Pixar shows beautifully that every pet deserves a chance to have a happy life
Leave it to Pixar to so simply and beautifully express what we’ve been saying here at Best Friends for years: Every pet deserves a chance. The film company’s new animated short, Kitbull, chronicles the friendship that develops between a scrappy stray kitten and an abused pit bull. Watch it and get happy … truly. The pair’s journey, from cast off to cared for, is about as sweet and uplifting as it gets.
It all seems pretty obvious to those who’ve ever loved a dog or cat — or, for that matter, a horse or bird or rabbit. Each one is an individual, a unique compilation of charms and imperfections, silly quirks and adorable habits. But it wasn’t so long ago that dogs rescued from fighting situations were routinely written off and killed, deemed too damaged to ever become beloved pets.
All that changed when Best Friends and a handful of other organizations stood up for the dogs rescued from a fighting ring on the property of Michael Vick, maintaining that each animal deserved to be evaluated individually and given a chance to show his or her true nature.
The Vicktory dogs, as they came to be known, went on to prove beyond any question what we already knew: Resilience prevails, and the desire to trust and love runs deep. We learned that dogs like Lucas, Georgia and Ray (and many others) aren’t the exceptions. They’re typical.
So it’s pretty unbelievable that nine U.S. states still mandate that dogs rescued from fighting situations be killed without the opportunity to be the loving, adoptable animals they are. Of course, Best Friends’ advocacy team is working hard to get these laws repealed and replaced with humane and fair legislation. (We’re already very close in New Jersey!)
You can help, too. Please join our legislative action center today to help give these dogs the second chance they deserve.
In the meantime, here’s a message for voters and lawmakers in Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and South Dakota — and for anyone looking for fabulous filmmaking in this post-Oscars week: If you’ve got 90 minutes, watch The Champions, the award-winning documentary recounting the lives of the Vicktory dogs. And if you’ve only got nine minutes, watch Kitbull. Both are every bit as good as any film that wins the Oscar for best picture.
