Of Human and Animals

I have just finished watching "Marley and Me" and I felt this urge to blog about it. Well, not about the movie, but the experience. Because boy, I cried a liter. I did not really cry that much but I trust that if I went to sleep this instant, my eyes would be very sore tomorrow morning. You judge how much did I cry. 

I do not have a pet in the present and it has been years since I last had one. We have taken different kinds of pets when I was a child. We have had goldfish, rabbit, lovebirds, and my most loved, a dog. If my mind does not fail me, that dog, Boomer, was a Pomeranian breed. I did not even know anything about breeds not until I was already in college when I knew little things about it. Since internet can pretty much give you a lecture on dog breeds, I soon found out that Boomer was indeed a Pomeranian, mix bred or not, that much I cannot tell anymore. Of the years that we have shared, Boomer and I, I only managed to have two pictures of us together, and as of the moment, I have managed to keep only one. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that the other one I submitted as a school assignment and well, never got it back. Boomer and I were not so close. Well, what do you expect with someone who was not allowed to play with dogs as a measure of safety, due to over protectiveness. But we had some moments of bonding: I have rubbed his head, petted him, played a little with him. But I never really got to cuddle him and hug him that much. 

I got home one night hearing nothing after I pressed the doorbell which is unbelievable since Boomer always, never fails, to bark loudly whenever someone presses our doorbell. I rushed my way up the stairs and walked directly to the terrace where he was and knocked on the door, loudly calling his name. At first nobody told me anything. But after a while, they finally told me the truth. I cannot really remember the pain now, nor can I recall how I felt or said when they told me Boomer has died. Everything about the immediate moment after telling me what happened was a haze now. But one thing that I vividly recall until now is how much I cried. I cried my eyes out and threw a tantrum. I cannot be pacified then.

I know for a fact that I cannot really say that I am an animal lover, but I know that I do not want them to hurt either. In movies, TV programs, stories, where animals are involved, I always cry whenever these animals are put into tests, when they get hurt, abused physically or verbally, and of course, when they die. I can still remember how much I cried while watching Free Willy. I cried too while watching Babe, and I cried a lot still  with Andre, heck, I even cried for Godzilla. So even though these are animals, not to mention only movies, I still feel for them. Because to me, once you had them as your pets, or if you have somehow formed an acquaintance with them it does not really matter that they cannot talk and think like you. And that sometimes you don't even get their point, but nevertheless, they touch you. They comfort you, and they love you. And most importantly, you loved them. So these pets, even not humans, you treat them as a part of your family. When it is time for them to leave you, they leave a huge empty spot in your heart. You lose a part of yourself with them, and at the end of the day, you will admit that they are not just animals nor pets, they are family.