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Out There by Gregg Losinski People And Their Pets 62 IDAHO FALLS MAGAZINE APRIL 2019 They say you can tell a lot about someone by how they treat their pets. I have been fortunate to have the chance to travel a fair portion of the world and I can safely say that pets, especially dogs and cats, have it pretty darn good here in Idaho Falls compared to elsewhere. I can honestly say I've never seen a feral dog within the Idaho Falls city limits. Our animal control officers would never stand for it! Even pet dogs that escape don't last long on the lamb. That could be because dogs are generally so trusting. We had a big, old, dumb yellow lab that used to occa- sionally wander off. Next thing you know animal control would pull up with him sit- ting in the front seat of the truck, next to the officer. In other parts of the world, authorities seem to have a different approach to deal- ing with strays, they just let them be. In places like Istanbul, Turkey, and Tbilisi, Georgia the wild dogs just wander the streets, apparently happy and seemingly healthy. They all sport ear tags showing that they have had their rabies vaccination. They lay down to sleep wherever they want and no one seems to pay them any mind. In Santiago, Chile there are dog beds right on the sidewalks downtown and someone even puts little doggie sweaters on them when it gets cold. The dogs there seem to get treat- ed better than the homeless that you see. In many parts of Indonesia, wild canines don't fare as well. They are generally emaciated and sickly looking. They often can be seen lying in the road, unblinking as tires roll an inch from their head, seemingly saying, "Please just run over me so I can come back as something else." Cats on the loose are a different story. Even in Idaho Falls, there is a certain level of feral cats that are tolerated. Probably because cats do what they want to do, no matter what we want. Watching an animal control officer trying to catch a cat is like watching an episode of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Maybe because cats have retained a certain amount of wildness, we think they can survive on their own. While they may keep mouse populations down, both feral and pet cats have devas- tated bird numbers in the United States and abroad. If you love birds then don't let your cats roam or at least declaw them to give tweedy a chance. Elsewhere in the world, cats seem to get cut the same slack. In Rome, Italy there are ancient ruins off-limits to humans but cov- ered in cats. In Split, Croatia, Diocletian's ancient palace is protected by cats, as is Malbork Castle in Poland. While some of these felines might be friendly, they lack proper medical care and often expose unsuspecting tourists who pet them to fleas and other nasty surprises. My oldest son who got sick from feeding a wild cat in Croatia can attest. It is encouraging that generally, world- wide, people carry plastic bags to scoop up what their pet pups leave behind. Of course, wild dogs have no one to pick up after them so it's always a good idea to watch where you step. A visit to our dog park will con- firm that most of our dogs are well lived and perhaps even a bit overfed. The phrase "It's a dog's life" was originally coined in the 16th Century to describe how badly even pet dogs had things, today times have changed so much that we all should be so lucky to live a dog's life. IF PHOTOS COURTESY GREGG LOSINSKI