Musings of an animal lover

Wicked the musical has started its run at the CCP.  I understand from Bambi Verzo of Concertus that the run has been doing well, with sold-out tickets and standing ovations at the end of the show.

I watched Wicked twice — the latest one was in Auckland, New Zealand — the cast of which is the same as in the present Manila run.

If there was one thing that really struck me about Wicked this second time around, it is the animal lover in Elphaba, the wicked witch of the West.

Elphaba is a fictional character in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway and West End adaptations Wicked.

Elphaba attends Shiz University, where she eventually becomes best friends with Galinda and Boq. She also meets Fiyero, the Crown Prince of the Vinkus.

It is when Elphaba is studying at Shiz University that she encounters her favorite professor, a goat by the name of Doctor Dillamond.

So close is Elphaba to Doctor Dillamond that there is a scene where Dillamond updates Elphaba about the bad things happening to the animals in Oz.

As the play progresses, Elphaba becomes more disgusted with the ever more tyrannical and anti-animal policies of the Wizard, such as the way he has put the monkeys in cages.

She drops out of Shiz and takes up residence in the Emerald City, where she joins a resistance movement.

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During a recent trip I made to Las Vegas I was amazed at how the dogs are able to travel with their humans on the plane.  I am constantly asked about which airline will allow pets to travel inside the passenger section of the plane. I normally don’t have an answer for that because as far as I know, pets are usually relegated to the cargo hold.

So it was really awesome to see dogs on leashes with their humans passing through the X-ray machines in Las Vegas’s airport.

There were dogs in carrying crates, but other humans opted to walk their dogs with them.

At the departure area I even chanced upon a couple that had their dogs in strollers. They were looking for a toilet for the dogs before they boarded the flight.  They were allowed to bring the dogs into a special area where their dogs could do their thing.

At the Los Angeles airport, there is a small, fenced-in area outside where dogs can do their thing before they board the flight.  Or which the dogs meeting their humans at the airport can use. And, yes, there were quite a few dogs at the arrival area.

* * *

I am still waiting for the day when village parks will allow dogs on leashes to enter. In the village I live in, there is a big sign that reminds me that dogs are not allowed into the park. It is quite sad. 

There are fines for people who don’t pick up after their dogs in the village, so I am sure that they are responsible pet owners. 

I am still hopeful, though, that one day Vodka my Bichon will be able to make it into the park of the village.

She doesn’t bite and she really likes kids.

* * *

Every day I check my Instagram account because there are a few dogs that I truly love to follow. There is @maltipoo_ruby who is one of the cutest Maltipoos I have ever seen. She has rainbow-colored ears and a matching tail and she is always getting into lots of mischief. @maltipoo_ruby lives in Melbourne with her mum and dad.  

I always smile when I see a post from @daily_daisy, the Maltipoo of Kate Torralba, who, as of last post, is busy preparing her own album.

But one of the most heart-warming is @mommasgonecity, which largely follows the adventures of two-year-old Beau and his family’s adopted mixed-breed dog, Theo. This Instagram account gets at least 30,000 likes whenever Jessica Shyba posts a heart-tugging photo of Theo and Beau napping.