“I just wanted animals to do what they do. It’s very poetic, and unpredictable. You never know what they’re doing next.” — Heiner Goebbels, the director of “De Materie,” a Dutch avant-garde opera being performed at the Park Avenue Armory, on the use of live sheep in the show (New York Times Quotation of the Day, March 25, 2016).
Thanks to the universe and its animal lovers who post videos! Where would we be without them? Dying of boredom hunched over our computers, tablets and phones.
There is only so much work we can do in one sitting, only so much raunchy news and outright terror we can handle after a few minutes. And so we welcome the animals and their antics, no matter how silly. In fact, the sillier the better.
Cat videos outnumber all others (15 percent of Internet traffic, according to one article). Traditionally, dogs have been more popular pets in the United States, but cats now surpass dogs. They are easier to care for and take up less time and space in our busy lives. They may be difficult to train or stuff in cat carriers, but not to capture on video …
In the last week ALONE, here are the videos friends and family have emailed me or posted on Facebook:
- Cat plays with new puppies
- Cat plays with dolphin
- Cats steal dog beds; dogs shake out cats or steal cat beds
- Dog bounds into ocean for first time
- Dog plays ball with machine
- Dog greets owner after absence
- Three dogs left home alone (and caught on camera) jump from couch to couch in living room
- Dog plays with kangaroo. Kangaroo plays with dog.
- Bird pecks dog on ass
- Turtle plays ball with dog
- Wolves and hyenas hunt together, proving Middle East peace is possible
- Miniature horse and turtle munch on shared lettuce
- Parakeet shoots down tiny ramp on tiny skateboard
- Chicken rides on back of turtle
- Butterfly perches on lizard’s head
- Snails are pimped out with psychedelic designs to prevent getting squished. They look like walking Easter eggs.
- Naked (hairless) guinea pig poses with food (lettuce, grapes, strawberry, cupcake …)
- Baby goat with ADD runs around in a frenzy, jumps on other baby goats and knocks them down
- Animals sniff flowers: cat, dog, fox, tiger, chipmunk, squirrel, gopher, rabbit, raccoon, owl, orangutans, lizard, donkey
- Animals yawn: hippo, kitten, monkey, turtle, porcupine, panda, koala, seal, donkey
Yes, even animals get bored and tired and must take a break. Let those silly idiots videotape something else.
head wind journal 