Animals Forced to Perform

The lives of animal performers

My heart aches whenever I come across videos of dogs being forced to walk on their hind legs wearing tutus. The terror in their eyes is evident, a reflection of the fear instilled by their abusers. I cannot help but speak out in the comments against such cruelty, "Why are you torturing that poor animal? For likes on your video?" These poor dogs are manipulated and subjected to abuse; they're forced to perform an unnatural act. Their bones and muscles are not built for this kind of movement, causing them great discomfort.

Take a moment to visualize being forced to run on all fours with your legs completely straight, unable to bend them. The thought of being beaten if you didn't comply adds to the discomfort and pain. Now imagine how uncomfortable and painful it must be for four-legged animals when they are forced to walk on two legs.

The sight always brings back memories of the first and last time my parents took me to the circus. I was young and innocent, but even then, I could see the fear in the majestic lion's eyes as he was forced to leap through a blazing hoop. I cried in disgust and anger as I turned to my father and asked him, "Why is the lion so afraid of that man? He could kill him with one swipe of his paw." My dad explained how the animals are trained to perform, and we left. After that experience, my parents never took me to the circus again.

Utilizing animals for entertainment purposes entails immense cruelty. These creatures do not possess the innate ability to ride bicycles, balance on their heads, or leap through hoops of flames. Traditional methods of training circus animals involve physical abuse and punishment. Animals are repeatedly beaten, shocked, and whipped to perform tricks that are unnatural and beyond their physical abilities.

The lives of animal performers are filled with suffering and humiliation. Constant travel, confinement, and torture to perform tricks strip wild animals of any chance to fulfill their natural physical, behavioral, and emotional needs. Their existence behind the scenes is mistreatment and abuse.

I'm not referring to the positive reinforcement techniques used to train service animals. You see a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment when you gaze into their eyes. These animals understand the significance of their role and take pride in performing it well. The trainers use positive rewarding methods and patiently wait for the animals to learn and understand what is expected of them. Also, the trainers never force them to do anything that is physically against their comfortable, natural movements.

Also, animals shouldn't be treated like accessories. A cute puppy toted in a purse and dressed in human attire is a sentient being with the capacity to live, breathe, and feel. Treat animals as close to their nature as possible.

 

Animals, including birds, cats, pigs, and especially dogs, have a natural desire to please their favorite humans and will often create tasks for themselves. Also, they can be natural clowns to amuse themselves or do something naughty to test the boundaries.

We had a Kuvasz mix who would wait at the gate each day for the postman, take the newspaper from him, and bring it into the kitchen. We never trained or commanded him to do so. The first time he brought the newspaper in, my dad patted him on the head, told him he was a good boy, and rewarded him with a chicken leg. From then on, our dog seemed to take his job of fetching the newspaper very seriously and happily did it every day.

When a pesky fly found its way into the house, my cat, Mirci, watched me as I tried to swat it away. But when the fly got too close to her, she sprang into action, capturing it with her sharp claws and ending its life with precision. She then presented me with the deceased insect on my lap, looking up at me for praise. I couldn't help but praise her for her hunting skills. After that day, no fly stood a chance against her keen instincts and lightning-fast reflexes. Although I wasn't thrilled about the occasional dead mouse or frog she left on the doormat as a present, I couldn't stay mad at her when she looked up at me with such pride and happiness. So, I learned to tolerate her hunting expeditions and thanked her for the "presents" she brought me.

Our funniest dog was a small, nimble mutt named George. Thanks to our spacious, enclosed yard, we rarely took him for walks; he had plenty of room to run and play as he pleased. Unfortunately for our cat, George's mischievously playful nature often led him to invent new games that irritated her. George despised bath time and getting his paws wet in the snow, but he still braved the outdoors to do his business. One day, he realized that if he lifted his hind legs and balanced on his front paws, his hind legs would stay dry. It was a comical sight until he started relieving himself and accidentally drenched the white hair on his chest and chin instead of painting the snow yellow. That day, he gladly let me put him in the tub without any complaints.

What is your opinion about using animals for entertainment?

Erika M Szabo

https://authorerikamszabo.com

Erika loves to dance to her own tunes and follow her dreams, introducing her story-writing skills and her books that are based on creative imagination with themes such as magical realism, alternate history, urban fantasy, cozy mystery, sweet romance, and supernatural stories. Her children’s stories are informative, and educational, and deliver moral values in a non-preachy way.

Saturday Fun: Badass Cats

 Cats are fearless

A friend came to visit with his big bully Rottweiler. He attacked our gentle-natured dog to show her who’s boss when he wasn’t securely tied up on the leash. That day Carl didn’t have time to put the leash on as the dog bolted out of the car knocking him to the ground. I watched in horror as my dog cowered and tried to hide behind my hubby.

