Daleisha N.

Milln Garca
INGL 3201-L03
Response Paragraph
June 11, 2014
Living A Lie
Many people love animals like they were people because they believe that they have a
disinterested affection, but this kind of people are living a lie. I use the word disinterested as
generous, unselfish, and acting as if one does not pursue or have a personal benefit. This
situation reflects on pet ownership. Jon Katz mentions in his article, titled Petophilia, that this
problem has a new role in American life, especially people that live single. This essay discusses
some findings that Katz has researched on pet ownership. Katz discusses about the different
types of dog loves and types of loves that owners exhibit to their pets, especially with dogs. Im
impressed how he describes three kinds of dog love. He describes it in three kinds of love. The
first one is partner love, where a dog is trained and is obedience to his owner like they can
anticipate each other. The second one is the victim love where a dog is a rescuer. This is
reflected in the owner is painful history where the dog is required nurturing and healing his
owner. Finally, the third one is the surrogate love where the dog is taking the place of someone
else. Katz classifies the different type of love in order, as if the last one is the strongest love of all
or most passionate, yet the most dangerous. I completely agree with Jon that the roles that these
dogs play in the owners life are being used as a substitute for human interaction and
connectivity because those owners have gone through many problems in which they had
confidence in someone where who at some point disappointed them. I also think that these
people have failed or made a bad choice by not wanting to deal with the situation or not wanting
someone else to tell them that they are wrong; that is why they relied on their pets. I feel very


sorry for these kind of people because I know they must feel alone, living a lie. I would say to
these people what the Spanish philosopher and writer, George Santayana, said about what life is,
Life has not been done to understand it, but to live it.