Dog Adoption Marks Mainstream Culture

by Stephanie Feldstein · 2009-11-27 19:00:00 UTC
Topics:

Dogs stories have always been popular, but lately there have been more that are focused around animal shelters and adoption. Characters in books and movies get their dogs from shelters or off the streets, and TV is filled with animals being adopted, rescued, and rehabilitated, both fictionally and documentary-style. Pop culture is an indicator of what's in the public consciousness, and there are signs that the issue of homeless animals has finally made its mark.

Most people who work in rescue and animal sheltering cringe whenever the latest dog movie is released. It doesn't take long after a movie like 101 Dalmatians or Snow Dogs hits the theaters for that breed to start flooding shelters. The trained stars are irresistibly cute, showing none of the more challenging breed traits. Families run out and buy the picture-perfect dog, but when reality hits, the dogs suffer.

Then there are movies like Hotel for Dogs, where kids take on the homeless pet problem. Having the right kind of message didn't result in a lack of family-friendly cuteness. And I'm seeing hints of that message more and more in books and TV shows. It's not quite as surprising when the dog in a story is adopted from a shelter or rescued off the street (though it still makes me smile every time). When you find a dog story -- or any animal story -- that promotes animal welfare, spread the word. The more popular these books and movies are, the more of them there will be.

Photo credit: themacinator

Stephanie Feldstein is a Change.org Editor who has been part of the animal welfare and rescue community for over a decade, and most recently worked for an environmental organization.
PREVIOUS STORY:
Hogs Gone Wild: Hunting and Bloodsports Are Not the Answer
NEXT STORY:
Super Bowl Countdown: 5 Actions in 5 Days to Protest Skechers' Dog Racing Ad

COMMENTS (0)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.