The other night Mike and I were watching the final episode of the first season of Lost (we managed to watch the entire first season in just a few weeks- envy us and our ability to be couch potatoes). I don't want to give away major plot points to anyone who hasn't seen it and wants to, but there is this dog (a beautiful yellow lab), that has to stay behind when his young master leaves. The dog tries to follow, but his owner tells him to go back. I am actually getting choked up right now just talking about it. And I actually cried when we watched it. I am so embarrassed by this, but I get really emotional whenever anything sad happens that involves an animal in a movie or on TV. Really emotional.

I still can't watch the ending to Homeward Bound without sobbing my eyes out. It is just so wonderful that Shadow makes it home to see Peter again! It's heart-wrenching! Mike thinks I am a complete lunatic. When we watch Braveheart, I get upset about the horses getting hurt in battle. Mike can't understand why the sight of people being mutilated and mercilessly killed does nothing to me, but a horse falling down makes me want to tear my heart out. I think it's because the animals didn't choose to be in that situation, but the humans did. And how does a horse fake a scene like that? It doesn't know what it's doing. From what I know, there are no "stunt-horses", and if there are, they are forced into it. I think they actually explain in the DVD extras how they were able to do this without harming any animals, but it still looks terrifying.

I am so glad that I didn't see the footage of that horse Barbaro getting hurt in a recent race. Hearing about it on the radio made me cringe. But what I really wonder is why I am not a strict vegetarian. I actually ate a pork sandwich last fall after seeing the entire pig sitting on a plate with an apple stuffed in its mouth. I hate to admit it, but maybe I only feel emotional towards the cute animals. I think that makes me an animalist, or a cutist maybe. Or maybe I have just been conditioned by society to think about certain animals as companions, and certain other animals as dinner.

I really hate it when I am conditioned by society.