M I N E!

                                     

Over the centuries, man has been referred to as a dog’s “master” and “owner” while the dog has been described as man’s “constant companion” and even his “best friend”. Lately, the idea of ownership has evolved radically. Advocates of animal rights and welfare say their dogs own them and choose them. Just who owns who would indeed make a hot topic for discussion.




In the 2010 film documentary titled “Mine”, the subject is explored once again in the wake of events that arose right after Hurricane Katrina. Writer / Director  Geralyn Pezanoski quite successfully captured the angst and depression that plagued those who thought they had lost their dogs forever, the anger of those who discovered that their dogs had been adopted by families and couldn’t get them back and those who had adopted the dogs and didn’t want to give them up, and finally the elation of those who were reunited with their beloved furry companions.

The viewer experiences a mix of sympathy and frustration over what may be seen as the stupidity of men as the fight over ownership of the Katrina dogs turned ugly and political. We see shades of racial bias and social inequity as hurricane victims and adoptive families battled  over legal custody of the rescued dogs.

NO CHOICE

Hurricane Katrina hit the state of Louisiana on the morning of Monday, August 29, 2005 with winds lashing at 280 kms per hour. About 80% of New Orleans was destroyed and the floodwaters stayed for several weeks.

Other areas devastated by the hurricane included Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, Cuba and the Bahamas.  It is considered one of the five deadliest natural catastrophes to hit the United States, killing 1800 people and destroying the homes of millions more. More than 700 people are still missing and damages have been estimated at more than 100 billion dollars.

Although mandatory evacuation of the residents began 2-3 days before the hurricane made landfall, government response to the catastrophe has been criticized as being ill-prepared and slow. Animals were not allowed into the shelters so some residents who refused to leave their animals behind died during the storm.  

Residents like Gloria, a senior citizen living on her own, repeatedly promised her dog Murphy Brown that she would not abandon him. But when the National Guardsmen came to take her, they gave her two choices: to go with them willingly or to be taken forcibly to a shelter. Neither option included Murphy Brown. So Gloria was forcibly taken from her home and her dog. She was placed in an evacuation shelter in St. Louis, Missouri for several weeks.

All throughout her stay in the shelter, she never gave up hope of finding Murphy Brown. People soon learned about her story and volunteers launched a campaign to find the dog. He had been adopted by a couple in California and renamed “Shadow”.  The couple willingly returned Murphy Brown to Gloria and arranged for “visiting rights”. Gloria and the couple, Ron and Ellen, soon became good friends. When she died in March 2008, Gloria stated in her will that Murphy Brown should go back to them.

Other residents had to take care of family members first. Although they wanted to bring their animals with them, the shelters were strict about their no-animals policy.

Days after the storm, volunteers from welfare organizations like Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) arrived to rescue the animals left at home. Many animals were able to make their way to the rooftops. But I remember a scene where rescuers had to drill a hole on a roof so they could get to a huge black dog barking below. The dogs, intelligent beings that they are, knew these people were there to save them so they willingly squeezed through windows and holes to get to the rescuers.

But it was more difficult to find the cats because as one woman put it, “Dogs bark. Cats don’t.”

“HE’S MINE”

In the end, more than 500 shelters in Canada and the United States took in some 15,000 animals from the battered Gulf States.  The plan was to save the animals  first then find their owners next. But while rescue efforts proved successful for many four-legged creatures, reuniting them with their human families proved to be a mess. In the melee that followed, records got lost and the animals, the dogs especially, were considered “orphans” and adopted out to families across the country.

 Then Hurricane Rita hit Louisiana on September 23, three weeks after  Katrina.        

 Damages from this second hurricane were estimated at some 11 billion dollars although only about 120 people were killed.  Rita further  nixed whatever chances there were of reuniting dogs with their families in Louisiana.

In New Orleans alone, rescuers estimate that about 150,000 animals died in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

“It’s like a wave of depression comes over you because you made a mistake... of leaving your companion behind,” says Victor Marino who was forced to leave his white pit bull Max behind.

Victor recalled how Max would circle the dining table to get scraps during meals. But as Victor circled his house, he was gladly surprised to see paw prints on the ground which indicated that Max was able to jump from the second floor to the ground probably after the water had subsided.

