Puppy Love
I was walking to the gym this morning, bright and early as always, along Ste-Catherine’s street in Montreal. Now Ste-Catherine’s is one of the main streets of the city and just before the gym, there are always a number of homeless people that sleep in the doorways of some of the businesses. Over the course of the winter, they sleep there huddled together in the -30 C weather – barely surviving.
And most of these people are pretty young – in their late teens or early twenties. And most of them have dogs. And this morning, I saw something that I hadn’t seen before. Snuggled up with one of the men sleeping was his dog and her puppies. It appeared that these babies had just recently been born and all three were sucking contentedly on their mother’s teets.
And my heart broke. I wondered how these puppies were going to be able to make it. How were they going to survive with someone who was transient? What was going to happen to them? And then it hit me.
I was more concerned with these baby dogs than I was with the people they were with. I pass by them every day in the blistering cold and I have never felt the anguish that I felt for these dogs. I can also imagine some animal rights group advocating taking these puppies with more passion than anyone has shown any of these fellow people. No, wait, this isn’t about society’s reaction. I can’t use its views to minimize my own.
The fact is that I cared more about those puppies than I did about those people. And there is something inherently wrong with that, isn’t there? It says something about me, and that statement brings me no amount of pleasure at all.
And most of these people are pretty young – in their late teens or early twenties. And most of them have dogs. And this morning, I saw something that I hadn’t seen before. Snuggled up with one of the men sleeping was his dog and her puppies. It appeared that these babies had just recently been born and all three were sucking contentedly on their mother’s teets.
And my heart broke. I wondered how these puppies were going to be able to make it. How were they going to survive with someone who was transient? What was going to happen to them? And then it hit me.
I was more concerned with these baby dogs than I was with the people they were with. I pass by them every day in the blistering cold and I have never felt the anguish that I felt for these dogs. I can also imagine some animal rights group advocating taking these puppies with more passion than anyone has shown any of these fellow people. No, wait, this isn’t about society’s reaction. I can’t use its views to minimize my own.
The fact is that I cared more about those puppies than I did about those people. And there is something inherently wrong with that, isn’t there? It says something about me, and that statement brings me no amount of pleasure at all.
posted by Rye at 8:57 a.m.
4 Comments:
Well yes and no. Somewhere deep down, we suspect that the people have chosen the life, whereas the puppies haven't. Or that the people are in some way responsible for their situation. The puppies are innocent bystanders and that's why you have more pity for them.
I think it's a natural response. Not valid in any way, mind you, just natural.
But it was the puppies that made you notice the people... Fate has a strange way of making you take notice of things you should.
The people you notice might have a choice but the puppies in this world dont. You noticed the more unfortunate.. that says more.
Its alot easier to turn the other way when not faced blatantly the unfortunate fates of some.
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