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Blogs by E D Detetcheverrie
Keys To The Kingdom 4/24/2011 6:17:33 PM
I learn so much about humans by studying animals. It began Friday with Disney's African Cats. I have no idea what the last G rated film I saw in a theater was before this. I had never gone to a theater before to watch a "documentary". It's one of the most gorgeously filmed movies I have ever witnessed, and the close-ups of wild animals within their natural habitats struck an emotional chord with me. It's always such a relief to view vast vistas sans telephone poles, aircraft, antennas, roads or other man-made structures. I've literally had dreams of Africa this pristine, so the imagery really resonated with me to the core. Since I've been in Florida, I have not seen a forest, a field, or any view without some kind of garbage in it, and I have not been anywhere outdoors without the sounds of traffic, aircraft, boats, and or shrieking of some sort for more than a few minutes. I deeply miss my former connection with nature.
The film centers on the lives of a mother cheetah and her cubs living in close proximity to a pride of lions who must endure the undesired scrutiny of a particularly aggressive lion and his motley adult sons. For the sake of small children, while death is mentioned and hunts are shown, never do we witness a coup de gras. You will see predators feeding on prey, but the images are mild compared to a documentary meant for an older audience. This is not a cutesy film, though of course there are comical and adorable moments. It is overall a sad story of struggle and survival, and a good means of leading up to discussions about the intricacies of life. My great fondness for animals wasn't my sole motivation for seeing this movie. The fact that proceeds from opening weekend would help protect wildlife was definitely a strong selling point for me. The editing that went into piecing together the intertwined stories is highly impressive. The sound editing also amazed me. The sole complaint I might have is that hyenas were painted as bad guys...in a world where it's clear that survival truly is for the fittest, and they, too, have their place and the right to survive.
To truly appreciate the world, one must acknowledge how every aspect interacts with every other.
Saturday I attended an event at the local Humane Society. Many pet rescue groups were there, and many different breeds of dog were represented as well as a few non-canines. I was appalled by a woman using hard-sell tactics to try and get me to take home a particular breed I know is difficult to maintain a good quality of life for. She did almost all of the talking, obviously assuming I was ignorant of the animal, and did a fine job of talking it up like she'd earn a commission from its sale or something. Her behavior actually sickened me. She was there with a group that rescues this specific breed from people who are unable to properly care for it, and there she was telling me outright lies about the poor creature! I can't stand the sort of cretins who see animals and hallucinate dollar signs. She should not have been allowed at the event at all. People like her are one of the reasons pet rescues exist. When I wandered back by later, someone else with the group discussed the breed with me like they actually cared about what happened to that specific animal, giving me her positive as well as her negative traits. Never obtain an animal from anyone who only tells glowing stories about it! There was simply no way we could ever take on such a high-maintenance animal. They require a very specific type of owner if they are to flourish as a breed, and caution should be taken to ensure proper placement so animal rescues may one day become a thing of the past. The first woman I spoke to was acting like she was trying to push puppies at a flea market. She did not have the dog's best interest at heart.
I took my first tour of the facility while I was there. I'd dropped off donations before, but never been inside such a place. First, let me tell you that I was astonished by how clean the place was! I have never been to a pet store that smelled as good, clean, and fresh as that place! The cats were all frisky with glossy coats and clear eyes, clean ears. None seemed listless or tempermental. They all appeared like companionable house cats waiting for their humans to show up and claim them. The dogs were housed one to a kennel unless it was a female with puppies, or the case of two smaller dogs who had spent their lives together and hoped to be adopted as a pair. There were some fresh feces on the floor in a few of the kennels, bit no old clumps nor stains nor odor. It was far cleaner than I expected. I did see a dog with a dreadful skin condition that made me feel bad because it seemed it was unlikely anyone would take him in until he appeared more healthy. I saw a few pitbulls scarred, with fur missing and even a couple of still healing wounds...and not one of them failed to wag its tail or lick my fingers when I introduced myself. As a matter of fact, one of the slogans I saw and appreciated at the event read: Hate The Deed, Not The Breed. I have been attacked by a shih tzu and a collie, but not yet by a pit, a chow, a rottie, or any other of the breeds considered most likely to attack unprovoked. In my mind, any dog is apt to bite under any circumstances. I was raised with a St. Bernard who accidentally flayed my nose open with her claws when I was a toddler and still bear the scar. I never developed a fear of dogs or animals because of this, though I have a healthy respect for all living creatures.
The majority of dogs I met in the kennels were eager to please. One wanted to howl, so I howled with her. A few seemed despondent. Most again had clear eyes, good coats, and were obviously people-friendly. I ignored the one bitch with puppies. I assume puppies are more likely to get adopted out. I'll take an older dog any day. I actually found a dog I would have taken home that afternoon if we only had the means to care for her. Her beautiful face and the softness of her coat still haunt me. She was not a purebred. I would never intentionally seek a "purebred" (the correct technical term should be "inbred"), mainly because I know that mixed breed dogs tend to have fewer health problems and are often far more intelligent than "papered" dogs from a breeder. The majority of dogs I saw there at the pound appeared to be pure breeds (after all, that's what most irresponsible pet owners seek), only lacking records tracing just how inbred they were. If you're not showing your dogs, what's the point of owning a "papered" animal? Do you whip that documentation out to prove you're willing to spend extra cash on a less healthy creature? I've met many "papered" dogs in my life, and have only ever seen the papers for one of them: a wolf hybrid. I never needed proof of what he was. My personal experiences with him proved beyond any doubt that, as a true almost completely "pure" canine, he was anything but a mere dog. My wife wears plastic and glass jewelry all the time and gets compliments on it from wealthy people who own tons of the real stuff, yet who can't tell the difference. So...what's the difference then between between a show dog and a pound dog that seem pretty much identical? A lot of money, a handful of vet bills, and the knowledge that your poochie friend who looks enough shiba inu to fool the vet was saved from destruction while the "real" shiba bred for shows is possibly the sole survivor of a litter where any of its "less than perfect" siblings may have been dispatched with a shovel so the breeder wouldn't have to waste time or money caring for them.
Give me a rescue pal any day.
Sunday I saw Water For Elephants. The draw for me was, "veterinary student". I grew up reading veterinary manuals, the true stories of circus and zoo veterinarians, and the accounts of zoo acquisitionists. I know they're promoting it as a love story, and that's actually a major turn-off for me, but the allure of a snippet of the life of a vet student traveling with a circus overcame my initial disinterest, and now I'm glad it did. I also find fascination with life from the 1940's back, and my grandmother passed on many of her sensibilities to me earned during the Great Depression, so that was added appeal. Early on, there's mention of a great circus disaster and I shriveled inwardly, imagining a terrible fire or a re-enactment of Jumbo's awful demise, but was rewarded instead at the moment of climax with a great sense of wrongs done right that truly endeared this film to me. The love story prevails, but without the wonderful animal actors, this movie would have been another dramatic bore to me. Instead, I shall describe it as incandescent, jungle justice, a fascinating glimpse into a possible past, a dark look into the mind of man and his unique perspective on survival. Probably not a film for everybody. I may seek the book so that I may more deeply experience all of the storyline's nuances.
It's extraordinarily true that the more I learn about animals, the more I understand about man. I have the perspective of a much larger picture spanning great lengths of time, a knowledge of genetics, and a desire to relate to the other beings that share my planet without attempting to force them to first understand me.
