About Buzzkills
The internet holds up a mirror up to humanity and reveals a deeply shared quality: the propensity to lose hours watching cute animal videos. I count myself in this group, and I was quite disappointed to miss this year’s gathering (10,000 strong!) to watch clips at the Walker’s Internet Cat Video Festival in Minneapolis.
However, as the title gives away, some of these adorable videos show behavior that is really not so adorable, or funny, or cute. Some of it shows animals that are very stressed or put in situations that are dangerous to the animals and the humans. Although I don’t want to take away anyone’s joy, I also think that it is important that we educate each other in order to improve our pet’s welfare and the relationships we have with them.
This is delicate ground, so I want to be very clear that in no way is this section about ridiculing or demonizing the choices that people made when they filmed the “Buzzkill” videos. We’re all doing our best for our families, and we’re all on a path of learning. Neither can I claim to know exactly the history behind each video; I am only commenting on the face value. Unkind words will never be tolerated in any comments on this page.
So now, let’s spread understanding and respect of our canine friends! Share our “Buzzkill” posts if you see someone raving about a video of an unhappy dog (then you don’t have to be the bad guy). Let us know if you come across a video that deserves to make our Buzzkills list.
