Was given two hamsters recently. Within a week of their arrival, one of the hamsters went missing!! It was such an unexpected event that the whole family was all excited and worried. Worried that the little hammy will die of hunger, thirst or accidents. Accidents such as eaten by neighbours' dogs, stray cats or stepped on by any of us at night. Don't laugh, was told that someone actually killed her pet hamster accidentally because she slept on it!! Of course her pet was a free roaming, house-trained hamster.
Well, why am I telling you all these? Yes, I was thinking of writing this whole incident from the perspective of my hamster (by the way, his name is Snuggle) when I realised it is pretty difficult to know how a hamster feels. I've not observed him long enough - is he happy to have escaped? Was he afraid when he was out in the open? Was he trying to find his way back to his cage when he was tired and hungry? I really do not know.
Thus I went to the library and found this book - A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M Martin. This book is not just for animal lovers. This is a well-written story through the eyes of a dog. Squirrel, the dog went through many trials and hardships as she wandered from place to place, slowly growing from a pup into an old dog. Throughout her adventures she met a variety of humans - some caring while others irresponsible. This is a remarkable novel that will touch the hearts of all. In the end, it brings about hope that maybe, someday, all animals will live in peace, and none will be left "unwanted."
This book is available in NLB (J MAR).
2 comments:
So did you find Snuggle?
You cannot beat the story of what Tracy did to her first hamster. She bathed it, dried the hamster with a hairdrier and dropped him on the floor. The next day the poor thing went to Heaven! She cried buckets and learnt to be careful not to harm tiny living things. Her next pair of hamsters had a productive life and gave birth to 9 little babies. As we could not afford the time to look after them, aunty Jennifer sold them away and made some money. After which she grew out of the hamster craze and gave Mr and Mrs Productive away.
Cheers
leehua
Ah, seeing the book cover, it reminds me of the movie, "The Incredible Journey". It's an old Disney movie, made in 1963 (though I think there was a later version in 1990) involving two dogs and a Siamese Cat. The story certainly touched my heart. Don't think you can find a copy of the book (the movie tie-in) anymore. Out of print already.
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