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Developing "narrative distance" and perspective

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Developing "narrative distance" and perspective

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characters and events by manipulating the proximity and angle between observer (the reader] and object (the picture). Simply put, the closer we are, and the better we see, the more we care. To borrow another set of metaphors, an illustrator, like a film director, can position and focus the "camera" (i.e., the reader's vantage point) wherever it best conveys the necessary visual information or captures the intended emotional effect of the scene. Even a simple change such as raising or lowering the horizon line on a page can have important storytelling ramifications. (Anne Sibley O'Brien 2019)

Size and placement are key to linear perspective. Objects are
drawn smaller as their distance from the observer increases.

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Suggestion from Sara 21/06/2022
1. Did a lot of material testing at the unit 2 stage which was good but lacked narrative if the output of the main project was in the form of an illustration book.
2. At the beginning of unit 3 the output of the project should have been considered before the material testing.
3. The current story structure is not very clear. Considering how to build the narrative.
4. Consider how your material supports the concept and how your work communicates with the audience.
5. Think about your intention, as an educator or others?

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The form and narrative at the start of Unit 3 were the most difficult for me, as shown in the image. Inspired by Grayson Perry's ceramic work, I planned to create an output combining narrative and ceramics.

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The cover illustration is the last thing I do, and I see it as the least important in terms of the story, though it's obviously significant in other ways. It's there to get the reader interested in what the book is about, especially by looking different or unusual. It needs to represent the whole story to some extent, as it is the image most readers will be exposed to when it appears on shelves, in any newspaper or magazine reviews, and even in a reader's memory.

"People do judge a book by its cover!" (Shaun Tan 2006)

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Third-person stories
Third-person stories told from a more detached viewpoint may hew closely to the character's experience and voice, or may be more objective and omniscient overviews.

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Witchfairy: Brigitte Minne & Carll Cneut 2017

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Suggestion from Hayfaa 04/10/2022
1. Put yourself in your audience's perspective and imagine how the story could be told clearly in simple words with pictures if the author was not present.
2. Consider how the audience engages with your work?  What's the size? will it be on the desk? the wall? and how many publications? How to arrange the publication and its derivatives.
3. Suggest writing "Wuhan 2020" on the blank page.

An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process.

Do you have a dog?

Yes, I have. Therefore I can't imagine how I would feel if my puppy was in this situation. But at the same time, I have to imagine, creating emotional ups and downs like they actually happen to my puppy. making my images more convincing.

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Anna Chernyshova Illustrates Calm Down, Cooper! - Arena Illustration. [online] Available at: https://www.arenaillustration.com/news/2020/07/anna-chernyshova-illustrates-calm-down-cooper/

Anon, (n.d.). Dog’s Day | Free Kids Books Online | Bedtime Stories. [online] Available at: https://www.storyberries.com/bedtime-stories-dogs-day-free-kids-books-online/

Anon, (n.d.). My City My Dogs | Bedtime Stories | Free Kids Books. [online] Available at: https://www.storyberries.com/bedtime-stories-my-city-my-dogs-free-kids-books-online/

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Bekoff, J.P., Marc (n.d.). Home Alone: The Fate of Postpandemic Dogs. [online] Scientific American. Available at: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/home-alone-the-fate-of-postpandemic-dogs/.

Best Friends: You and Your Dog - HelpGuide.org. [online] Available at: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/pets/best-friends-with-your-dog.htm.

Bored Panda. (n.d.). An Illustrated Story Of One Sad Dog. [online] Available at: https://www.boredpanda.com/cute-dog-story-illustrations-johnson-fullmoon/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic.

Cf. the freely available international Database of Scientific Illustrators 1450-1950 with 20 search fields and nearly 7000 entries of illustrators in science, medicine & technology active prior to 1950

Cover for The Bear tricked by the Fox, 2020 by Aliona Bereghici. [online] Available at: https://childrensillustrators.com/books/5967#5967

El-Alayli, A., Lystad, A.L., Webb, S.R., Hollingsworth, S.L. and Ciolli, J.L. (2006). Reigning Cats and Dogs: A Pet-Enhancement Bias and Its Link to Pet Attachment, Pet-Self Similarity, Self-Enhancement, and Well-Being. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 28(2), pp.131–143. doi:10.1207 s15324834basp2802_3.

Thelwell, E. (2019). Paws for Thought: A Controlled Study Investigating the Benefits of Interacting with a House-Trained Dog on University Students Mood and Anxiety. Animals, 9(10), p.846. doi:10.3390/ani9100846.

Luhmann, M. and Kalitzki, A. (2016). How animals contribute to subjective well-being: A comprehensive model of protective and risk factors. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(2), pp.200–214. doi:10.1080/17439760.2016.1257054.

Levi Pinfold: Every Picture Tells a Story: Black Dog - Arena Illustration. [online] Available at: https://www.arenaillustration.com/news/2013/01/levi-pinfold-every-picture-tells-a-story-black-dog/

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‌NIH (2018). The Power of Pets. [online] NIH News in Health. Available at: https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/02/power-pets.

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New.qq.com. (n.d.). Under the gloom of the pandemic, pets shouldn't fall victim to it. [online] Available at: https://new.qq.com/omn/20220409/20220409A07YUY00.html

NetEase (2020). A Visual History of the Wuhan pandemic, Behind 100 Photos.. [online] www.163.com. Available at: https://www.163.com/dy/article/F7FG28KP0525DVBA.html

Nast, C. (2012). Cover Story: Chris Ware’s Big Box of Melancholy. [online] The New Yorker. Available at: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cover-story/cover-story-chris-wares-big-box-of-melancholy.

