Keller @ Large: Dogs Bring Out Best In Us

BOSTON (CBS) - At my local pet store, the Halloween costumes are out, and the cash registers are ringing. And why not?

According to the Harris Poll, 62% of us have one or more pets in the house. And almost all of us tell the pollsters we see our pets as family members.

Extra-beloved family members, considering the way we treat them and the billions of dollars we spend on them. Nearly 50% of us say we buy birthday gifts for our pets. Thirty-one percent of us cook for them.

And of course, there's the 20% or so who dress up their pets in sometimes-questionable outfits. And not just for Halloween.

And, of course, more than seven in ten of us let the dog or cat sleep in our beds, a special plus on cold winter nights.  I admit, that's where Buddy the Wonder Lab sleeps in my house, when she wants to.

Is there something wrong with this?

You can always find some expert somewhere to claim there's something wrong with anything, and the Boston Globe quotes Raymond Coppinger, a Hampshire College biology professor, saying our love affair with dogs is "ridiculous. The average dog in America certainly has a whole better life, because of the money, than the average child in Syria these days."

I agree, that doesn't seem fair.

But on behalf of dog people everywhere, professor, let me explain something to you.

For those of us who love them, dogs bring out the best in us. They teach us about devotion, provide unmatched companionship, and offer unconditional love.

Am I spending too much on Buddy? No way.

I couldn't possibly repay her for what she does for me.

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