Love of a Lifetime

The lyrics of this Firehouse song say something about finding one’s love of a lifetime, “a love to last a whole life through”. I know, corny, korn-eeee…… but if you just forget that this is a mushy rock ballad and ask yourself, “What’s the MEANING of a love that lasts a whole life through?”, then sort out the various answers that come to mind, then maybe you’ll be able to grasp the rest of this message.

Today, the North West CDC held a Responsible Pet Ownership event called “Love Your Pets” at Woodlands CC.

On the way to Woodlands CC, I saw this stray at the bus interchange.
It's sad how people can abandon such beautiful creatures...

The main message for this event – Love your pet. Not for a day. Not only while its still small and cute. Not only until something better comes along. Love it for a lifetime.

Blue Water Volunteers, as well as other animal welfare organisations such as the Green Volunteers Network, Nature Society of Singapore, ACRES, Cat Welfare Society, House Rabbit Society, SPCA and others were invited to set up booth at the event.

The National Library Board displayed an array of animal-/pet-related books:

A message from ACRES:

The NSS Education Group offers many interesting and interactive
exhibits, games and souvenirs:

And presenting....ReefExhibits!

Tse-Lynn speaks to Guest-of-Honour Dr Teo Ho Pin, Mayor of North West District, MP for Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC:

Abby educates:

The message we were trying to get across was not so much about ownership, but definitely responsibility… Sort of like, “Love marine life… Just don’t take them home as pets!

“To remove an animal from its natural environment and keep it in a domestic situation interferes with natural processes…” (Wildlife Belong to the Wild, Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries, Sept 2004).

People decide to get pets for various reasons. The most common would be parents getting a pet because their child wants one, or because they hope a pet would keep the child company, or for some, because they would like their child to grow up loving and caring for animals, and learning how to be responsible care-givers in the process.

There are also dating couples who get a pet together, which helps them prepare for a future of shared responsibility if they were to marry and have kids one day.

And then there are “hobbyists”, who keep prized pets for “luck” or just for the thrill of it.

And so we had our owners with their pets:

And of course we had our kids:

But when children outgrow their interests, couples outgrow each other, and “hobbyists” outgrow a passing fad, where do all the pets go?

Imagine if you were a helpless little dog, passed on from owner to owner like an unloved child.

Imagine if you were a helpless cat, thrown out of the home you had grown to love, left to wander the streets, begging for food, only to be run over by a car because nobody cared.

Imagine if you were a clown fish, enclosed in a glass tank, watching the anemone and other marine life around you die one by one before it’s your turn to go, because your “owner” no longer wanted to spend money for proper upkeep of your artificial habitat.

We find it so easy to love, yet so much easier to "un-love". Our pets don't care if we're rich or poor, fat or skinny, young or old. All they need is the same unconditional love in return, one that lasts a whole life through.