Sex And the City Dog

Dear Dog Lady,

On my favorite show, the late and lamented “Sex and the City,” I was pleased to see Charlotte adopted a dog to help her cope with her need for a “baby.” But I am shocked at how irresponsibly she treated this dog. First, she gave the pet an unwieldy name: Elizabeth Taylor. Then, she acted utterly surprised when bitch Elizabeth went into heat and was humped at the dog park by a pack of mangy hornballs. Shouldn't HBO have sent a better “spay/neuter” message?

Caroline, Chicago, Ill.

Sweet Caroline, it’s only TV. When Elizabeth Taylor gave birth to all those puppies in Charlotte's bathtub, the tykes looked like purebreds instead of mutts sired by hornballs.

It's a TV fantasy world and HBO, the pay cable service, is not compelled to send any righteous messages in its programming. Sure, Charlotte should have spayed Elizabeth Taylor since she insists she loved the Cavalier King Charles spaniel. Spaying or neutering our pets proves to them how much we care.

However, if the dog hadn't been in heat, Elizabeth Taylor would have been just another bitch on a cold tin roof. The animal needed to be exploitable as a prop in an ironic storyline of Charlotte struggling with infertility while her ripe pet becomes a stud magnet.

Dog Lady is another great fan of “Sex and the City” who's sorry the comedy has bowed out. Not only did I smile at the grand name for Charlotte’s small creature, but I was very pleased to see a dog introduced into the plot. In New York City, many Park Avenue matrons such as the character of Charlotte (played by actress Kristin Davis) keep chic dogs and dress them in Burberry.

You can bet the real-life doggy doyennes of Manhattan spay or neuter their critters lest their animals create an unseemly mess or fuss. As Charlotte found out, watching your pampered pet getting humped by beasts in the dog playground is so distressing.

Only on “Sex and the City” would the scenario have been amusing. Perhaps the producers wanted to show another species having sex in the city.

Posted by Dog Lady at February 2, 2004 05:22 PM