All in a title

I am watching the Animal Planet right now and in tears. No other show makes me question why I am going to get my MA in Family and Marriage Therapy. Why the hell would I do that when I truly prefer animals to humans? 

This particular show is called Animal Rescue. I used to watch it with Morgan when she would invite me over under the false pretense that we would hang out, but in actuality, she didn't want to study alone. So, I was told, "Just sit and watch TV or something." Fun right? Anyway, this show is beautiful and saddening at the same time. 

This episode was broken down to 3 different stories.

1) Fabulous story of a woman who rescues elephants! Hear that Auntie? Elephants. There is hope for you yet:) 

2) Another lovely lady in Harlem, NY who is a dog and cat rescue in her home and has won several awards because she has sheltered and found homes for over 9,000 animals in 7 years. I LOVE this woman and want to send her flowers immediately!

3) Lastly, the most infuriating and grotesque story ever. This is the definition of why I prefer animals. There is something called a "Cage Hunt." I have never heard of it, but it is no surprise that it's origin is in Texas. Apparently it is a breeding ground for ass-holes. Nonetheless, there are these insane people who think it's cute and fun to purchase wild and endangered animals and caging them. Most often they are wild cats, my fav. So, once the cats are purchased and get older, not surprisingly, they want to eat your face off. The cats are then placed in a cage for their entire life, teeth filed down and let out only to be shot within seconds. You call that hunting? What ignorant, selfish, disgusting, shameful bastards. I apologize for the language, but I feel it is certainly necessary. After these beautiful creatures are shot they are stuffed and promptly placed on a fireplace somewhere is warped Texas. Often times these "hunts" are filmed and, thank god someone in Texas is decent, because these hunts have become illegal and these particular people shown on the program went to jail for 30 years. Thank you animal lovers!!!

Now the good part of that program. There is a wildlife rescue in Colorado that follows the trafficking of wild and endangered animals and has rescued more than 5,000 animals that are for caged hunts and dumb-ass people's "pets." The man who founded it made tears come to my eyes. You can tell what a to-the-core good person looks like and that was him. All of the animals were roaming the rolling CO plains and a cougar was literally cuddling with him. It kind of made me want one myself, but NO that's not okay. Anyway, the cougar was purring. Now before I continue, I have to say that purring is on my list of brilliant mysteries. Scientists still cannot find out how or why cats purr. Alright people, we can put people on the moon, isn't it great that we cannot figure this one out? It's like someone telling you the know the right equation for love, yeah right! Again, off the topic, but this enormous cat was purring and cuddling. The rescuer said that this cat had been in a cage all it's life and was on it's was to a cage hunt. He and a local sheriff intervened and he drove the cat back with him to CO. What a happy ending.

Lessons of the day:

1) Do not ever think it would be a good idea to buy anything other than a domestic cat or dog. NEVER consider any animal that as exotic, endangered, or wild in the title.

2) Get a cat and love it SO much because I can guarantee, it will love you 12 times more. Seriously. 

3) Consider being a vegetarian. Or at least try and eat free-range organic meats. Although a cow and a pig can be domesticated, remember that that was breathing once. It may have had a baby, it had a sister, it had a mother. They feel love, they feel pain. If you really want to get down to it, cage hunting is what is presented to you on a plate everyday, just not with foreign animals. Please look at www.goveg.com they have some really fun stuff to look at.

4) Last but certainly not least, for the love of god, NEVER LIVE IN TEXAS. They breed crazies down there and it just scares me.

Thanks for baring with me on that. I can guarantee a lot more of this because as the title implies....