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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 6627
Location: minneapolis
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 Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 3:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Linda in sw va wrote: | Oh dear, I didn't realize this book/movie had a sad ending. We lost our beloved German Shepherd not long ago and we miss him terribly. We have an American Eskimo Spitz that is 17 so I know we are in for heartache soon for her as well. We also have a Pug that is just over a year, he is a handful and brings us all so much pleasure. So anyway, obviously we are big animal lovers (have 3 cats as well) and I thought this movie looked so cute, I had not read the book and didn't realize it was going to end sadly. I remember balling my eyes out in the theater at the end of King Kong, I was actually sobbing and couldn't help myself.
Hmm, I guess I'll rent it on DVD but I am glad for the warning about the ending, it's better that I know ahead of time. I've always enjoyed Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston can be pretty good.
Linda |
It is a cute movie Linda! You should pick up a copy of the book. It is really great. The movie pretty much follows the book with the exception of the scene where they bought Marley. In the book a huge golden lab bounds out of the woods chasing a flock of geese or something and he is covered with mud. That dog was Marley's father and that was the size of the real Marley...huge. Loved the book. However, even in the book, I skipped the sad part and read it about a month later. John Grogan has a great blog. He talks about the two dogs they have acquired after Marley. He is a wonderful writer.
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Katie (kat)
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 237
Location: Indiana
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| Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 7:23 pm Post subject: |
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| xina wrote: | | Also, to your other point...I would never compare the death of a child to a pet. I love my dogs dearly, but if one of my children died I'm not sure what I would do. I hope that never happens. Pets don't equal children. |
First off I posted about not wanting to see this movie because I don't like any form of entertainment where an animal dies especially since 2 of my babies died in November. You posted, in a nutshell, that's life. Then I basically said that everyone has their hot buttons of things they don't want to see and implied you were being insensitive to that fact in regards to animals. I did not post that pets equal children, but you know what, animals are entities all on to themselves not just someone's pet. They have lives that have value.
 You're entitled to your speciest viewpoint just as those who think their race, gender, nantionality, intelligence, class and so on entitle them to some kind of superior status (in my opinion if humans really were some superior species we wouldn't abuse those we have power over). Your kids mean a lot less to me than the animals that have blessed my life. What you value does not = what I value and your opinion (and that's all it is) is no more valid than mine. |
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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 6627
Location: minneapolis
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| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 12:54 am Post subject: |
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You're entitled to your speciest viewpoint just as those who think their race, gender, nantionality, intelligence, class and so on entitle them to some kind of superior status (in my opinion if humans really were some superior species we wouldn't abuse those we have power over). Your kids mean a lot less to me than the animals that have blessed my life. What you value does not = what I value and your opinion (and that's all it is) is no more valid than mine.[/quote]
Huh....sorry, you lost me on this one. I certainly didn't mean to imply any such thing. However, I think we are of the same mind in that we both love our puppies. Don't you agree? 
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Linda in sw va
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 9:03 am Post subject: |
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| xina wrote: |
It is a cute movie Linda! You should pick up a copy of the book. It is really great. The movie pretty much follows the book with the exception of the scene where they bought Marley. In the book a huge golden lab bounds out of the woods chasing a flock of geese or something and he is covered with mud. That dog was Marley's father and that was the size of the real Marley...huge. Loved the book. However, even in the book, I skipped the sad part and read it about a month later. John Grogan has a great blog. He talks about the two dogs they have acquired after Marley. He is a wonderful writer. |
Oh, so there really was a Marley? How cute! My brother has always had labs, they can be a handful but they are great dogs. I wish it had a happy ending though. *sigh*
Linda
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Linda in sw va
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 9:08 am Post subject: |
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| xina wrote: | | :|Huh....sorry, you lost me on this one. I certainly didn't mean to imply any such thing. However, I think we are of the same mind in that we both love our puppies. Don't you agree? |
Xina, lost me too, I went back and reread your message and don't think you implied any such thing either. If you own a pet, losing that pet is a fact of life, unfortunately. They bring so many years of joy though that even though it hurts they are well worth every moment. I can't even imagine what it would be like to lose one of my children, I honestly don't think I'd want to go on living. As much as we love our animals it is not the same. Ironically though, I've seen movies where I see 10 people shot in the blink of an eye but let something happen to the horse..or the dog and I'm ready to walk out. My husband shakes his head at me. :)
Linda
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Tee
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 4046
Location: Detroit Metro
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| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 10:10 am Post subject: |
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Xina, along with Linda, I feel badly that Katie took your post differently than we both did. I know how dedicated and sensitive you are to your dogs, so any disrespect that Katie picked up thru your post had to be unintentional. I too agreed with you that short life spans are the nature of the animal kingdom.
Katie, as animal lovers and caretakers, we've been where you are when a pet dies; and I'm truly sorry for your loss. It's one of the roughest things I've had to encounter. We understand your sadness, only because we too have been thru it. |
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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 6627
Location: minneapolis
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| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 10:38 am Post subject: |
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Thanks LInda and Tee! Oh well, so often meanings of these posts are lost and would be so much easier to express if there were face to face contact. Telling me that pets are very important to our lives is rather like preaching to the choir. I love them to pieces and as I'm writing this I've got a kitty in my lap and a puppy curled up at my feet, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
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Kass
Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 722
Location: under a cockatiel
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| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 4:42 pm Post subject: |
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Heh. My male cockatiel is beak grinding (i.e. making quiet little noises meaning he's happy and relaxed), my female is next to him preening, and they're both perched on my right chair arm. I loves my birdies.
