It is no secret that I am obsessed with animals and their well-being, but I am often torn between my love for animals and our dependency on them as humans.

I loathe factory farming.  Yet, I am not a vegetarian.  I do, however, try to limit my meat intake, and try to only purchase from local farmers.  We actually talk to the farmers, about the animals diets, their habitat, etc.  As a result, we pay twice as much for our meat, which is another reason we eat less of it.

I have always had a problem with animals in captivity, and animals in zoos and marine “pools” that confine them and prevent them from living their lives fully, even knowing that some of these efforts are not in vain, and for conservation purposes.  But the tragic death of a SeaWorld trainer reminds me again why animals, such as Orca whales, should not be in captivity.

I don’t doubt that SeaWorld and their marine biologists do some great things for wildlife conservation and education, but I can’t help but hope that these entertainment zoos and parks will soon become a distant memory.  Animals who live in captivity often get sick and killer whales, on average, live 20 years in captivity, as opposed to a female in the wild who will live into their 50s.  These are highly intelligent creatures who are stressed because they are forced into spaces that go against their instincts — no natural social groups, chemically treated water, inability to travel freely in an ocean.  I read one article that talked about the killer whales need to travel in straight lines as opposed to being forced to swim in circles in a tank.  Most animals in captivity have breeding problems, emotional distress, problems eating and behaving as they would in the wild.  It is not our place to interfere.

This also applies to “swim with dolphins” in Hawaii, and any of the those “feed sharks” adventures in South Africa I’ve seen. It just isn’t right for us to manipulate animals for our entertainment, and I don’t think it is entertaining.  It all makes me sad.

But, then again, I am a little animal crazy.

I have become an official dog walker at the Montreal SPCA.  Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, although I am not meeting any new people, but have made plenty of dog friends.  Sometimes I’ll refer to my new friends in conversation, and then remember to remind whoever I am talking to that my friends are dogs.  For example, “today I saw blood in Tonka’s stool”, MUST be followed with “Tonka is a cute dog at the SPCA”.

Walking a dog sounds very romantic for a dog-lover such as myself, but the dogs that usually end up at the SPCA are larger than my little min-pin and have so much more energy than I could possibly ever control.  After my first experience of being knocked to the ground repeatedly by 140 pound rottweiller/pitt bull/boxer/monster mix, I came home, bruised and exhausted, and immediately taped and watched every episode of the Dog Whisperer I could find.  Seems like I need more training to be a pack leader — such as this guy:

Do you see what he is doing to that pittbull???  Part of my job is to put a choker over the dogs head before taking him out, and let me tell you, my hand were shaking putting a choker around a pitt bull’s mouth.  (side note — pitt bulls are by far the coolest animals I get to walk.  they are sweet and obedient and have a undeserved reputation.  On another note, german shepards are crazy)

So I returned to the SPCA again, repeating to myself — calm, assertive energy, calm, assertive energy.  Basically I need to project this, and the dogs will be putty in my hands.  It worked!!  Except, then the dog would test my energy a few times, and I’d failed miserably, and then I’d spend the next 15 minutes being tackled by incredibly intimidating dogs.  But whenever I was able to fool them (and myself) that I was the pack leader, I’d make them sit, and take a picture of them.

I am almost positive that the only reason we don’t have 10 dogs living at our house right now is that I am oblige to pick up doggy doo doo.  And since I do the relief walk in the mornings, the dogs basically wait for me to open their kennel door, then drag me outside to relieve themselves and then watch me pick up their gigantic poop.  I’d like you to see you try to maintain that you are the pack leader while carrying around a dog’s feces.

Almost every dog I walk I fall in love with.  It is so easy, eventhough they are not puppies and some are not even that cute — but they are all so eager for love and attention and a little stimulation.  Most of the dogs are trained, very affectionate and would make a great companion.  They have been evaluated by vets, have been receiving basic training, and need a home.  I am almost more sad to see the same dogs week after week than to see them leave.  And there are SO many cats as well.  I would recommend anyone who is looking for a dog or cat to visit their local humane society…there are just too many good animals out there looking for a home.