For the past year and eight months I have
been the proud owner and caretaker of a chubby black guinea pig named Charlie.
It doesn’t seem like a very important job, but you’d be surprised how much
effort actually goes in to caring for a small pet. I know I wasn’t quite prepared
when my roommate and I first adopted him, but I’ve learned a lot!
When you buy your first guinea pig, there are
certain norms that are expected. For example, the pet store employees expected
me to buy a proper habitat, some food, shavings and treats. Obviously these are
necessary for his well-being and survival. If I had refused them, I’m not sure
that they would have let me take him home at all. The pet store is important in
facilitating my care for Charlie because I adopted him from them, and I often
return to them to buy things that contribute towards his care. Another
institution that is involved in his care is the Veterinarian’s office. I take
him there yearly for check-ups and to get his nails and teeth trimmed. Both of
these places do not take charge over my care for Charlie. They are very helpful,
and assist where necessary, but I still am his primary caregiver by far.
As the receiver of care, Charlie’s
expectations are low. This contrasts to Never
Let Me Go where the donors have HIGH expectations… Literally their internal
organs are expected from them. When I first got Charlie, I didn’t expect much
from him at all, but now that I’ve been caring for him for a long time, I have
raised the bar for him a little. He knows a couple of simple tricks, and he is definitely
expected to be potty trained and never bite. That may sound like a lot to
expect from a guinea pig, but once you spend a lot of time caring for someone,
you become more and more aware of their capabilities.
Although the average person that I talk to
has low expectations for me as a guinea pig owner (most people just go with the
“keep it alive” philosophy), Charlie has high expectations for me, and I have
become more and more attuned to recognizing these expectations. For example if
he makes a grumbly noise, he wants me to turn my music down. If he chews on the
bars of his cage, he wants to be let out. A high pitched squeaking noise means
he wants food. He expects all of these things from me; food, a clean
environment, comfort, entertainment and affection. If these needs were not met,
he would not be a happy guinea pig, and I would be failing as a guinea pig
owner. Kathy is obviously very good at her job as a carer because she has done
it for many years. Just like she tries not to fail her patients, I try not to
fail Charlie as a pet owner.
Aww Carly, I think you're a better caretaker than Kathy because you intend to keep dear Charles alive. Kathy's job was to watch over the donor's health for the sake of the individuals receiving their organs.
ReplyDeleteThough death is eminent for everyone it mean something to die naturally rather than having life physically taken out you piece by piece. That sounds more like to torture for a donor to die a slow and ailing death.
In reality a person usually donates by choice and after the donor is deceased so that someone else may live longer, the donor's life served a deeper purpose. There's something inhumane about having that choice taken away. The clones just like naturally born people didn't ask to be born into the situation they now have be victims of.
Part of natural humanity is accepting death as a part of life, so prolonging life when it's time to pass on doesn't seem human either. After so long many people, especially elderly, have experienced so much, had their families,watched them grow up, traveled, worked, and have seen death and felt alone. There comes a time when a person has done all they can do and they're just taking up space afterwards. Every experience and emotion that causes enjoyment and growth dissipates if it keeps repeating without purpose. People can become desensitized to things they initially cared about.
Kathy did the job she was assigned, but it didn't make the cycle of donating and dying any better. Death replaced death. The clones were still human beings capable of thoughts, feelings, actions, and words like naturally born people. I believe that the industry of clones may have been created just as another way to make money. The "they" that's established in the story may not be the main characters, but they tried to direct the course of human existence which is plot revolves around.
Creating and preserving human life is a godly power, not a human one. Overall, the novel seems to reject humanity as it i, but we see the clones desire to live for themselves which is a very humane and instinctive quality.
Your little fella is a cutie and isn't a reflection of unnatural causes. The role you play is responsive to his needs as it should be for him to have a good quality of life. Your standards are more sophisticated than mine were with my guinea pigs. I cut their nails, cleaned their faces, and noses, gave them chewing toys, and a rock to scratch on, and they weren't potty trained. But I loved'em and my intention for caring to their needs was the same.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203572409221357&set=a.4308876090641.2176063.1548996719&type=1&relevant_count=1
This was great! I used to have a guinea pig and let me tell you I never tuned into his wants and needs as well as you do! I think caring for things that can't necessarily care for us in return is important. It shows a lot about someones character when they do this with animals or memorabilia, but even more so with people. In terms of people, you can care for them all you want, but you can't make them care for you in return. It's in some people's nature to be unconditional carers, just like you with Charlie!
ReplyDeleteThis post was fantastic and I loved the photo at the end! I love how you make it clear that the pet store and the vet play a part, but in the end the caring is all on you as the owner. It shows how much of a caring person you are when you are able to care for animals or people who can't take care of themselves, for a moment or for their entire life. Charlie is adorable!
ReplyDelete