Suddenly, we heard a loud meow. I saw my fearless cat, Miau, charging like a bullet toward the approaching Rottweiler. She pounced, let out a furious growl, and sank her needle-sharp claws into the huge dog’s face. The Rottweiler let out a painful cry and tried to shake the cat off his face. Miau wouldn’t let go and kept growling and biting the dog’s nose.

Carl finally caught up with the Rottweiler and clipped the leash on his collar. My hubby tried to peel Miau off the dog’s face, and after a brief struggle, the tiny, growling, and hissing furball pulled her sharp claws out of the dog’s face and let him go.

Hubby put Miau down. The cat puffed her hair, hissed indignantly a few times, and then walked over to our shaking dog and licked her face as if she were saying, “Don’t worry about that thug, buddy. I’ve got your back.”

Posted by Erika M Szabo

https://online.fliphtml5.com/cmebw/yrgf/

The Lovely Thief of the Neighborhood

The thief that everyone loved

by Erika M Szabo

In my last post HERE, I told you the story about how Miau saved Lucky from a bully Rottweiler. This time I'll tell you about my sweet dog, Lucky. 

Lucky and Miau crossed the rainbow bridge long ago and I'd like to believe that they have found each other there, too.

As I pulled into my backyard one day, I saw a pitiful-looking German Sheppard sitting close to my back door. She was very skinny and sick-looking, ribs visible under her thin coat. I got out of my car and took a few steps toward her while talking to her. She watched me intently with chocolate color eyes, sizing me up. I stopped a few feet from her and sat down on the patio chair. My hubby came outside and sat down next to me.

“Where did you get this sickly-looking dog?” I asked.

“She just showed up about an hour ago. I have no idea where she came from.”

After a short time, the dog came closer and put her head on my knees. I patted her for a while and I could feel bumps on her back and sides. I parted her fur and saw old and fresh bruises. “Where did you come from? Who did this to you?” I asked sniffing back tears.

She just looked at me with sadness and trust in her eyes.

Hubby went inside and grabbed bowls of food and water. He placed them close to the dog. She started eating while keeping a wary eye on us. When she was finished, I invited her in. She wouldn’t come inside, so I brought a blanket out and made a temporary bed for her on the patio.

The next morning, I made posters and we posted them in the stores and post office.

When nobody called to claim her after three days, we decided to keep her and took her to our veterinarian.

The vet examined her, took some blood and the next day called us with the results. “She is in bad shape, I’m afraid. She has heartworms and Lyme disease.”

The next day we took the dog to the animal hospital where she stayed for five days getting antibiotics and chemotherapy infusions.

We named her Lucky. She was very weak when we brought her home, but after a few days she started eating better and better and started playing and gaining weight. We noticed that she was afraid of leather boots and if we had a stick or broom in our hands, she cowered. My hubby stopped wearing his boots and we put the brooms in the basement.

Lucky seemed healthier and happier with every passing day, although she had some limitations. She couldn’t run more than a few feet without gasping for air. She loved to be close to us when we were outside, but she refused to step into the house, but she felt safe in the basement when it was raining or thundering. Hubby built a house for her close to the back door and padded the inside with thick carpet. Lucky claimed her new home happily. We tried putting a collar on her, but she became very nervous. We were afraid that she would wander out to the road and get hit by a car, but soon we noticed that she was afraid of the passing cars and never went close to the end of the driveway. But, from the backyard, she started visiting the neighbors on our side of the highway. They didn’t mind. Moreover, they began looking forward to seeing the sweet dog every day.

One morning I went outside to have my coffee on the patio and found a sweater by the chair. Lucky was lying next to the sweater, wagging her tail happily.

I patted her head and asked her, “Where did you get this?” She just looked at me with her big brown eyes.

The next day I found a pair of jeans on the patio, and the following day some bed sheets and a motorcycle helmet. Her collection pile grew every day, and we didn’t know what to do.

“How can you make a dog understand that stealing is not okay?” Hubby scratched his head.

We couldn’t find a solution, so we just kept hoping she would stop.

We got into the habit of going from door to door in the neighborhood with a basketful of stolen goods. We apologized and returned the boots, gloves, screwdrivers, flowerpots, toys, and all other small things she stole. The neighbors understood, and they kind of made a game out of coming to our patio looking for their missing items.

This went on for about a month. On Thanksgiving morning, I saw Lucky dragging something big and heavy tied in a shopping bag. What now? I thought. I went closer to discover a half-thawed turkey inside the bag. I had an idea where the turkey came from when I saw my neighbor coming up the driveway.

“Okay, Lucky, I will draw the line here,” she shouted. “You stole my turkey off the patio table!”

