Domestic Staffers vs. Dogs

I read the following transcript from "Authentic Faith" by Gary Thomas and this really makes you think about your life and priorities. This is by no means a political statement so please do not take it that way. This is in fact a personal statement for everyone, including myself, calling us to continually evaluate our priorities in how we spend our time, money, and love.

If you walk through the wealthier sections of Los Angeles, two things mark the prosperity: dogs and domestics. Rosa Diaz came to the United States from El Salvador, at the time I write this, less than a year ago. As a housekeeper, Rosa is struggling with her humble situation. "It's still very strange that I;m doing a job like this," the well-educated young woman told reporter Doug Saunders. "I once thought that I would end up having a domestic worker, but now I am one."

In addition to following Rosa the domestic, Doug also followed Custer, a Los Angeles dog owned by a sucessful Hollywood screenwriter. The comparisons are astonishing.

Rosa's salary is such that she can afford just $50 a week toward rent, so she shars a small two-bedroom apartment with three adult women. Custer was staying at Canyon View Ranch, "a canine spa, boarding retreat and training center that advertises itself as a 'country club for dogs'." This pet luxury comes at a steep price: Custer's owners pay $70/day or $490 a week for the privilege-almost ten times the cost of what Rosa pays for her lodgings. Custer's owners explains, "It cost a little more, but it menas that when we go away we can truly have a vacation without guilt. Just ask the dogs-you can tell how excited they are when they come here."

Rosa get $225 a week to work from dawn until late evening. Some domestics get paid more, of course. A few do get $450 or even $500, but Rosa also knows of some who start out at $80 to $100. Compare this to your average dob walker in Los Angeles, who is typically paid about $200 a week.

Rosa's tight salary allows her to spend about $50 a week on groceries. Custer eats pretty well. Though the "standard" Canyon View Ranch meal contains lamb and rice, most owners leave special instructions. A Canyon View worker explains: "We get every kind of special food request you can imagine, and then some. We get vegetarian diets, and raw foods, and we get up to six supplements at a time that have to be crushed and mixed up and blended. And some people want the food heated up." Several owners also ask for "dog gravy" to be poured over the top of the dog's dinner.

Custer's owner explains, "The joy of golden retrievers is their wonderful personalities, but the downside is that they are known for their sensitive stomachs. We have Custer on a special diet and it costs us a pretty penny."

Custer is treated to a monthly $40 shampoo; Rosa makes do with a bottle purchased at a drugstore. Los Angeles dog owners typically pay $100 a month in vet fees, even for healthy dogs. Rosa's salary doesn't include any insurance, medical, or dental coverage. Custer gets to ride in a car or limo; Rosa rides to work on the city bus. Saunders ends his article with a report of the Los Angeles Times coverage of the trial of a California man charged with killing a woman's small white dog in an act of road rage. In the aftermath local residents were furious, and they raised $175,000 to find the dog's killer. This unleashed several weeks' wourth of front page stories on animal abuse.

The day before this story broke, Saunders notes, the Human Right Watch released a report of their own, challenging the "widespread physical abuse and economic mistreatment of thousands of domestic workers in diplomatic households." Not a single Los Angeles paper chose to carry it.

We certainly need to care for animals and creation, afterall God made man the caretakers of his creation. However, AS INDIVIDUALS (including me) we need to show love and kindness to those who are less fortunate than ourselves. Many are discouraged because the problems seem so big and one person just can't fix the problem so we do nothing. I recently viewed a sermon from Andy Stanley at Northpoint Community Church in Georgia in which he says, "Do for one what you want to do for everyone." I love that line! No single person can solve any one problem but we can be a part of the solution. We can only do so much but I will finish by saying:

Do for one (or two, ten, 100, 1000....) what you want to do for everyone.