Owner and Founder of Kenny’s K9, Kennedy Guy, sat down with her Grandpa and Grandma Rogers to talk about how much different it is having a dog in 2021 compared to fifty years ago.

Kennedy says her love of dogs came from watching her Grandpa on the farm where she grew up. A gentle man whose love for his canines really taught her how to love dogs!

No Dog Food

The bigger the dog, the bigger the bag of dog food, right? Not with Grandma Rogers! Living out on the farm, she says their dogs ate table scraps and drank fresh milk back in the day. Grandpa added that they “never, ever” had to buy a bag of dog food.

No need for big bags of dog food in this home!

Vaccinations

Grandpa Rogers talked about how vaccinations are more prevalent in the world today compared to fifty years ago. He says veterinarians were around for emergencies but a rabies shot wasn't something they thought about then. The world has changed!

No Spa Days

Can you imagine a world without spa days? That's how it used to be! Grandpa says grooming wasn't on their mind growing up. Grandma brought up a great story talking about how everyone would take a bath and share the water. Once everyone was done, it was time for the pup to take a bath!

Tricks

We asked about the first dogs they had growing up, and Grandpa Rogers brought up their first dog Cleo who was super smart. Cleo could count to six. You'd say a number and that's how many times it would bark. You ask one plus two and it would bark three times!

Their current dog Buddy is also very smart – but in different ways. Buddy will tell you when it's time to eat! Quarter-to-five. Every day.

Dogs or Kids?

When asked about people who choose dogs over kids, Grandpa immediately said he is all for it. He says that back in the day, it wasn't unusual to have “three, four or even more” when it comes to children and now, one or two is more common. As a dog lover, he gets that to some people, their dogs are their children!

Reasons of Dog Ownership

Finally, the biggest difference between now and then is probably the reasons why someone would get a dog in the first place. Back in the day, companionship was definitely one reason, but protection was probably the biggest one. Whether on the farm, or at a business, people had dogs for protection. Grandpa says nowadays, dogs are more like members of the family, and for some people, they'd rather have a dog. I think he's right! We dress up our dogs, we match our dogs and we definitely give them the spa treatment every so often.

It was really eye-opening to learn about how dog ownership has changed in the last fifty years but one thing has stayed the same. Dogs from every generation sure are spoiled! (And we're lucky to have them.)

Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Rogers (and Buddy!) for sitting down and talking to us. Expect more interviews in the coming months.

Dog Ownership: Fifty Years Later!