Dog Movie entry #3

FRIENDSHIP. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. FAMILY.

To Belle.

We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment.
~George Eliot

MARLEY & ME (c. 2008, Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston)

I first read John Grogan's horrifically amusing life with his ball of energetic-fur, Marley. The novel was released in 2005 and reading the book had me laughing and crying like there's no tomorrow. The craziness of the yellow Labrador had me relating to every moment of John and Jen’s real life struggles and joys with him.

Marley was the trial “kid” of the newly-wed couple, they decided the way to determine if they can be good parents was if they could take care of a dog. So off they went to a puppy farm close by, and Marley’s mom and litter was there to greet them. John described Marley’s mother to be regal and dignified, seemingly the most ideal Labrador in the world. But where was the litter’s father?

So they had their pick, chose Marley from the bunch and walked out the door with their new bundle of joy... when this wild-looking, crazed-eyed monster ran past them with the fury of a runaway train. That was Marley’s father.

I took my stand and refused to see the cinema release of Marley & Me. One, I didn’t want to be crying in public like a lunatic over a dog movie. And two, I was apprehensive of how the adaptation would turn out. I watched this on HBO. And I am not disappointed. Neither were my tear ducts.

Marley & Me is another real-life experience aptly captured in film. John and Jennifer Grogan’s happy new life together with animal clad in yellow fur, dead set in ruining their lives and teaching them true love along the way, translated into film is just as beautiful as the one in paper.

Marley lived to a ripe old age, seeing his masters thru one miscarriage, 3 successful child births and other major changes in life. He was loving, crazy, loyal and carefree, and he made sure his values were instilled in his humans. Instilled enough for John to write the book that eventually found its way to the big screen.



This one really pulls on my heartstrings because I have a beautiful lab myself. She's an insanely happy bundle of black fur, but she knows when to be good and polite, too, without my having to say so. She drives me crazy sometimes but I love her to bits. She’s my Belle, center of my life. I would do anything, absolutely anything, for her.

This ends my Dog Movie series for now. I love the fact that the beauty of the human and dog relationship is so well translated into a medium that can last forever. I've lived with dogs all my life, I can't imagine life without them. If you’re not as into dogs as I am, I hope these three last entries change your mind.

Dog Movie entry #2

LOYALTY.

To Bubu.

The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.
~Andy Rooney

HACHIKO: A DOG'S STORY (c. 2009, Richard Gere)

Hachiko is a true story. It’s a modern-day adaptation of a Japanese tale about the loyalty of a dog to his master. In the Hollywood feature, Hachiko was adopted by Prof. Parker Wilson as a puppy. The tiny akita was found in the train station where the professor commutes daily to work to a nearby university. They develop a funny relationship because Hachiko is not the conventional dog who plays fetch and runs amok. He doesn't bark either. But he loves his human and they start this ritual of Hachiko taking Parker to and from the train station every day.

Parker and Hachiko walk to the train station together every morning, and in the afternoon, Hachiko goes back to the station to wait for Parker’s train to arrive.

One fateful day, Parker never comes back to the trainstation. The professor suffered a stroke while conducting a class and had passed away. Hachiko, not understanding the circumstances of his master’s delay, waited loyally in the train station, sitting quietly in front of the exit door, ready to greet his human's happy return.

In the original Japanese story, Hachiko awaited for master's return for 9 long years. A bronze statue stands in the Shibuya Station of Japan in honor of Hachiko's unyielding loyalty.



Hachiko’s loyalty reminds me of our middle dog, my sister’s shih tzu, Bubu.

Bubu also isn't the most conventional dog in the world. She’s not into toys (she's very picky about what she puts in her mouth), not into begging for food (she more of demands it) and not starved for attention. I guess she thinks she’s cute enough for attention to come to her by itself, which is true enough. Everyone is drawn to this little bundle of fluff. Her tagline, for me is “Also cute and fluffy!” from the movie Lilo & Stitch.

But what makes Bubu special is how loyal she is to my sister. Anywhere my sister sits, you'll find Bubu right beside her. When my sister comes home from work, Bubu is always the first to sense it. I sometimes just watch them interact with each other and am amazed by the unspoken understanding between them. But I’m not envious because I feel I have the same connection with Belle. :)

Dog Movie entry #1

I revived my profile page recently and realized I prefer dog movies over mushy love stories. Three features in particular are engraved forever in my heart. I dedicate this series of posts to our family’s current batch of tail waggers.

TRUST.

To Brandy.

When a dog barks at the moon, then it is religion; but when he barks at strangers, it is patriotism!
~David Starr Jordan

WHITE FANG (c. 1991, Ethan Hawke)

White Fang is a feature adaptation of Jack London's classic novel. The lead canine is a mix breed of dog and wolf, rescued by a young Yukon gold hunter from the brutal industry to dog fighting of the early settlements in the Alaskan wilderness. White Fang, being maltreated and having lived the hard life, has trust issues and initially sees Jack as just another human out to harm him. Jack, on the other hand, sees White Fang as a majestic animal in need of love and attention. He strives to win White Fangs’ confidence in him, and eventually wins the dog over. Theirs is a beautiful story of how powerful trust in any relationship is, and how trust always comes hand-in-hand with love.

I remember bawling my eyes out every time the final scene played out. White Fang was left behind by Jack after a long winter. I forget now the exact reason why Jack left him behind, but when Jack was finally able to go back to the mountains to get him, he was a-bounding away like a love-struck puppy! All sense of wolfishness abandoned.



I dedicate this post to Brandy, my dad’s yellow lab and the bunso of our family. She has trust issues herself and doesn’t take so kindly to strangers. But I know she loves us unconditionally, even if we’re the family who forces her to climb up two flights of stairs every night just to sleep. To climb up, one of us has to be behind her, cheering her on. When she’s sure we have her back, she zooms up with ease... not grace. But we love her anyway.