When you come across animal-hurting animals

I’ve been interning for a week now, life has been hectic. By the time I’ve finished work, had dinner, bathed, I get so tired all I want to do is sleep. Besides, being sleepy at work and yawning away not only gives a bad impression, it is also super torturing. And you can’t skip class to go home for naps like in uni. Hence on a Saturday night/Sunday morning, I passed going to bed and decided to talk about something I hold close to my heart: Animals.

I was stalking the bf’s FB and came across this – someone from Kuching itself, blogging about how his/her animal took shelter from the rain in a neighbor’s house and ended up getting beaten up by a metal stick.

http://stopabusinganimal.blogspot.com/2011/03/dog-abuse.html

I love animals. But even then, sometimes I find it difficult to make my stand. I do not eat shark fin soup but it simply isn’t polite to barge into a wedding dinner with a table full of elders and tell them not to, out of respect. I love animals, but I’m not too sure where the answer is when I ask myself, “then why am I not a vegetarian?”. And when I encounter people I know, ie: a friend’s friend/relative/etc mistreating a pet, how far am I supposed to go to voice out my concerns? Would I cause awkwardness/disrespect?

The answer to those questions I have yet to know, but now I think I do know what to do when I see a stranger hurting/trying to hurt an animal, because that first day of CNY, I received practical training for that.

I stole this picture from BaoQi’s FB. She refers to him as ‘fox dog’. This guy actually belongs to someone else along the street, but he was abandoned (I’m not too sure if the owner abandoned him of he abandoned his owner). But because he was such a darling, I see the other neighbours in the area giving him food and shelter. I met him once as I was walking home, and he wagged and trotted along wanting to play. How could anyone not love him?

That day, I saw his ex-owners throwing firecrackers at him – those that spin around and crackle on the ground. He ran. After a while, he came back barking at them, and to my horror, there was a toddler, holding out a stick of fireworks (the ciplak kind that only shoots as high as the telephone post). A man was carrying that toddler and holding the toddler’s hand to aim the firework at the dog’s mouth.

I yelled at them from my grandmother’s house that was across the street and I could obviously see that the man was halfway into aiming those fireworks at me. He yelled back at me with the most foul of foul words I have ever in my 23 years of living heard, and I wouldn’t say I didn’t yell back. But the whole thing erupted into a fight between two families when my mom, dad, grandad, grandma and aunt came out. But for the record the had three whole generations out there watching the dog tortured already, and uh, two men came over to my grandmother’s house and started getting physical first.

I could go on and talk about how I wish he would die and burn in hell, or how that toddler would grow up and throw firecrackers at him in return, or many many other horrible things. I would have, but now, I realised that the way I reacted was indeed wrong. So rather than cursing and swearing, I think I would rather share my experience in case someone else might face the same thing as I did.

When you come across an abuser:

#1. My mother told me this: Don’t be angry with the wrong-doer. Rather, put your energy into helping the victim. Rather than yell at Mr.X (i will be polite, and for the sake of politeness I will not name him after swear words) I should have called fox dog over.

#2. Evidence is everything. So if you have a camera/ camera phone take lots and lots of pictures, or even better, a video! These will be useful when it comes to making reports to the authorities (SPCA/ police/ NGOs/ etc). I wanted to bang my head on the wall the moment I got home because I had a freakin camera there and then in my handbag. But instead, I chose to jump head first into the fire. But then again I won’t have been sure whether to call fox dog over or hide in the car and take a video of Mr. X. Well, I guess that depends on every respective situation.

#3. Think, think hard, then act. On my car ride back home after the incident, I thought of many many things. When Mr. X came over to push my dad, and my dad in return reacted very emotionally, it made me wonder what would have happened if a fight really broke out. It made me wonder, what if it was my 83 year old grandfather that was pushed and he fell down. It made me wonder what if he hurt my mother. It made me wonder, so what, after all that fighting, they could hurt the dog again later. Fighting was pointless.

If I had only thought before I got all emotional and yelled, perhaps it wouldn’t have been so pointless. I decided to involve myself, alone, but never did I think that others would be dragged in.

#4. Never go head on with the abuser. For my case, I already knew Mr.X was a mean person. I have heard of him knocking down his neighbour, verbally abusing people, beating his wife and shooting the fox dog using that toy gun with plastic pellets.

So why on earth would someone inhumane like that listen to me when I tell him to stop aiming fireworks at a dog? Wrong approach, wrong approach.

