...or is that Doggie Caregiver? I'm not sure anymore.

I was out and about a couple of weekends ago and was wandering out of Michael's with my daughters when I saw something that made me double take. Now considering that I was near a Michael's and I mentioned dogs, you might think that I was going to talk about a dog in a sweater or a silly hat or something like that right?

Nope.

I saw a dog, a small terrier if I'm not mistaken, sitting in a baby stroller. Yes, you read that correctly - a stroller. And the proud "mommy" was wheeling the stroller into the Michael's that I was just leaving. Apparently she was stopped at the door and she raised a fuss. I hurried the kids to the car before I went back and said something that would really have started a firestorm, but I suspect that they weren't going to let her in.

A stroller. Who carts their dog around in a baby stroller? There were no little ones in sight and where I was didn't have an onsite baby care either, so it's not like she was wheeling the stroller around because her kid was somewhere else. Now, I used to have a dog - a big dog - but even for how much I loved her I don't think that I ever would have considered using something like a stroller to cart her around.

This is just one step past all those owners who think they're cute by letting their cute little doggie ride in their very expensive purses that they bought *just* so they can cart the little snookums around. Like the owner of my Curves. She's coordinated everything for her dog in pink and beige - including the really expensive Coach tote that she uses to tote the dog around. I can think of a lot more uses for the (probably) $400 she paid for that tote. It's called $10 for a pink harness leash at Petsmart, and the remaining $390 could buy groceries for my family for the rest of the month. And then some.

I know, I shouldn't complain. It's not Coach's fault that they're overpriced and this woman has no brain cells. But come on, people. It's a *dog*. And a *bag* (or a stroller). Dogs have four feet for a reason - they were meant to walk. Making it so your little precious' feet never have to touch the ground except when they need to relieve themselves doesn't do the dogs any favors. Nor does it do anything for anyone else except for people like me to make fun of you in blogs like this.

Yes, some people's little dogs are like their children. I can understand that too - the lady I mention here has no children and her dog is considered her child. Sasha was my baby too when we first got her. But this kind of ranks up there with the people who consider children to be fashion accessories - they dress the baby in a coordinating outfit to what they're wearing or dress all their children in the same clothes. I have an SIL that does this with her 3 daughters. She used to do it when there were just two daughters, and some of us figured she wouldn't take it to the third child. And then she did. There's a point where it stops being cute, even if it ever was in the first place. It's just not right. I wouldn't do that to my kids - they have their own identities and styles. Then again, someone's bound to say that I'm too sensible. That I should lighten up because their doggie is their baby. Tell you what, I'll make you a deal...

...I'll lighten up when you put your dog on the ground and let it walk like dogs are supposed to do.