Last Wednesday went down with a lot of sharing, but I doubt if many remembered that pets are part of the love that makes the world go round.
As for me, a big chicken went down for Trum and Michel, our two living companions at home. And talking about living, of course we miss Bama who passed on two years ago.
They all joined the family as pets, adopting our surname. They have played different roles as friends and protectors of our interests against perceived enemies. They have showed us love in return for our care and affections. They will not begrudge us for giving them little and disparage us behind our back. They are one of the most loyal living beings gifted to mankind.
You need to live closely with these animals to know their human nature. Yes, animals are not void of similar human emotions because they display behaviors like anger, gratitude, love. Indeed, like Avia said: “All things in Nature experience sensation. All things that experience sensation have a level of emotion. It is the way of the soul. This is the way the spirit is designed. Perhaps an emotion in an animal is not as refined as a human’s, but that does not make the emotion less powerful.”
In Berit Brogaard’s essay on the mysteries of love, she relayed that dogs have been reported to love their masters so deeply that they mourn their death for many years. “Such was the case of Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye terrier in Edinburgh, Scotland. He served as Constable John Gray’s companion, until Gray’s death in 1858. After Gray’s funeral, Bobby was spotted sitting on top of his master’s grave in Greyfriars Kirkyard. The loyal police hound is reported to have spent every night at his master’s grave until his death fourteen years later.”
This has also been buttressed in a study conducted by Daniel Mills, a British specialist in clinical animal behavior. His study observed the reaction of dogs and cats in response to their owners and strangers. He found that securely attached dogs tended to behave similarly to infants when their owners left, whereas cats tended not to do that.
For these human emotions that dogs have exhibited, do we know that if we show more love to them, we stand to get more in return?
While it is a fact that dogs can be attached to their owners going by their caregiver role, evidences that dogs can temporarily take over the role of caregiver came up in a study that says dogs were more inclined to approach a crying person than someone who was talking or humming, and that they responded to crying with submissive behavior. According to the researchers, this contrast indicates that the dogs’ response to weeping wasn’t simply the result of curiosity but was based on a primitive understanding of human distress. These findings indicate that when a dog comforts his sorrowful owner, the caregiver-recipient roles are sometimes reversed.
Although we may not have the culture of pet friendship in this part of the world, it is worth an initiation if we desire more knowledge about the beauty of creation.
This takes me to the story of SADE, a musical animation created and directed by U.K-based Nigerian musician and filmmaker, Miller Luwoye which, when released, I figure will not only entertain, but giggle the narrative of how pets are perceived in this part of the world.
SADE tells the story of a little girl, Sade and her family who adopt TEJ, a wandering dog and victim of a hit-and-run driver. Soon, the society discovers that TEJ is not an ordinary dog; hence the race by the ‘powers that be’ to abduct the dog from Sade’s family begins.
The movie which is voiced by notable thespians like Bimbo Manuel, Norbert Young, Omowunmi Dada, Gabriel Afolayan, Biodun Aleja, Jude Orhorha, Yemi Shodimu, Judith Audu, Kate Adepegba, Deji Adenuga, and Ngozi Nwosu also deploys the musical artistry of celebrated icons like King Sunny Ade, Cobhams Asuquo, Deola Adebiyi, and Omolara Ayodele.
Should you want to give the experience of loving pets a chance, visit Animal Love Foundation online. For example, Sweet Frankie needs a home not far from London. If you can prove you care, London is just six hours away. According to the Foundation, “We are looking to home him As close to London as possible…Frankie needs space to run and play. This super smart, loving boy is waiting for you. Are you the home for him? Please click on our adoption application to apply for Frankie today.”
As for us, the hunky Trum and Michel the boss lady, it was a happy Valentine’s Day.