#5. Don’t ever ever ever lose your cool – stay calm. I lost mine for those 10 to 15 minutes as I yelled foul words back at Mr. X. It gained me nothing, I wasn’t thinking, and my reputation dropped to equal his. Plus, staying calm helps you think. Maybe I should have taken out my camera and went “whoa, your fireworks are so awesome lemme take a video of them”, zoom into his face, then call the dog over and flash him a big smile. Then, upload it onto facebook and give everyone his address.

 

 

There, my take on the things to do when you come across butt-faced heartless germs that are doing nothing but wasting space on earth, disguised in human form – because you’re not even worthy of being called ‘animal’ *sorry I had to get that out*

When you don’t do laundry…

I saw a strand or two of Bullet’s fur on my pair of jeans. Must have caught when she rubbed against me before i left for the airport and stuck on ever since.

geeeeeee.

I miss that bitch.

Shark Fin Soup & Wedding Dinners 2

Why exactly do people take shark fin soup?

Shark fin is actually tasteless. The ‘enjoyment’ comes from the texture; slippery with a slight bite. But really, you ought to ask yourself, is it really the shark fin that you are enjoying, or the many flavours incorporated into it through seasonings? Because if it the flavours you like, then why not got for some other soup that is cooked the same way, with the same ingredients, without the shark fin. And so I’ve heard of people quoting its health benefits, but seriously, how much are you going to achieve through one bowl of shark fin soup? It’s not something that we middle-class beings eat on a daily basis. Eat more fruits and vegetables, drink more water, exercise and stay away from too much ciggies and alcohol. You’ll gain heaps more health benefits that way than through the consumption of a bowl of shark fin soup.

I think status is the one prominent to the popularity of shark fin soup at weddings. It is freakin expensive, therefore it reflects status on the dinner host. It is freakin expensive, therefore the dinner guests enjoy shark fin soup. Kind of like value for money, kind of eating a delicacy that does not come around too often. You know the monetary value behind it, therefore you enjoy it.

I compare this eating shark fin soup because of the hefty price tag to liking a hideous branded handbag, because it costs thousands of dollars. It helps you make an impression because of the price tag. Therefore you purchase/carry it around.

While we’re on handbags – fakes are selling everywhere. The case is the same with shark fin soup. Because the real deal is costly, fake shark fin is being sold and this is usually mixed with a little of the real thing. This is usually not done with an intention to conserve, but instead to cut cost. Some unscrupulous restaurants do that and charge dinner hosts for the real thing. This is wrong on so many levels I guess I don’t have to point them out one by one. And I’m sorry for eaters who thought they were getting the real deal in terms of taste, health benefits and value for ang pows given.

How do we fix the problem that has been shark torturers for ages and blasting sharks to the brink of extinction?

Simply by saying NO.

If the wedding guests said no to shark fin soup, the hosts are not likely to order it. They would probably be glad not to have to order it from the caterer and having to put all that extra weight onto the already humongous catering-bill after all the money spent on photographs, wedding packages, room/house renovations or buying a new nest, their honeymoon and etc. hosts not ordering shark fin soup from caterers means less demand in for shark fin in the market means less shark finning.

As for the marrying couples and wedding dinner hosts, I believe that awareness rules over the status, anytime.  Being aware of the hazard from serving shark fin soup is way better than serving it for the purpose of making a good impression, because you don’t. The impression you would mostly likely give out is of your ignorance. Shark fin soup has been incorporated into wedding tradition in most asian countries, but that does not mean we must blindly follow tradition when it is wrong in so many ways. Countless traditions have been broken; why not break this “tradition” that brings more harm than good too.

It may be hard, every bit of effort counts – not taking shark fin soup, not ordering shark fin soup, not buying shark fin. I myself used to have second thoughts rejecting the bowl of soup offered to me. But I believe someone has to start making a change somewhere, and if I take that bowl of soup, no one would ever wonder what is wrong with the girl with an issue with shark fin soup and no one would know about the plight of sharks. The society or the older generation may insist on shark fin soup, but that is because many of them are not aware. YOU, the younger generation hold the responsibility of conservation on your shoulders – you should know better. 

When the buying stops, the killing does too. =)

Shark Fin Soup & Wedding Dinners 1

I care about animals. I believe in not inflicting unnecessary pain on them. If you make a sadistic joke on the topic, I will not laugh along with you or share your enthusiasm, be it in the name of friendship or respect. The most you can get from me is a straight face, if not sarcasm or hostility.

Shark Fin Soup.

I have been intending to write about this since I attended a wedding dinner with the bf not long ago. I have intended to write EVERYTIME I attend a Chinese wedding dinner. I just never really knew how. But here I am, finally, and hoping that I’m writing this right and hoping that I can contribute my tiny share to the survival of these creatures.

