Has the country gone to the dogs?

It’s a dog’s life these days in our dog-eating, jueteng republic. What are supposed to be well-trained and ubiquitous dogs greet us everywhere – in shopping malls, LRT stations, hotel lobbies, airports, seaports, why, even at trendy nightspots.

Are these dogs for real? Can they really stop would-be terrorists? Can they really sniff out explosives? Or are they just for palabas, as a psychological show of force to reassure us that we live in a "Strong Republic"? Even the poor canines have not been spared our national propensity for corruption, scandal and vicious witch-hunting, with allegations that the money spent for these dogs have been too much or irregular.

The country’s globally-competitive rumor mills are now busy churning out endless speculations. Will President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo muster the guts to announce a sweeping Cabinet revamp, so that her government will be more effective, and the incompetent scalawags will be immediately sent to the political doghouse?

In this early heating up of the political season, who among the aspiring presidential candidates will become the underdogs? Who will claw his or her way to the top and eventually become the top dog in 2004?

Will the electorate repudiate the non-performing and corrupt traditional politicians in the Senate, Congress, in the provincial, city, municipal and barangay elections nationwide, taking heed of the saying that you cannot teach old dogs new tricks?

Can we demand that the government and the opposition not wage political battles like "aso’t pusa" by barking at each other inane black propaganda, false white papers and unsubstantiated accusations? When will the country finally see the emergence of politicians with high I.Q.’s like that of Hollywood Collie dog "Lassie"?

When will we have political leaders with the integrity and humility of a "Scooby Doo" or "Snoopy," instead of the lazy political pigs swimming in their comfortable pools of mud?

GMA As Dog-Lover Like Bush, Clinton, Marilyn Monroe

One of the rare moments when a photo-op of President GMA came across as positive and not distressing was her Nov. 17 Sunday walk with her Shih-Tzu dogs and the First Gentleman along Manila’s spruced-up Roxas Boulevard. For once, our President was surrounded by creatures whose loyalty she was certain of, unlike her so-called colleagues, party-mates and allies in the treacherous dog-eat-dog world of Philippine politics. Even in the latest Hollywood movie Scooby Doo, the dog is classified as the most pure of heart and honest creature in the world, not the humans who are as despicable as his nemesis Scrappy Doo. Are dogs more trustworthy and loyal than many humans? A cartoon movie a few years ago even claimed with its title that All Dogs go to Heaven.

To the credit of President GMA, hers is probably the most dog-loving presidential family in Philippine history. In the times, President Marcos, the only dogs one could remember were his fawning political lapdogs or other species of tutas. In contrast, the dog-crazy United States has a long colorful history of presidents with their famous pet dogs such as Buddy, the Labrador retriever of Bill Clinton whom he had named after a beloved deceased uncle. US President George W. Bush has Barney, a two-year-old Scottish Terrier. President Richard Nixon once angrily went on television to show his Cocker Spaniel Checkers, insisting that this was the only gift he had received. President Ronald Reagan had a dog called Lucky. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Scottish Terrier was named Fala. British leader Winston Churchill was a bulky man but his pet was a Poodle named Rufus. President John F. Kennedy owned an Irish Cocker Spaniel called Shannon, which was a special gift from Irish Prime Minister Eamon de Valera. Beautiful First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy owned a German Shepherd named Clipper.

Other famous women who own dogs include singer Mariah Carey, Oprah Winfrey, Alicia Silverstone, Queen Elizabeth, Drew Barrymore, Jodie Foster and others.

The most extravagant expression of love for a pet dog was that of world conqueror Alexander the Great, who once named an entire city Peritas after his pet dog. King Arthur also owned a pet dog. Not to be outdone, the ancient Emperor of China had thousands of eunuchs to care for his thousands of rare Pekingese and Shih Tzu dogs, as well as to care for his numerous concubines.

When the European powers invaded Beijing during the declining Ching Dynasty and stole the imperial dogs, one of these Pekingese dogs was presented to British Queen Victoria who named the dog looty.

Chinese mythology also has the Fu Dog, which was considered a good luck talisman. Have you seen the Chinese dogs with balls inside their mouth guarding the gates of temples and other grand structures? Early Chinese artisans had also decorated the main entrance of the country’s oldest Catholic Church the San Agustin Church in Intramuros with mythical good luck guard dogs.

Whenever I chance upon one of those supposedly well-trained sniff dogs in hotels or other public places, I can’t help but think about my favorite childhood dogs like Snoopy created by Charles Schulz and others. The cartoon character Richie Rich had a dog called Dollar. Even Bruce Wayne of Batman had his dog named Ace. The Flinstone family of the stone age cartoon strip owned Dino, the so-called dinosaur.

As a child, I couldn’t understand why a genius like Walt Disney chose to immortalize a rodent with the superstar status of Mickey Mouse or a duck such as Donald Duck, while the Muppet Show had the famous Kermit the Frog and the noisy Miss Piggy. Why depict the dog only as a Goofy? In my home, my two favorite pets are the award-winning dog show champion Labrador Retriever Duchess and another Labrador, the super-stud of dogs named Clinton. Clever gemstone entrepreneurs have mounted their effective worldwide advertising blitz that "diamonds are a woman’s best friend. I disagree. These women should not be fooled by the false glitter of inanimate gems and stones. To men or women of all ages and for all time, dogs are a person’s true best friend, so I wouldn’t mind hearing people complain that this country has gone to the dogs.

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Thanks to the overwhelming volume of messages in response to the "Falling in Love Again and Again" column. This shows that there are still many romantics out there. Please continue to send your comments, suggestions and jokes to wilson_lee_flores@yahoo.com or P.O. Box 14277, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.