Lucky walked up to her and sat down in front of her. She touched the neighbor’s knee with her nose and looked up at her. The neighbor patted the dog on the head and cooed, “Don’t you try to melt my heart with those puppy eyes."

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and dropped down on her knees. She hugged Lucky and whispered, "Sorry, Lucky, I know you’re a good dog. I didn’t mean to shout at you.”

Lucky watched the neighbor walking down the driveway with the turkey and from that day on, we never had to return stolen goods to our neighbors as if Lucky understood that stealing is not okay.

I write magical realism, alternate history, epic fantasy novels as well as fun, educational and bilingual books for children ages 2-14 about acceptance, friendship, family, and moral values such as accepting people with disabilities, dealing with bullies, and not judging others before getting to know them.

Click on my PAGE, you might like some of my books and if you'd like to read my older blog posts, you can find the links at the end of my page.

Five Things Cats Can Teach You About Writing

Five Things Cats Can Teach You About Writing

Tricia Drammeh

If you’re a writer, or if you happen to know one, you’re probably aware that writing is a constant work in progress. As writers, we are always learning and evolving. From creative writing courses to inspirational books written by our favorite authors, there are a variety of ways to expand our knowledge about the craft of writing. But, did you know that everything we really need to know about writing can be learned by watching our feline friends? Cats might not be able to teach us about grammar, but the lessons you learn from watching them can definitely be applied to your writing. Here are five things your cat can teach you about writing:

1. Be patient.
It takes time to write a quality book. If you’re a writer of non-fiction, there is research involved. For authors of fiction, there is world-building, keeping all our characters straight, and making sure you haven’t left any loose threads or plot holes. Can your cat teach you how to pen believable characters and realistic dialogue? Maybe not, but your cat can teach you the art of patience. Ever notice how cats are absolutely still as they watch their prey? How they wait for the perfect moment to pounce? Cats are patient. They know that a nice, juicy mouse is worth waiting for and if they rush, they might miss out on something delicious. You can try to rush your creativity, but you run the risk of missing out on an opportunity to create something truly spectacular.

2. Rely on all your senses.
Cats use all their senses to explore and conquer the world around them. They watch. Listen. Smell the air around them. Feel the breeze rustling their whiskers. When writing, if you really want to pull the reader in, engaging all the senses is the best way. What is your character seeing, hearing, and smelling? Smell is one of the most powerful senses, but many writers fail to use this to their advantage. Do you know who doesn’t forget to use their sense of smell? Cats.

3. Trust your instincts.
Cats are very intuitive. When I lived in Missouri where tornados were frequent, I never became truly alarmed when the sirens went off – not unless the cats panicked and tried to hide. Cats always seem to know when something is amiss or when something is coming. If you want to write the best book you possibly can, you would be wise to trust your instincts. Yes, feedback from beta readers and editors is essential, but if you’re receiving conflicting feedback from a variety of readers, who do you trust? Who is the tiebreaker? You are. It’s your book. You wrote it. Trust yourself.

4. Write with reckless abandon.
Anyone who has a cat has, at one time or another, become frustrated when that pushy feline walked across their keyboard, sending a trail of “awsedrftgygyhu” across their document. For the most part, humans are better typists than cats (and better spellers too). Still, there’s a benefit to just letting go and writing without overthinking. Sometimes we are too careful. We are so focused on writing a perfect first draft, we forget there’s no such thing! Rewrites and edits exist for a reason. If you’re struggling with writing your book, let go of the idea of perfection. Just sit back, relax, and write! Once you’ve accomplished the monumental task of completing your first draft, there will be plenty of opportunities to achieve perfection during the editing stage.

5. Take a break.
After a writing spree, cats like to take a break, usually by plopping down in the middle of your keyboard and taking a nap. In fact, cats will nap just about anywhere. You should too. While establishing a good writing routine is important, it’s equally important to take breaks. Some will advise you to write every day, but this isn’t always possible. It’s okay to take a break. Take a break between chapters, between books, or between rounds of editing. You need to recharge your batteries. Pushing yourself will lead to exhaustion and eventually creative burnout.

Hopefully, these five valuable lessons from our frisky feline friends will help you tackle your next writing project. Remember writing is a process and it’s different for everyone. The next time you’re stuck on a project, just ask yourself, “What would Mr. Whiskers do?”