This looks majestic I suppose. Perhaps that is what the tiny human needs in order make him/herself look bigger – to hold a massive body part of a dead animal.

As a kid, I used to love shark fin soup. It was sort of like the highlight dish during the wedding banquet night. Perhaps I was cute, or charming, or adorable, or lovable, the older folks at the table always let me have two bowls. But I stopped when I got old enough to realize how shark fins came about. Here’s a rough idea how: “…millions of sharks die a slow death because of finning. Finning is the inhumane practice of hacking off the shark's fins and throwing its still living body back into the sea. The sharks either starve to death, are eaten alive by other fish, or drown (if they are not in constant movement their gills cannot extract oxygen from the water..”

Yes indeed, animals do get killed for food. But I disagree with shark finning because of the brutal way they die. The shark bodies are not taken because they are generally of low value and they take up space and weight in the fishing vessels. May as well bring back more valuable fins than transport worthless shark meat that take up space that can be filled with money-making fins, right?

This is what I used to picture when I decided not to eat shark fin: imagine having a cut the size of a 20sen coin. Then imagine dipping that cut into salty sea water. Ouch. Now maybe the shark doesn’t hurt from an exposed cut in the sea water – I don’t know. How about this: imagine having your limbs chopped off (the pain won’t be good). Then imagine being thrown into sea water. Not only are u hurting, you are also not able to move or swim up for air. You suffocate. And just to add some spice to the story, maybe a shark comes along and eats you up, shredding off your flesh, bit by bit. (From my bit of reading, sharks are gentle animals they say. So I guess they don’t attack. I don’t know).

to be continued...

So Najib has a new kitten

I don’t read the papers. I’m not interested in politics. I knew because dad called, and joked that someone named his kitten ‘Rosmah”. The prime minister was looking for suggestions from the readers of his blog on what to name his kitten, and many typical ass kissers said “1 M”.

It was pretty obvious to me that he was trying to imitate the US president by having a presidential pet. Perhaps I am a skeptic, but I just didn’t think that the heart was there. As usual, it was a call for votes.

I think he screwed up. buying a kitten was so wrong, and wrong not because he wanted to ‘act’, but wrong because he failed to set an example to Malaysians. He mentioned that BUYING the kitten was a spur of the moment decision – it implies that he never even intended to keep a pet. Either that, or it was about an article a found from an animal rights blog written a few months back saying that Najib does not care for animals and they are of the least interest to him, because animals can’t vote.

I somehow believe that it was not a spur of the moment purchase, but more of a planned political propaganda gone wrong.  Well I believe I know where he went wrong.

He should have just adopted a kitten from a shelter instead of buying it. This is what all animal rights activists would say. They believe in helping the animals that are already in need, and adopting them at a small fee that would benefit the shelter and enable them to help even more animals. It is about giving them a second chance, and him, of all people, should have set an example. I can just imagine all the kiss ass people who would follow his trail and adopt a pet from a shelter if only he set the right path. But I guess he didn’t have enough passion to think that far. Simply picking up a cat this way won’t do, Mr. PM.

I think that many people pick up pets from pet shops or breeders because that is where pedigrees come from. I think most Malaysians carry this materialistic attitude where they put a price tag to everything, even pets. If my local breed dog happened to give birth to 8 mongrel puppies, I believe I would have a hard time giving them  away, because to people, they are dogs that are well, not very beautiful and not worth a lot of money. They see having to feed and care for the dogs a chore. However, if I were to have 8 pedigrees, and I called people up saying I wanted to give them away, I’m sure those who never really wanted a dog would quickly take all my pedigree pups, because, sad to say, they ARE more beautiful, and they have a price tag that is of at least RM500 on them. In short, it makes their owners look good – better than having a mongrel. Which is why, I feel that Najib has failed to take the chance that could help change people’s mindsets about pets. People fail to see that a pet isn’t a deco in the house to make you or the house look better, but to love and be loved by in return.

Bullet

This is Bullet. She is one of the toughest, most notorious, stubborn mutt-bitch I have ever seen. We picked her up from the Sunday market back in 2003. She and her two other sisters were just puppies. Three boys were carrying them in a box and they caught me starring at their pups. Naturally, they approached my mom and I to ask if we wanted to keep them, or they would be sent to SSPCA the next day. We brought the three puppies home with intentions to help home them. 

Bullet was the fattest one of all. She had a short stub tail and I think she probably exerted a ‘bully’ sort of aura. Her siblings were afraid of her. She ate first, walked first and cried the loudest. I called her ‘bulat’, not wanting to name her because I knew she would be given away someday, and her owner then would want to name her. Naming is a special owner-pet sort of thing. We couldn’t keep her because there wasn’t room in my house for another dog. She was finally given away, but because she was such a whiner, my friend threw her back into my car porch in the middle of the night. We did not have much of a choice but to keep her. The name ‘bulat’ stuck, got altered a little bit and became Bullet. 