In a desperate attempt to find his dog, Victor scanned the petfinder database online for five months. Several calls confirmed that his dog Max was already living with a family who loved him very much in Florida. His new name was Joey.

Victor never gave up and kept calling Max’s new family. At first, the adoptive family was adamant and refused to give him back.  They felt that Victor had abandoned Max and so did not deserve him. Both parties called the dog “Mine”. But after numerous calls, the family in Florida finally gave in. Joey became Max again and went back home to Louisiana.

Before Katrina, Malvin, an African-American senior citizen, lived alone with his white poodle, Bandit. Their lives revolved around each other so Malvin was devastated to find Bandit gone when he got home. But volunteers took up his cause and Malvin built a new wooden dog house in anticipation of Bandit’s return.

Meanwhile, Bandit, now renamed Lucky Louie, had been adopted by a family that was crazy about him. With the intervention of volunteer trackers, Lucky Louie’s new family decided to give him back  to Malvin after a year.

Jessie James Pullins, on the other hand, had to evacuate 20 family members and couldn’t take his dog JJ with them to the shelter. “I often think of that moment... how JJ must have been there and I wasn’t there,” he says ruefully as guilt and sadness set in.

Jessie James was able to locate the shelter that took JJ in but shelter officials refused to disclose the whereabouts of his new family. An official kept on saying that Jessie couldn’t blame her for the mess because she did what she thought was best for the dog. Jessie hired a pro bono lawyer to help him get JJ back. After more than a year, JJ’s new family agreed to give him back then suddenly cut off all communication and disappeared with the dog.

The last case featured in the film documentary was that of Linda and the family’s German shepherd, Precious. Linda said she wasn’t able to take Precious because she had to prioritize her family and her mother in a wheel chair. Rescuers were able to save Precious and successfully re-home her in another state. Her new name was Katia.

Katia seemed happy in Texas with her new family who doted on her. Of course, they refused to give her up and even hired a lawyer for the lawsuit filed by Linda. Volunteers had also raised funds for Linda’s lawyer but the case stalled when the funds ran out. The case was eventually dismissed in Louisiana.

The adoptive family claimed that Katia’s previous owners did not take good care of her because she had heartworms and signs of having been caged when they acquired her. The lawyer also stressed that if Linda and her family had really considered the dog as one of them, they would not have left her behind.

LESSONS LEARNED

After the hurricanes, the US Congress passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) that mandated states to include pets in their disaster evacuation plans. That’s a landmark law, one that

I hope will also be done in the Philippines.  After all, the bond between animal and humans could be as strong and long-lasting as the bond between humans.

Animal organizations, particularly in the United States, have a pretty good track record of rescues in times of natural disasters. But they must improve their tracking system so there can be a more systematic and efficient way to trace and reunite humans and their animal companions.

I really hope we will never experience a tragedy like Katrina. But if it’s fated, then only early preparations can mitigate the damage that nature could create in all fury. Official  disaster evacuation plans should include the animals. But we must have our own plans for our human families and animal companions, too.

Lastly, like the animal rescue teams, many Americans were quick to judge and blame the Louisiana residents for the fate of the animals left behind.  People presumed that the residents did not care much for the animals. But many of them did. Sweeping generalizations are almost never good. With their homes destroyed and their friends and family either killed or missing, some survivors fought to get their dogs back because they were the only living link to a past obliterated by the floodwaters of Katrina.   

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Published in Animal Scene Magazine in May 2010

STUDENTS AND THEIR STRESS BUSTERS

                             STUDENTS AND THEIR STRESS BUSTERS

                                                  By Khrysta Imperial Rara

          It’s common knowledge today that stress is the leading cause of most killer diseases like cancer, diabetes, hypertension and heart problems. Everyone is prone to stress which can be found everywhere from the home to school and the office. You can even get stressed while on vacation. Stress is a state of mind, which means it all depends on how you handle situations or people. You can either laugh it off or die from it.

          There are many ways to deal with stress. Listen to music, do sports or exercise, practice tai chi, watch television or a movie, talk to your best friend or even cook. Some people, however, make the wrong choice and resort to illegal drugs, smoking, excessive eating, or bitching. Stress can bring out the worst in you unless you find the best way to cope with it.

