Marley & Me
Damn! These pet memoirs never fail to make me cry. Why? Coz they always end up with the pet dying! :o(
There I was, reading Marley & Me by John Grogan at 1am, and I knew I was getting to the sad part where the dog gets sick and the owners had to decide whether or not to put him down. Reading, reading, reading... then *trickle trickle*... So sad!!!!! :o( It sucks that animals have shorter lives that humans. Bah!
In Marley & Me, John Grogan, a columnist for the Philadelphia Enquirer, pays tribute to Marley, his 'mentally unbalanced' yellow Lab Retriever. Where Labrador retrievers are generally considered even-tempered, calm and reliable, Marley appeared to be the total opposite. He ate everything (even an 18-carat gold necklace) and got kicked out of obedience school. However, his heart was huge, his love and loyalty to the Grogans boundless despite his lack of social graces.
Grogan recounts his life with Marley, together with his wife and eventually, 3 kids, from the time he brought Marley home as a puppy to Marley's last days as a rickety, 13-year-old.
I really enjoyed the book and was particularly touched when I read how, towards the end of Marley's life, the family accomodated him and tried to make his last days as comfortable as possible, much like how we'd do for a human family member.
Most ppl, if not all, would remark "But it's just a dog/cat/pet. Why are u going thru all that trouble just for a dog/cat/rabbit/pet?" But I guess that's the difference between animal lovers and non-animal lovers. They will never understand how a family pet touches ur heart and provides unconditional love and companionship. Dogs, especially. Whose ultimate goal, it seems, is to please its master/mistress and are contented to be rewarded with belly rubs and walks. Pets are so easy to please, no?
My 2 kats have been my constant companions when I was living alone in the States. When I got home from work everyday, they would be at my apt door to greet me. It does make a difference having them around coz they're the other living beings in the entire apt aside from me and at times when I got a bit lonely, they were there to keep me company and make me laugh at their cute and funny antics.
When I decided to return to M'sia, I was at my wits end, trying to figure out what to do with my kats. Should I bring them home or find them a new home? But I couldn't bear the thought of leaving them there coz I was thinking, if they were my kids, of course I'd bring them with me. Just coz they're cats, dun mean that they're any less important. So those early days after I'd decided that I'm coming home, I'd called up different airlines to find out what are the regulations on pet transportation and more importantly, how much it'd cost. I know that Air France allowed a limited no. of small pets in the cabin and yes, I did call them to find out the price, and the one-way ticket for myself and 1 pet wat USD5,000!!! Obviously my head wasn't in the right place at that time, but the again, I didn't know anything at that time so that was a learning experience.
So I sourced the net and found out that there were pet shippers, companies that specialize in transporting pets all over the world. They did everything for u, from booking the flight, arranging the paperwork, and if there is a connecting flight, they will arrange for another pet shipper in that particular state/country to receive the pet and board it on the next plane. When I found a pet shipper that I was comfortable with, I felt like a whole weight was lifted off my shoulders, though I was still very worried abt how my kats would handle the long flight. But my pet shipper told me "Dun worry, they'll be fine. You're probably more nervous than they (my cats) are!" Well, on the day I'd sent them off (1 day before my departure), I couldn't sleep the entire nite, I was so worried! Anyway, they arrived safely, were quarantined for the stipulated no. of days, and released with a clean bill of health.
So yes, I'd say that my cats are definitely part of the family. And even though they dun always come when they're called, and I definitely can't teach them any tricks (I'd only managed to teach them to 'Sit'), I still love my cats coz they're always there for me to rub and pet, and best thing is, they dun ask me questions when I'm having a bad day. I just lie next to them and stroke them and I'd feel a bit better :o)
There I was, reading Marley & Me by John Grogan at 1am, and I knew I was getting to the sad part where the dog gets sick and the owners had to decide whether or not to put him down. Reading, reading, reading... then *trickle trickle*... So sad!!!!! :o( It sucks that animals have shorter lives that humans. Bah!
In Marley & Me, John Grogan, a columnist for the Philadelphia Enquirer, pays tribute to Marley, his 'mentally unbalanced' yellow Lab Retriever. Where Labrador retrievers are generally considered even-tempered, calm and reliable, Marley appeared to be the total opposite. He ate everything (even an 18-carat gold necklace) and got kicked out of obedience school. However, his heart was huge, his love and loyalty to the Grogans boundless despite his lack of social graces.Grogan recounts his life with Marley, together with his wife and eventually, 3 kids, from the time he brought Marley home as a puppy to Marley's last days as a rickety, 13-year-old.
I really enjoyed the book and was particularly touched when I read how, towards the end of Marley's life, the family accomodated him and tried to make his last days as comfortable as possible, much like how we'd do for a human family member.
Most ppl, if not all, would remark "But it's just a dog/cat/pet. Why are u going thru all that trouble just for a dog/cat/rabbit/pet?" But I guess that's the difference between animal lovers and non-animal lovers. They will never understand how a family pet touches ur heart and provides unconditional love and companionship. Dogs, especially. Whose ultimate goal, it seems, is to please its master/mistress and are contented to be rewarded with belly rubs and walks. Pets are so easy to please, no?
My 2 kats have been my constant companions when I was living alone in the States. When I got home from work everyday, they would be at my apt door to greet me. It does make a difference having them around coz they're the other living beings in the entire apt aside from me and at times when I got a bit lonely, they were there to keep me company and make me laugh at their cute and funny antics.
When I decided to return to M'sia, I was at my wits end, trying to figure out what to do with my kats. Should I bring them home or find them a new home? But I couldn't bear the thought of leaving them there coz I was thinking, if they were my kids, of course I'd bring them with me. Just coz they're cats, dun mean that they're any less important. So those early days after I'd decided that I'm coming home, I'd called up different airlines to find out what are the regulations on pet transportation and more importantly, how much it'd cost. I know that Air France allowed a limited no. of small pets in the cabin and yes, I did call them to find out the price, and the one-way ticket for myself and 1 pet wat USD5,000!!! Obviously my head wasn't in the right place at that time, but the again, I didn't know anything at that time so that was a learning experience.
So I sourced the net and found out that there were pet shippers, companies that specialize in transporting pets all over the world. They did everything for u, from booking the flight, arranging the paperwork, and if there is a connecting flight, they will arrange for another pet shipper in that particular state/country to receive the pet and board it on the next plane. When I found a pet shipper that I was comfortable with, I felt like a whole weight was lifted off my shoulders, though I was still very worried abt how my kats would handle the long flight. But my pet shipper told me "Dun worry, they'll be fine. You're probably more nervous than they (my cats) are!" Well, on the day I'd sent them off (1 day before my departure), I couldn't sleep the entire nite, I was so worried! Anyway, they arrived safely, were quarantined for the stipulated no. of days, and released with a clean bill of health.
So yes, I'd say that my cats are definitely part of the family. And even though they dun always come when they're called, and I definitely can't teach them any tricks (I'd only managed to teach them to 'Sit'), I still love my cats coz they're always there for me to rub and pet, and best thing is, they dun ask me questions when I'm having a bad day. I just lie next to them and stroke them and I'd feel a bit better :o)
posted by Ai Ling at
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
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