Bullet’s characteristics of a notorious, stubborn bully had stuck ever since. My mother hated her because she would whine for hours, non-stop to get attention or into the house. She was resourceful, in a bad way. We tried to keep her out of the house, but she found ways in, climbing through gates, windows and under fences. She could jump over things without a problem, she was that fit. She did not get along well with my other dog. I think it had something to do with the fact that he gnawed on her ear when she was a tiny creature. So when she grew up to be faster a fitter than him, she pushed him around, ate his food, snatched his territory and bit into his fat ass mercilessly. She is also very, very good in manipulating and playing around with her fellow human’s psychology, ie: fake choking and crying for attention. She as so persistent that her whining and attempting to climb in through the window, hanging there halfway because she obviously will not fit, will go on for hours. Mom calls her troublemaker.

However, despite the fact that my mother hates her and my father hits her, bad, when she goes after the other dog’s arse, I can sense that she loves us with all her heart. I have a fair explanation for all that she does. Attention and love is all she seeks, and perhaps she would like to have more than what Hero gets. She tries very hard to please (when she’s sleeping and hears someone coming, she’ll go to the back door to bark at nothing because she wants to show that she’s doing work). She’s resilient towards humans, never fighting back no matter what. She’s a smart, strong girl that helps us rid the rodents in the house, and mind u, she is awesome at it. She knows when I’m sad, and when I cry, she licks away my tears. Anytime of the day when she sees your coming, she gets up and wags. She’s easy to feed, because she eats everything. And during Chinese New Year, she is one of those dogs who are damn afraid of firecrackers. But then, the moment you go out to accompany her or stand with her, she bucks up and goes all out barking at them bravely, the way Hero does instead of whine and whimper and trying to get into the house. it touches me, and makes me think of the extent she goes to, trying to please and impress us, and it makes what we do for her seem so minute.

My family has recently moved to someplace with a bigger compound. I was thrilled that my dogs would finally have a bigger place to run around in. However, trip after trip back to Kuching, I couldn’t manage to bring them over for a million and one reasons. However, this trip, I was determined. But before that, mom wanted her neutered because there were lots of strays in the area. I was doubtful as she was already 7 years old, but we went for it in the end.

When I went to pick her up yesterday, it broke my heart to see her lying there, unconscious. Her eyes were half open, her tongue was sticking out, and her incision area was still bleeding. The vet helped me put her in the back seat and I drove home slowly.

She did not wake up until a few hours later. She refused to eat anything yet. When she stood up, she looked like a newborn calf that could not stand properly yet. She seemed so fragile and frail compared to the healthy, energetic her I used to know. She refused to eat and kept vomiting. Until this morning, it was the 7^th time.

I decided that it was time to call the vet. She told me to bring her in straight away to be put on drips because she was convinced my dog had contracted Parvo. I on my way to the temple, so I decided to wait to see how Bullet did later because someone had mentioned to me before that the vet is the mata duitan kind. Everything I got from Googling ‘Parvo virus’ made me want to cry. Terms like ‘deadly’ and words like ‘symptoms: vomiting, lethargy, bloody diarrhea (the vet was convinced she would get bloody diarrhea later on’ worried me. Mom however said she was progressing fine, only a bit weak from not eating, but she was alert. I prayed hard. And after more Googling, I finally saw what I wanted to see – that neutering may also lead to vomiting, nausea and loss of appetite. 

When I got back, I thanked God that there was no more vomit on the floor. She drank the glucose solution I gave her. And I was contemplating whether or not to give her eggs since she had a wound. She still refused to take solid food. It was so contrasting because she would gobble up anything and everything before this. I suddenly thought of bananas and drove out to buy some. To my delight, she ate half =) But thankfully, no more vomiting. I think she’s recovering. And even when she is this weak, upon seeing us, she’ll wag and try to get up and walk towards us.

I look at her being so weak and it makes me feel as if we inflicted all of this on her. We wanted to move her to a better place, we wanted to keep her ‘safe’ by neutering her, and this is where it got her. Do good intentions justify this? I am writing this post as a reminder to me, that next time, when she whines non-stop and my irritation is hitting the roof; I shall remember that she loves us with all her heart and I promise to love her even more. 

Therefore, dear Bullet, I know you’re a tough bitch. Get well soon. You’ll be chasing rats and cats off our compound in no time and singing along to the Paddle Pop ice cream man. Big sister here loves ya, heaps.