          School, in particular, can be a real headache particularly when it’s time for paper submissions and final examinations. Last March, some students talked about their stress busters on the weekly program Kwentuhang Pets Atbp aired in DZUP 1602am every Thursday. Here are their stories.

ANGERICA HAINTO and DONKEY

          Anj is an incoming fourth year Journalism major. Her family loves animals so they always have pets like chickens, goldfish, rabbits and dogs. A seven-year old Labrador named Donkey, named after one of the animal characters in the movie “Shrek”, was her closest friend. She also considered him as her “stress-buster”.

When she was in first year high school, she was given the responsibility of taking care of Donkey. He was still a puppy then, so cute and only as big as her hand. “Every time I would be doing assignments, he would cry a lot. So while I was working, I would pick him up, put him on my lap and he would stop crying because he was comfortable there,” she quipped.

“Then I would be able to write my paper well because of the warmth he gave me and the inspiration that he released in me,” she said.

          Anj recalls that after a stressful week at the university, she would always look forward to going home because she knew that Donkey would be waiting for her at the gate. They spent a lot of time together hugging, playing, cuddling and she would always pat and stroke him. When he saw that she was tired, he would just sit beside her and put his head on her lap. Or he would stand on his hind legs and put his paws on her face and she would then hug him.

“It was comforting to know that he was there for me, always sympathizing with me. I missed him and he missed me,” she confided.

          She says Donkey was always part of the family and included in family activities. Whenever possible, they would take him with them during family trips. Unfortunately, Donkey suddenly died from heat stroke last March, a few days after the school year ended. Anj didn’t even get to see him because she only goes home on weekends.

          Anj also made an interesting observation. “Animals are connected to the life force of their human companions,” she quips. She explained that when her father passed away due to cancer, their two dogs – an American bulldog named Muning and a Labrador named Gus - followed him after a few months. “Even the garden died with him,” she said.

EDWARD AND MYUNING

          Graduating student Edward Lemuel Castro has a white cat named Myuning to help him relax after a stressful day. Myuning was already a constant visitor at their new house by the time Edward’s family moved in. But unlike other transients who would come and go, Myuning stayed and took her chances with the new residents.

“ She meows when she’s hungry and we give her food. Then she quiets down,” Edward says. “She’s really sweet and that’s why we like her.”

Edward confides that Myuning makes him smile with her antics. “I often come home tired because of the demands of schoolwork and traffic. But when my siblings tell me they found Myuning inside the room or the car and they don’t know how she got there, we laugh about it because we are bewildered by how she pulls it off. Then she just meows loudly to tell us she’s inside,” he recounts.

RENS AND BRUCE

          Renson Sioson of the Technological Institute of the Philippines becomes emotional when he recalls the adventures he shared with his former dog, Bruce. Bruce, who was of Rottweiler and pitbull parentage, used to massage Rens to chase the blues away. He was also fiercely loyal and protective of his young human friend.

          “Once, Bruce saved me from several dogs that were chasing me. We tried to outrun them. We ran and we ran and we ran. Then one of the dogs caught up with me and bit me. Then Bruce bit the dog and there was a nasty fight. I pitied Bruce. I tried to stop the fight and I felt like I was the one being attacked,” he said. “Bruce did not give up trying to save me until the other dogs left. They got scared of him because he was big.”

Bruce suffered from a broken leg and a nasty bite from that incident. But Rens still can’t get over the fact that his dog was killed by his father’s friend.

“Bruce died when we left him with my father’s friend. We didn’t have a car then so my father told us we would leave Bruce with his drinking buddy. When we got back, I was shocked that Bruce was dead,” he said ruefully. “I learned later that they ate him.”

Rens confesses that he got really depressed after Bruce’s death and his grades suffered in his sophomore year. He sought comfort in exotic pets like snakes and spiders but it just didn’t work out. But he smiles when he talks about Cali, his dog of Pomeranian-Japanese Spitz mix whom he acquired after Bruce. He describes Cali as a very playful dog who helped him get over his depression. With Cali, he learned to relax and enjoy life again. He also credits Cali with helping him study for his exams and therefore passing all his subjects.

