Last Call: How Can Pets Contribute To Household Chores?
A Facebook post that made the viral rounds in India over the weekend shows Mukul Singh's golden retriever perched on a chair in front of a sink of dirty dishes scrubbing a bowl with a rag. The dog looks unhappy, or maybe just meditative, an expression humans also tend to assume when they are forced to do the dishes.
The Hindustan Times translates the caption as "You just laze around the house all day long. Do work, and then you will get food."
Maybe the dog is thinking, "Isn't it enough that I look adorable and provide unconditional love? Must I do hard labor also to earn my kibbles?"
My dog Joe carries his own poop bags on walks. Judging from the comments we get, this is an achievement. And once when we spilled a bag of dog food, he eagerly jumped in to help with the cleanup. He looked mildly interested when I told him about the dogs who turned roasting spits in medieval kitchens, although I think he was more interested in being in proximity to meat. But, like the other Takeout staff pets, he usually doesn't do much more than look adorable and provide unconditional love. (The cats sometimes can't even be relied upon to do that.)
This picture made us wonder, though: What if we could get our pets to contribute to the household chores? What would we ask them to do? Maybe stop barfing on the rug for one. Cleaning up that barf would be amazing. Dishes would also be nice. Also scrubbing the toilet. And given how much he wags his tail, Joe might be a natural at dusting and cleaning the bathtub.
Have you gotten your pets to help with chores? Please tell us everything.