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When a Teenager is Cooking #OurAuthorGang

When a teenager is cooking, it doesn't always turn out well

by Erika M Szabo

http://www.authorerikamszabo.com

Crepes (palacsinta)

https://allevents.in/szeged/gardenbeach-palacsinta-party/503806336624958#

When I was a kid, my mother often made crepes (palacsinta in Hungarian) for dessert because it's easy to make and she could use any filling to make it a little different every time.

http://www.mindmegette.hu/csokikremes-palacsinta.recept/

Sometimes she filled the crepes with cream cheese mixed with sugar and raisins, other times with chopped fruit, apricot or strawberry preserves, leftover pudding, or simply sprinkled them with cinnamon or cocoa powder and sugar. I've tried it with Nutella too, it's delish!

https://hovamenjek.hu/eger/palacsintavar-etterem

When I'm not in the mood for sweets, I leave the sugar and vanilla out of the batter and fill the crepes with sauteed vegetables and meat, fish, or cheese.

Before I give you the recipe, let me tell you a story

When I was a young teenager, I decided to make crepes when my parents weren't home. I've seen my mom make crepes hundreds of times, so I was sure I can cook them too. Everything went well, I mixed the batter, and the first few crepes turned out beautifully cooked until...

I got a little over-confident and instead of turning the crepes with the spatula, I decided to flip to turn them like my brother did. That didn't work so well. The first crepe I tried to flip landed on Snowball's back like a blanket.

The cat got spooked and ran out of the kitchen to the backyard, trying to shake off the clinging pastry. She couldn't because one side was still sticky, so she ran, and I ran after her.

The trouble started when the neighbors' cats got a whiff and started chasing Snowball through the garden and tearing bits of crepe off her back. Snowball had enough of running, she turned, and a fierce fight broke out with lots of posturing, hissing, and clawing.

  

Luckily, the fight ended quickly as soon as the crepe was gone. Snowball tried to save some dignity and chased after the cats. She was exhausted by the time she chased the neighbors' cats home and went inside to eat her well-deserved crepe filled with meat.

Just for fun, learn how to flip

Here is my mother's recipe

1 cup, all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
½ cup water or best seltzer water
3 Tbsp melted butter
¼ tsp Kosher salt (or ⅛ tsp table salt)
1 tbsp sugar (for sweet crepes only)
1 tsp vanilla extract (for sweet crepes only)

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, about 20 seconds. The batter should be fairly thin and pourable, but still creamy.

Let the batter rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Heat a 9- to 12-inch nonstick pan over medium heat, and add some butter or oil, or just spray it with some cooking spray. (I use peanut oil)

Let the pan get hot for about 30 seconds, then pour a small amount of crepe batter onto the center of the pan. About ¼ cup to ⅓ cup should be the right amount for most pans. Swirl the pan around so that the crepe batter coats the whole pan, right up to the edges.

Let the crepe cook for about 30 seconds.

Flip the crepe, let it cook for about 10 more seconds, and then let it cool on a plate.

Add the filling of your choice and either roll up the crepes or fold them, it's up to you.

Enjoy!

Next time, read about one of the characters from my upcoming books on the 22nd.

If you'd like to read my previous blog posts, click here to find a list at the end of the page:
https://asmallgangofauthors.blogspot.com/p/erika_5.html

If you're interested in epic fantasy and children's books for ages 2-17, visit my website to see my published and upcoming books: http://www.authorerikamszabo.com

COMMENTS

Erika M Szabo shared this via Google+

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly

 

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Joe Bonadonna

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Great little story, Erika! And the crepes . . . they made my mouth water. I'm hungry!

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Erika M Szabo

8 months ago

 

 

Mine too :) I'm going to make some for dessert, the batter is resting in the fridge. I have some leftover chocolate mousse (which is very unusual in my house) It will make a yummy filling

Joe Bonadonna

8 months ago

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+Erika M Szabo - sounds divine! And chocolate mousse? I'd be in heaven!

Grace Au

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Poor Snowball! What a great story...and these crepes look so delicious. I wrote down the recipe! Thank you for sharing!

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Erika M Szabo

8 months ago

 

 

She was a great cat, we had her for 19 years, and she was the mother of half the cats in the neighborhood. She was always under foot in the kitchen but after the shock of being covered by a half-cooked crepe, she was a bit more careful around me when I was cooking :)

Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Erika M. Szabo​ shared her mother's wonderful crepes recipe -- and a hilarious tale of her first excursion into the kitchen to make this delicious dish!

 

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Ruth de Jauregui

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Oh hahahaha! Erika, that is priceless! Did you parents ever figure out what happened with the cat? I love your story and the crepes look fabulous!

 

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Cindy Smith shared this via Google+

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Cindy Smith

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly

 

thank's for the recipe and the touching story, perfect for  Mother's Day

 

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Joe Bonadonna via Google+

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Today on A Small Gang of Authors, Erika M. Szabo​ tells us about the time, when she was a teenager, she made a valiant attempt to make crepes. As a bonus, she gives us her Mother's recipe for crepes, too!

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Toi Thomas via Google+

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Today, Erika M Szabo, shares the flips and flops of crepe making along with a lovely recipe.

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