DE-STRESS WITH YOUR ANIMALS                              

                                                                              

Many studies now show that animals and animal-related activities provide a wonderful way to de-stress. Watching birds in the wild can be liberating while watching fish swimming in an aquarium can put you in a meditative state. Stroking or massaging a dog or cat reduces the heart rate for both you and the animal. 

Talking to them or laughing at their antics lowers blood pressure. Perhaps it’s because we feel we don’t have to perform the way we do when we are with people. We don’t fear rejection when we’re with animals because they are always ready to give us unconditional love. 

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Published in ANIMAL SCENE magazine June 2012

UP Feline Security At Work

           

On an ordinary school day, a grayish brown ball of fur curls up at the top of the concrete steps leading to the entrance of the College of Mass Communication (CMC) at the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman. The furry ball sleeps through all the noise and movement of the students, personnel, faculty and visitors to the college. Once in a while, a student kneels down to stroke the sleeping feline. She opens an eye and raises her head to acknowledge the gesture, then purrs to show her contentment.

Kitkat is one of CMC’s four resident cats. She blends with the grey concrete steps but no one has ever made the mistake of stepping on her – her curled up body is such a usual sight that the scene seems unfinished without her. In fact, she spices up the drab colors of the main building. It is not unusual for visitors to suddenly twist their heads to take a closer look at the cat, as if trying to confirm what their eyes had seen just a second before.

When she’s not napping, Kitkat stands like a sentry at the entrance door. Nothing escapes her scrutiny. She approaches the edge of the steps when she sees a friend – both human and feline. She then gently rubs her body against the person’s leg and mouths a soundless miaow to welcome her friend.

I feel lucky and honored that Kitkat considers me a friend. Often, when I arrive at school, she runs to the car to greet me and walks with me to the steps. When I leave at night, she escorts me back to the car and watches as I drive off. According to CMC security guard Rey Villaruz, she does that only to me.

Villaruz is Kitkat’s buddy. While she takes her morning siesta, Villaruz is just a few feet away, sitting at his desk or standing by the entrance, patiently watching the people entering and exiting from the open glass door. The door stays open till 9:00 pm so he must guard it, ensuring that no troublemakers make it past the steps. At noon, he takes his lunch, making sure that Kitkat gets her share of his food, too. At the very least, she gets to eat rice and soup with chicken bones.

“The cats are part of our daily life here. I pity the cats when I see them starving so I share my food with them,” admits Villaruz who was first assigned to the college in August 2009.

Villaruz, it seems, is not the only one whose heart goes out to the cats. Aside from students and faculty, Villaruz’s fellow security guards Ryan Bayabas and Maumen Kuli share his love for the college cats and feed them leftovers.

CAT PATROL

Contrary to what many would think, the CMC cats are not mere hangers-on. Neither are they opportunists. They know they can find a meal on ordinary days at the college, but they also know that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. They pay for their meals by rendering service – they patrol the grounds and kill the rodents that cross their path. Villaruz says he used to see dead rats lying around in the college grounds in the morning.

                        

“I’ve seen them kill big rats. That’s a big help for our college equipment and sanitation,” Villaruz averred. “That’s why we need the cats here.”

His colleague, former CMC security guard Aris Vicente, was even more direct. “They kill the rats that climb into my drawer to eat my food,” he said. “These cats are my friends.”

Vicente, who has since been assigned to another post, recounts how Butterfinger, a large orange male tabby, accompanies him on his rounds at night. “Sometimes, he would inspect the place even before I did then we would just meet in the upper floors,” he recalls.

And when the cats made strange noises in the middle of the night, it alerted him and off he would go to check it out. “They really kept me on my toes,” he said.

Villaruz has his own security story to tell. Once, while on night shift in July last year, the stillness was broken when Kitkat suddenly jumped in front of him. Her fur stood on end and her body was tense. It was nearly midnight and Villaruz couldn’t see anything or anyone beyond the dimly-lit college parking.

But he knew there had to be something out there because of the way Kitkat went on red alert. Carefully, he examined the dark for any traces of movement or sound. Seconds later, he was able to discern a shadow behind one of the trees. It turned out to be a scavenger on a midnight hunt. The man had a bottle of water in his hand and was about to club him had he not turned around in time.