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Leigh
Joined: 29 May 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 4:57 pm Post subject: |
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Also, to your other point...I would never compare the death of a child to a pet. I love my dogs dearly, but if one of my children died I'm not sure what I would do. I hope that never happens. Pets don't equal children.
People who have pets and don't have children know this intellectually and understand it. However, my pets are my children (I don't have kids). So the sorrow I feel when losing a pet is enormous. Not that I am discounting your sorrow either. But having children puts a different perspective on pets (in my opinion).
I completely understand where you both are coming from. However, I also would be very sensitive over a lost of what I consider my child even if it is a pet especially if it had just happened recently.
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Leigh
Joined: 29 May 2007
Posts: 2685
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| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 5:07 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="Linda in sw va"] | xina wrote: | | :|Huh....sorry, you lost me on this one. I certainly didn't mean to imply any such thing. However, I think we are of the same mind in that we both love our puppies. Don't you agree? |
Xina, lost me too, I went back and reread your message and don't think you implied any such thing either. If you own a pet, losing that pet is a fact of life, unfortunately.
I can read Xina statement and know exactly what she meant. However, I am not dealing with a recent lost.
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Linda in sw va
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Leigh wrote: | People who have pets and don't have children know this intellectually and understand it. However, my pets are my children (I don't have kids). So the sorrow I feel when losing a pet is enormous. Not that I am discounting your sorrow either. But having children puts a different perspective on pets (in my opinion).
. |
Having children did not put a different perspective on having and loving our animals, in fact that hasn't changed at all. But it did open up a whole new world of love that I never imagined possible and you're right, I think you have to experience it to understand it's depth. It doesn't take away from our love for our animals or our pain at their loss, they are our best friends and part of our family as well. But our love for our children, that's just something that staggers me with how beautiful and scary it can be. I once read the quote that to have children is to forever have your heart go walking around outside your body and I thought that was the most accurate quote I've ever read.
By the way I am typing this with a kitty purring, perched on the sofa behind my head and our pug snoring softly cuddled up to my leg. Another kitty is taking a nap on the coffee table in front of me. I think one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is to teach them to love and care for animals.
Linda
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Leigh
Joined: 29 May 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 10:02 pm Post subject: |
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Having children did not put a different perspective on having and loving our animals, in fact that hasn't changed at all. But it did open up a whole new world of love that I never imagined possible and you're right, I think you have to experience it to understand it's depth. It doesn't take away from our love for our animals or our pain at their loss, they are our best friends and part of our family as well. But our love for our children, that's just something that staggers me with how beautiful and scary it can be. I once read the quote that to have children is to forever have your heart go walking around outside your body and I thought that was the most accurate quote I've ever read.
Thank you for explaining what I meant. You put it beautifully. And again I know it has to be true, but without having kids, my dogs get all the love I have to give, so losing one to me feels like losing a child because that is all I know.
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Katie (kat)
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 237
Location: Indiana
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| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 10:39 pm Post subject: |
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I'm going to stop posting for a while because I'm going to be mean and that's pointless. This trivalization of an animal's death compared to a humans is exactly what I hate. Animals are more than just pets, but unique souls with their own personalities and worth that is separate of any value a human bestows on them. Nobody here knows me or how much Emmy's death hurts or exactly how much I loved her. I can't believe I posted that I didn't want to see a dog die and just keep reading how that's life that animals die, but that's nothing compared to a child. I know, some of you were being very nice and understanding, I'm just not in a good place right now.
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Linda in sw va
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
Posts: 4707
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| Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 7:13 am Post subject: |
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| Leigh wrote: |
Thank you for explaining what I meant. You put it beautifully. And again I know it has to be true, but without having kids, my dogs get all the love I have to give, so losing one to me feels like losing a child because that is all I know. |
Oh Leigh, I can completely understand that, I've been there! I can't say that loss is any easier after you have children though, there is a certain niche in your life that no one else but your precious pet can fill.
I warned my Mom last night about the ending to Marley and Me, she is an animal lover too and loves to read about animals (Modoc is her favorite book ever) but we were just talking the other day about how so much of their stories are sad. When we discussed it having a sad ending she said to me..Well you know that is a fact of life, animals die and people die and I'm sure the story will be good in between, she was encouraging me to watch it anyway And honestly I think she was sadly starting to think a little of herself in there because she's 71 and has some serious health issues. I think in a way animals help us to learn about life and death which may bring some of us comfort when faced with our own. They can be little guardian angels in that way.
Linda
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"The Bookshop has a thousand books, all colors, hues and tinges, and every cover is a door that turns on magic hinges." ~ Nancy Byrd Turner |
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Tee
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 4046
Location: Detroit Metro
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| Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 8:32 am Post subject: |
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| Linda in sw va wrote: | | I warned my Mom last night about the ending to Marley and Me.... When we discussed it having a sad ending she said to me..Well you know that is a fact of life, animals die and people die and I'm sure the story will be good in between, she was encouraging me to watch it anyway And honestly I think she was sadly starting to think a little of herself in there because she's 71 and has some serious health issues. I think in a way animals help us to learn about life and death which may bring some of us comfort when faced with our own. |
I already like your mom, Linda. As we get older, we do tend to put life into perspective, don't we? Sometimes we can close our eyes and deny some things happening out there; but when we open them up again--well, darn, there they are again. Thanks for sharing this with us. That old saying again crops up for me: "Life isn't about what happens to us, but how we react to what happens" (or something like that  ). |
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