
IMO, She is living hand to mouth (she also told me so).
Now she has 2 dogs (one is visually blind) and 3 cats. Today one of the dogs bounced on me and it was a huge brute. It was then i realised that she must be spending a fortune on feeding them. She often goes to the pet store to buy them food.
IMO, is n't it a very bad financial management situation. Why should she keep and feed the 2 dogs and 3 cats when she struggles to have a good life herself.
Does the got give any money to take care of these cats and dogs? otherwise, why waste money on creatures which are less intellegent (IMO) than man himself?
Any ideas?
I canot advise her as to how she should lead her life but would like CD's to discuss as to if my ideas / preception is correct ot not. Answers from CD's would help me to consider if i should ever make friends with white people in Canada (IMO, some of them are totally crazy). In India, out of 1000 people, I would find one or 2 nutcases but in Canada, I seem to be meeting like 50% nutcases.
TK A

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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.

And I thought only opposites attract.

TK, I cannot advise you on how to live your life but why don't you get over this trivia and carry on.

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Originally posted by tamilkuravan

I seem to be meeting like 50% nutcases.
TK A

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Every dog (and cat) has it's day (in Canada)

Income has nothing to do with raising pets. In India, many slum dwellers have stray dogs as pets. Did you ever try asking them the same question?

Mind you those pets may be the reason she is alive. They may be the purpose of her living. Remember, unlike India children leave their parents as soon they turn 18 here, and seldom turn back to enquire their wellbeing. They share their joy and sorrow with pets. So never say why she spends money on pets. They are better than her children who left her, they will be with her until either they die or she passes away. Picture now?

I'm confused here TK... how do spending habits of a person matter in friendship? If you like a person (black, white, brown, green or whatever) and their company makes you feel good then why bother how s/he is spending their hard earned money. I think that every person reserves the right to spend as they please. It'd be a problem if she was cheating someone or spending someone elses's money and living under false pretences? I don't think that you have any right to judge her or other white people based on this anc call them nuts! Besides, in india, we have our share of so called nut-cases if you will.. they may not be spending money on animals but today so many people in india are living a fasad...they are drifting away from their culture and values... to me that would also fall in the nutcase category but it may not to you! Bottom line, we all do things that dont make sense to others but as long as our actions are NOT hurting anyone, I think there's no shame in it..even if it results in people thinking that we are nutcases!

One other thing to note, like Ranin said, these may be more than just dogs and cats to her. She appers to be very caring and thus is keeping a blind dog and providing it shelter. I know you think of these as JUST animals but she looks at them as God's creatures that need love and care. I see nothing wrong in what she's doing! If you don't see the humanitarian factor in this then i wonder what values you believe in!

PS: Is there any other kind of blind besides 'visually' blind?

Pets are a much more integral part of life in the west than in India. While obviously even desis love pets and it would be harsh to generalize, it is also true that most desis don't really want the hassle of keeping pets. Also, obviously keeping a pet can be restrictive, in terms of being able to take long vacations etc.
Additionally in India while some people keep pets(mainly dogs) as status symbols or just plain because they like them, often it is the servant who walks the dog or looks after it. That is not the case here.

I also feel that animals have a higher 'status' and 'want' factor here in the west than in India in a general sense.

That is why people like TK who think of animals as less 'valuable' than humans feel like they do. Here, a lot of people treat animals as a very integral and important part of the family and I believe that is how it should be.