“That man could have knocked me out and grabbed my gun,” Villaruz said, adding that it has happened several times already to other night guards on duty.

“I would feel bad if these cats disappear. Night duty would become very lonely. With these cats by my side, I feel safe,” he quips.

FRIENDS AND ACQUAINTANCES

Ryan Villareal, a fourth year journalism student, says the cats make him smile because of their playfulness and distinct personalities. He and his friends hang out in an area not far from the canteen and they get to mingle with the felines daily. “We know who among them is the mischievous one, the playful one, the pregnant one,” he says. “It is amazing how the cats have inched their way into our daily tambay and college moments.”

He recalls that he and his groupmates did a short video feature on the cats last year. “One of the best things that a student said during an interview was that she feels at home when she sees the cats because she remembers their family pet and it makes student life more bearable,” Villareal recounts.

“So whenever I see a cat popping out from a stack of readings in the photocopy area,
prancing on the tables in the cafeteria, or following you around while you eat your pasta Bolognese, it does not freak me out or disgust me. Instead it makes me forget my fatigue and stress,” he said.

Another fourth year student, Journalism major Khate Manalo, explained in an email message that the presence of the cats inside the U.P. campus helps develop compassion among the students. “They remind us that we have a responsibility toward animals and we cannot think only of ourselves,” she writes.

Khate admits, though, that she is not close to the cats. “We just greet each other. At first, they were evasive and snobbish,” she admits. But she had the chance to bond with them last December and discovered that they are, after all, “malambing”.

“Since then, they greet me with their miaows when I call them or stroke them. I would like to think that they know me now,” she says.

She admits that student life can indeed be stressful and “the gentle nature of the cats calms us”.


FAMILY DAY

At present, all four feline residents of CMC are female. Two belong to one family - Kitkat is the matriarch and her daughter is Twix. Twix is as orange as Kitkat’s best friend M&M. A third still unnamed cat took up residence in the college late last year. All three have just given birth.

Butterfinger, who lives in the neighboring College of Music, comes for a visit several times a week. He is probably the father of all the kittens.

I can never forget a scene I witnessed last year. I arrived at the college one Monday morning and saw the usually shy Butterfinger hanging out with Kitkat and their two orange kittens. They were all stretched out and relaxing at the top of the stairs.

This scene was unusual because like shy lovers trying to keep a secret, the couple (Butterfinger and Kitkat) have their trysts under the cars or behind the shrubs. Their 2 kittens were always more visible as they spent their days by the guards’ radio, listening and watching while learning from their mother and the guards.

It was a rare sight, made all the more special because it was Feb. 14, 2011 – Valentine’s Day. Butterfinger stayed around and enjoyed the company of his family for the entire morning then went back to his favorite haunts in the early afternoon.

THURSDAY GREETINGS

To people who know Kitkat, there is no doubt about her innate intelligence. She knows just what to do and what is expected of her. As part of my hosting routine for my weekly radio program Kwentuhang Pets Atbp (KPA) on DZUP, I greet each of the CMC cats on air and the security guards as well. So every Thursday at noon, I tell Kitkat to listen to the program and my greetings for her. According to Villaruz, when the KPA theme song starts playing, Kitkat heads for the radio on the concrete floor and lies down next to it, her ears cocked and eyes wide open. He says she also stands up and walks away as soon as I do my closing lines.

One day, I forgot to greet her on the air. After the program, she was waiting at the top of the steps for me, the way she does every Thursday at 2pm. But this time, when I tried to touch and stroke her, she ignored me, turned her back on me and walked away. I then realized that I had forgotten to greet her on air!

HUMAN – CAT RELATIONSHIPS

There are still many people who cannot stand the sight of animals on campus. But their number is definitely diminishing. In other universities abroad, pets are even allowed to stay in the dorms.

                                 


As for the CMC cats, guards and students, the friendship is based on the mutual need for companionship and security. “We can’t really call them strays because the students feed them and there are people caring for them,” Vicente remarked.

Villareal adds: “I don’t see anything wrong with them being on campus. They are part of the UP community just as we are. We just have to understand the cats’ behavior and lifestyle so that we can live harmoniously with them.”


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             Published in the ANIMAL SCENE magazine, May 2012
             (click to enlarge magazine images)