wordless wednesday: magnificent mug

10 animal movies animal lovers probably haven't seen

I'll never forget how much my father wanted to see Dances with Wolves when it first came out. Although the movie received rave reviews, I had no interest. I got nervous at the mention of going. The poor guy went alone. When he came home, he said "Kristen, don't ever see that movie." 

I knew exactly why. I could watch the goriest or horror flicks and the most suspenseful nail biters, but, as my dad so rightly put it, I'm "not good with movies where animals get into scrapes." I have followed my dad's advice, and I still haven't seen Dances With Wolves.

In my teens, I became a vegetarian after seeing City Slickers. And not just for a day. For three years! Oh, Norman!

Why is it that some of us can watch human actors die slow, sad deaths or be slaughtered by some dude with an ax with no problem, yet when we see an animal die in a movie, it creates–at minimum–a week of depression?

I have a theory. 

There are some amazing human actors out there. They make us cry and laugh and feel things deeply. But we can almost always see the acting. And we know who they are. We know that if Leonardo DiCaprio bites the dust in this movie, he'll win an oscar for next year's flick. In contrast, animals don't usually become ultra-famous. They just are who they are. And you can't see the acting. I'm fully aware that "no animals were harmed in the making of this film," but those animals in those scrapes are so much more believable. And, chances are, we won't see them in next year's big blockbuster. When they fade on screen, that's it. We really do, in a sense, lose them.

So here are ten movies I've never seen. Most are classics and I'm sure should be seen. But, no thank you. 

Old Yeller (1957)

The Incredible Journey (1963)

Where the Red Fern Grows (1974)

All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)

Turner & Hooch (1989)

Dances With Wolves (1990)

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)

​My Dog Skip (2000)

Marley & Me (2008)

Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)

Do you have a theory about why these movies are so hard to watch? Which of these movies have you seen? Which others would you add to the list?

All movie poster images sourced from IMDb.

an unconventional family bonded by a dog: childsplay's "super cowgirl and mighty miracle"

I figured that the littles and I would enjoy any play where one of the main characters is a dog (played by a human), but I didn't realize how touching and thought-provoking a seemingly simple tale could be. We knew going in that Childsplay's Super Cowgirl and Mighty Miracle would likely be fantastic. When we saw The Velveteen Rabbit a few months ago, we were blown away. What surprised me about this production was how playwright José Cruz González took serious current social issues and made them approachable for young audiences and how Childsplay's actors communicated the story in such a way that these beginning theater-goers could "feel." 

Childsplay summarized the play:

When a stray dog appears on the doorstep, it's love at first sight for six-year-old Cory, and the last straw for Grandma Autumn. Life hasn't been easy lately for either of these two, facing absent parents and lost homes. But in a delightfully surprising story filled with humor and heart, Super Cowgirl and Mighty Miracle reminds us love makes almost anything possible, even in hard times.

The subject matter couldn't be more timely.

We had the honor of listening to González speak about the play before it began. He explained how he wanted to tackle current issues that are facing so many in our country. He wanted to illustrate an unconventional family both in terms of multiple generations and in terms of race and culture. 

My children (ages five and seven) were quite entertained throughout the performance. There were no untimely bathroom requests or declarations of starvation. They were riveted. They laughed a lot, and felt the tension that some parts of the story required. I enjoyed watching their faces as much as I enjoyed watching the performance. With such complex, sensitive issues being raised I wondered how much my children absorbed. I asked them what the play was about (possible spoilers):

Quotes from my seven-year-old:

• "The girl had to live with her grandma because her mom was dead and her papa had to go to another country to work. They didn't have a lot of money, so that must have been hard."

• "I thought it was cool how they went to all the different places and just switched a couple of things on the stage so you could tell where they were." 

• "The girl helped the dog, and the dog helped the girl and her grandma, too, so they became a real family. They all loved each other."

Quotes from my five-year-old:

• "Love...and family."

• "The play was about the dog saving the girl's life just like she saved his life."

• "The girl and the grandma didn't get along so well at the beginning, but then they loved each other."

• "My favorite part was when the grandma stepped in the dog poop!"

photo provided by Childsplay

I must say, the poop part was pretty funny. There were several points during the show that had the whole audience roaring. Despite–and perhaps partly because of–the hilarious antics, the kids were able to understand that the story was about love and family.  

Aside from the fabulous performance that Childsplay put on, I love the fact that they make theater approachable for kids. After the performance, the actors took their traditional bows, but then remained on the stage. They first asked the children in the audience specific questions about the play that made them think how they, as individuals, could relate to the story. Some of the questions required detailed comprehension of the story, and some didn't, so there were questions for all ages. Everyone had the opportunity to participate. The children then had the chance to ask questions of the actors. The actors were approachable and said "ask us anything!"

My favorite question came from a young man: "How old are you?"

It was clear that Osiris Cuen, who played "Cory," a six-year-old girl, was no where near that age. Yet during the performance, she made us believe she was. "I'm twenty-two," Cuen told the young man. Carlos A. Lara, who played the dog, reported his age as "twenty-four." Perhaps we can figure that out in dog years. And Chanel Bragg, who played "Grandma Autumn" was a mere thirty-one! Now I really feel old. It was wonderful to see the children in the audience asking questions that adults would typically take for granted. Not only are the children learning at an early age how to think thoroughly about a production, but adults get to view a live production through the eyes of inquisitive children. How rewarding for all!

Related: adopt a friend and get a free ticket: childsplay teams up with the arizona animal welfare league

Disclaimer: I am a Childsplay Mom2Mom Blogger. My family and I were provided tickets to this performance in exchange for my honest opinion. This review was also posted on Childsplay's Mom2Mom Blog.

honey, i'm home: communicating your arrival to your pet sitter

Call me overbearing. Call me neurotic. 

As a professional pet sitter, my motto is "expect the best, but prepare for the worst," so I ask my clients to let me know when they are home safely. 

Why do I care?

Imagine they don't return home safely, and I don't know it. Though it's never happened in my entire pet sitting career, imagine it did....I made my last visit for the "Smith Family Pets" at noon on Saturday because they are scheduled to return at 4:00 p.m. But they don't. Could they be...

• held up camping and out of cell phone range

• at the airport with drained cell phones, no charger, and a cancelled flight

• something worse, which I won't mention

What would happen to the pets who'd been in my care if their family hadn't arrived home as scheduled and could not communicate that information to me? Who cares about pooping on the floor at this point? What about dehydration or starvation?

So how do I solve this problem? I ask my clients to give me a call or text or email when they have arrived home safely. Even if it's 2:00 a.m....just let me know. I'll see the text and go right back to sleep, and I'll probably sleep easier knowing the animals are taken care of.

Most of the time, if my clients are delayed, they let me know. I'm able to extend their visits, and all is well. 

In order to ensure they let me know about their arrival home, I let them know during our initial consult that I expect a "safe arrival" message upon their return, and it's all spelled out in my terms and conditions. I also leave my clients treats and a note letting them know how things went. That note always includes a little reminder: "please let me know when you arrive home safely." If I don't hear from them when expected, they will get a call from me, and if I don't hear back from them in a reasonable amount of time, I will then make a visit to the pets to make sure all is well. I've done this a couple of times, only to find out that all was well and the clients had simply forgotten to call. Thank goodness. 

I find that my clients really appreciate this feature of our service. It may seem silly and unnecessary at first, but once they think of what might happen if this precaution was not set in place, they immediately get on board and thank me for my insightful ways. 

Insightful and caring? Thanks! Those closest to me call me a worry wart. I'll take insightful and caring any day. 

wordless wednesday: so there