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Though it may only be a subconscious desire in those wanting to adopt pets, especially dogs, there is a misconception going around in what that pet should be and do. The syndrome I'm referring to might be called the "Lassie syndrome" for lack of a scientific name.
Lassie is and was a well trained dog that took years to train, with hours each day dedicated to getting her to the point that she was always shown. She was a dog that cared for herself. She knew when and where to get food, never appearing to bother her own family with her needs. She never messed in the house, never chewed, never disobeyed, and always saved Timmy from near disaster.
Her family never trained her, yet she always knew exactly what to do and when to do it. You never saw Lassie being corrected for a behaviour that was not exactly correct, because she was always perfect.
The Lassie syndrome refers to people wanting to adopt the pet that is self-trained and self-caring. They adopt an animal and (subconsciously or no) expect it to immediately be just like Lassie.
Now, Lassie doesn't have to be a female Collie. She can be a he (which in real life, Lassie was), and she can be a cat, a dog, a ferret, or any other potential pet. The family brings this animal in to the house, and expect immediate housebreaking, which in many cases can take months to obtain. They expect complete instantaneous obedience, which you will never have with a young animal. Animals never obtain that "perfect" ideal of obedience training. They have their good days, and they have their bad. What many people don't realize is that Lassie had her bad days, and she had her moments when she didn't do quite what the director wanted her to do. But the ideal was set in the final print of the film, and it is what people want in that cute little animal they bring home for Timmy to play with. Timmy, the ideal child that never misbehaves, and always does what his parents want him to do, though that's another story.
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