This week, under the stress of finals and the holidays, I finally cracked. I became one of “those people.” By “those people” I mean the ones who treat their pets like children, feign offense when some refers to them as “just a dog” and dress them in the canine version of whatever Gucci puts on the runway that season. 
OK, so I haven’t succumbed quite that far, but we did take the “kids”, Madeline and Bosco, to get their picture taken with Santa Claus. Overall, I think they were a little underwhelmed; after all, my dad gives them much more attention and doesn’t wear a creepy red velour suit. But it was for a good cause. Or so I keep telling myself.
