From increased demand for particular animals like dalmatians or collies (that may later end up in shelters) to movies where particular breeds are portrayed to be exceptionally violent (Cujo, No Country For Old Men) and damaging their reputation, pets in flicks is a tricky sitch. On one hand, I can't imagine a movie with a killer Boston Terrier would make me fear North, but on the other I still flinch at swarms of birds. What do you think about the portrayal of animals in film — is the scene stealing worth the misconceptions?
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Pets Portrayed in Films?
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i remember when 101 dalmations came out, i wanted one so bad! and then aristocats, and i wanted a puffy white cat, and the rescuers, i wanted a pet mouse..
that 'want' is not a healthy reason for getting an animal, what happens when the excitement runs out? shelters, craigslist.org, and other avenues of a displaced pet.
p.s. i was never afraid of spiders until i saw arachnophobia
1I think it can help if it spurs potential pet owners to research the breed so that they know if it will fit well into their lifestyle. As a long time Persian and Himalayan owner, I'm nearly brought to tears when I see them up for adoption at shelters. Nine times out of ten the reason for surrender is that people don't understand the time it takes to make and keep their coats healthy. Yes, they are cute and fluffy, but they don't wake up like that!
2I think it does more harm. Not only do people want that special Shiloh puppy or prissy cat from Homeward Bound...but they also make assumption about certain breeds like Rotties and Pit Bulls.
3Petsugar, Im terrified of birds!!!
4I wouldn't necessarily call it "harm", but it does impact pets in a negative way sometimes. People with spoiled children who shriek "I WANT A SPOTTED DOGGY!" at 101 Dalmations, for example, and whose parents blindly and stupidly concede. The animal's well-being should always be priority number one when deciding to adopt one into one's lifestyle. Unfortunately, more people just care about how cute they are, and being adorable in movies doesn't help. I don't think that it should have an end put to it or that any action should be taken. People just need to be more responsible.
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