This is my response to Cross Culture Question #3 about animals. It would serve well to read the post here. Click Here
My favourite animal would be a dog. I've watched a lot of dog movies while growing up and to date, I still won't pass up the opportunity because I've always considered dogs to be so smart, kind, helpful and loyal. Dogs are amazing, easy to have around, easy to take to instructions and corrections. I saw how a man trained his dogs and dropped food for them. He told them not to eat it and they paused. You could see how anxious those dogs are to eat but they listened and waited. The moment they heard the word 'eat' they didn't wait a second. That's dogs for you - attentive, trainable and impressionable.
Do you like animals? Why or why not?
Who wouldn't love animals? Well, I don't want to generalize because I know some people are not so keen on animals and it's fine. I will simply state why I love animals and this post gives a clear indication as to why I love animals; dogs.
"The more I get to know humans, the more I get to admire my dog" - Anonymous.
I love dogs because their loyalty would always humble you. All they want in return is attention and they would go all the length for you. I love dogs and with the way they lick you all over, you can sense their excitement and it's easier to sense when something is wrong with them too because they won't be their usual self. Humans can mask a lot of pain and act deceptive but never dogs. In my language, we used to say that the dog that saw you today and swings its tail but sees you the next day and didn't, then you can be certain that something is off.
Are animals respected or looked down upon in your culture?
We have two categories of dogs in my country; the foreign ones and the local ones. The foreign ones are the Bulldog, Dalmatian, German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever and the likes but you see the local ones? They get no respect whatsoever. I wouldn't say animals are not respected in my culture but I would say it's 50-50. The ones who have spent heavily on securing the foreign dogs know better to treat them special but those stray and local ones get a lot of stick. They have little regard for them.
Are any animals considered good luck or bad luck in your culture?
Yes... Cats are considered to be back luck because they believe that cats are used by the occultic world to infiltrate humans while rabbits are considered to be good luck because of their heads and foot. Also, dogs... especially those who have foreign breeds.
What’s the most beautiful relationship you’ve seen between a human and an animal?
I've seen quite a lot but the one that got my attention the most was the prank a man played on his dog. He jumped into the swimming pool and faked that he was drowning. I watched that video with goosebumps all over my body with the way that dog was barking for help but when the dog noticed no help was coming, he jumped into the water, raced to his owner and grabbed him by the shirt as he was dragging him with all his power to safety. Typing this is also giving me goosebumps. It was a wonderful sight and that speaks a lot about the love animals have for their owners especially when they have the opportunity to save them.
I've seen situations where an animal; a dog fell sick because her owner travelled. This goes to say a lot about the bond between humans and animals. All they ask for in return is attention and affection and that's not too much to ask for especially with all the good perks they offer in return.
There was one I saw too where a man was manhandling his girlfriend and the dog had to step in to scare the guy away. It was funny because it shows that dog has better sense than the man in question. We have a special relationship with animals but it depends on how we treat them.
Presently I don't have a dog anymore because he passed away but the special thing I had with my dog was I love throwing food so he would grab it before it touched the ground. It became our thing and he would sit down when he sees me with food. He got so used to throwing food that way than when I bring his plate to him. He ate from the plate depending on which food I was giving him but our moments were forged when I throw the food. I still remember his face, the colour and the bark.
Cheers.
Gingered Up! ❣️