The Story of A Canine and James Corden
This a story of fat shaming…but it might not start out the way you’d expect.
Recently we had to have our 14 year old Shar Pei-Pit bull mix dog put down. Don’t be sad, she had a long, happy life and went peacefully. Our remaining dog, Bronco, a 12 year old Australian Stumpy Tail cattle dog, seemed a bit lonely and confused. After watching Bronco carefully for about a week we decided it might be good to get another dog to keep him company.
We found “Noel” at a nearby shelter. Her story, as relayed to us by the volunteer at the shelter, was that “…she’s 4 ½ years old and her owner had her for over 2 years but then had to move into a nursing home and couldn’t take Noel with her. Noel’s been at the shelter for a little over 7 weeks. We’re not sure why she hasn’t been adopted…she’s very sweet. She’s housebroken and very friendly.”
The volunteers at the shelter told us that Noel was a little overweight, probably because her elderly owner hadn’t been able to walk her. After scheduling a meet and greet to make sure Noel and Bronco would get along we adopted her and promptly changed her name to Ella.
Ella quickly adapted to our home. Her favorite spot was her dog bed and she was very content to curl up there after a walk or after being outside exploring the yard.
I soon had two nicknames for Ella that I began to use on Instagram — #EllaTheDestroyer — since she promptly and enthusiastically “killed” every one of Bronco’s squeaky toys while he looked on rather mournfully… and #EllaTheExplorer , because she seemed to have a very keen sense of smell. Our walks would be basically her trotting along happily with her nose to the ground. In our backyard we could always find her digging in the plants and bushes looking for skinks or following some exciting smell.
On weekends we began to take Ella on longer walks through the Biltmore Estate, on trails, around Lake Junaluska or just walking through town. Sometimes we would stop at a cafe or brewery to rest. One hot Sunday afternoon we were in Bryson City and had stopped at a brewery, mainly to get some shade and cool off.
Ella was at my feet drinking water and panting a bit and a woman walked past us to sit at a nearby table. “Oh, what a cute dog!”, she exclaimed. I thanked her and briefly explained that Ella was still relatively new to us and a rescue dog. “Well, she doesn’t look as though she’s had any problem eating.” the woman said with a bit of a smirk (or maybe I just imagined the smirk).
When my husband returned with our drinks I told him that someone had just fat shamed Ella. Someone who didn’t know her story. Someone who didn’t know that Ella had spent the past 7 weeks cooped up in a 3 ft x 3ft enclosure after living for over 2 years with an elderly person who probably didn’t or couldn’t walk her as much as she wanted or Ella needed.
This encounter made me feel sad for our sweet little Ella. It also made me made me think about how we make assumptions about people we don’t know based on their appearance. We don’t know their story, their challenges, what they have been through or what progress or changes they may have made.
As I was thinking about writing this James Corden of The Late, Late Show with James Corden recorded an amazing and response to TV host Bill Maher’s justification of fat-shaming. https://youtu.be/Ax1U04c4gaw . Corden relayed his personal struggle with his weight and urged viewers to be compassionate. This resonated with many, including me.
“Bullying only makes the problem worse.”
So be kind. Be compassionate. Don’t assume you know someone’s story or their struggles…and go adopt a rescue dog if you have room in your home and your life. Take your dog for walks — it’ll do the both of you good.