It's finally here, the Ebola story we knew was coming:
The order by Spanish authorities to euthanize Excalibur, a lovable mutt owned by a Spanish nurse diagnosed with Ebola, has prompted global outcry.
The hashtag #SalvemosAExcalibur (“Let’s save Excalibur”) was trending on Twitter early Wednesday morning. Excalibur has gotten a lot of sympathy from other pets via their owners on Twitter, many accompanied by adorable photos:
A Change.org petition to stop the euthanasia order had gotten more than 271,000 signatures by early Wednesday morning.
Come on, fess up. You went, "Awww, not the little dog, too," didn't you? Well, yes, I certainly did. What is it that makes us react more strongly and quickly to an animal's plight than to human suffering?
Call it the katrina Effect. Here's David Sedaris writing about it:
People I know, people who had never before contributed to charity, emptied their pockets when a cocker spaniel was shown standing on a rooftop after Hurricane Katrina hit, eight months later. “What choice did I have?” they asked. “That poor little thing looked into the camera and penetrated my very soul.”
The eyes of the stranded grandmother, I noted, were not half as piercing. There she was, clinging to a chimney with her bra strap showing, and all anyone did was wonder if she had a dog. “I’d hate to think there’s a Scotty in her house, maybe trapped on the first floor. What’s the number of that canine-rescue agency?
(Via Ann Althouse)