October 17, M.G. | and 2012 (2012). At the Still Point of the Turning World: Chris Ware’s Building Stories and the Search for Structure in the Contemporary City. [online] The Comics Journal. Available at: https://www.tcj.com/at-the-still-point-of-the-turning-world-chris-wares-building-stories-and-the-search-for-structure-in-the-contemporary-city/ ‌

Parry NMA. COVID-19 and pets: When pandemic meets panic. Forensic Science International. Reports. 2020 Dec;2:100090. doi: 10.1016/j.fsir.2020.100090. Epub 2020 Apr 11. PMCID: PMC7151387.

sue clancy. (2022). short experimental art books. [online] Available at: https://sueclancy.com/portfolio/short-experimental-art-books/

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The Guardian. (2020). Dogs of woe: the pull of a pooch in Covid times. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/oct/18/dogs-of-woe-the-pull-of-a-pooch-in-covid-times‌

‌You, T. (2020). Puppies abandoned on a construction site in China due to coronavirus. [online] Mail Online. Available at: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7960451/Heart-breaking-video-shows-puppies-abandoned-construction-site-China-coronavirus.html ‌

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https://haokan.baidu.com/v?pd=wisenatural&vid=6219017550302893574

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A Dog Stayed in a Wuhan Hospital for Months, Unaware That His Owner Died of COVID-19 

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A Dog Stayed in a Wuhan Hospital for Months, Unaware That His Owner Died of COVID-19 

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We’ve all heard of Hachiko, the Japanese Akita dog who waited faithfully for his owner at the Shibuya train station

A similar story took place in Wuhan in February 2020, at the height of the coronavirus outbreak, when a dog stuck around Taikang Hospital, seemingly waiting for his owner. According to Hubei-based newspaper Chutian Metropolis Daily, the owner was an elderly man who was admitted to the hospital due to COVID-19. He succumbed to the coronavirus after just five days, unbeknownst to his loyal companion who had followed him to the hospital.

People are now calling him "Wuhan Hachiko."

In an interview with Tai Kang Hospital, nurse Xie Teng choked up and said, "I felt heartbroken to witness this, very heartbroken for it. It was racing behind the ambulance all the way to the hospital with its owner in the car."

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Little Beaver tries to find knows that she loves flowers, so he goes outdoors to search for some. Being winter, all he finds outside is snow. He makes several unsuccessful attempts at coming up with a perfect gift only to discover that the most simple one is right at his fingertips. Nancy has basically divided this double-page spread in half. The left half leaves a wide area on the icy pond open for the placement of text. The right half illustrates who Little Beaver is, where he lives, what time of year it is, and it shows his emotional dilemma. The circular movement of the snow landscape is emphasized by the swirling snow that winds itself around the main character.

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Since a picture may not, and seldom does, represent the whole field of vision, the horizon may cross the picture plane, or be above the picture or below it. Suppose you have a large photo of a group of buildings. Without changing the horizon or perspective lines, you might crop out any small section of the photo for your picture. But no matter what part you take, the relationship to the original eye level (or viewpoint of the camera) is apparent. You or the camera look down on everything below the picture horizon or up at anything above it. All things will show only theirtop surface when below the eye level or picture horizon. We can look into things only when the eye is above them. Round lines like a belt around a waistline must curve up when below the horizon, and down when above.

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http://www.btzx.com.cn/web/2020/2/20/ARTI1582171602915437.html

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托举生命的方舟——方舱医院建设记

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A winter themed cover set in an urban environment

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A winter themed cover set in an urban environment

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The Huanghe Tower and lotus flowers and leaves are symbolic buildings and plants of Wuhan. Huanghe Tower is the primary element this composition is based on--it directs the viewer around the page. The dog enters the frame of vision due to the blue cool tone of the landscape and the negative space generated between the Huang He Tower.

The lighter dog receded in the cooler blue tones of the lotus leaf landscape. contrasted sharply with the deep blue tower.

The coming of the snow is just the beginning. the snow offers a moment of quiet contemplation as the city comes to a halt. The giant dog design is a way for me to express my feelings. which is feeling helpless because pets in a large city have no place to live during the pandemic. The agony of waiting for its owner is amplified. It encircles the tower and refuses to leave, despite the fact that it is about to freeze to death, because it adores the city, even if the city is indifferent and wants to kill it, implying people's cruelty to pets during the pandemic.

We all feel helpless as dog owners and pet lovers.

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To build a professional portfolio based on the audience

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To build a professional portfolio based on the audience

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Suggestion from group tutorial with Sinead 25/10/2022

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Working in traditional media such as ceramics, Perry is best known for his ability to combine delicately crafted objects with scenes of contemporary life. His subject matter is drawn from his own childhood and life as a transvestite, as well as wider social issues ranging from class and politics to sex and religion.

My story is also about a social issue which is animal welfare crisis during the pandemic. So I think this is a good reference to develop my unit3.

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Unfortunately, as Sara said, this combination of my narration is hard to understand. The form is not the problem, but my narrative is not clear enough. Therefore, the most important thing is refining my story, how to build narrative and focus was the first thing I needed to do at the start of UNIT 3, and then test output formats and materials because the forms are based on the narrative, this is what I learned from this part.

Finally, I made the decision that the final output would take the format of a picture book.

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I started putting together all the true cases of animal abuse during the pandemic that I had researched in Unit 2 and started brainstorming to construct my narrative.

Based on an interview with locals, there is a tale that describes a fruit vendor who rescued a stray dog, but the dog was culled by the government in Wuhan in 2020 since its owner has the coronavirus. I immediately saw its visual storytelling possibilities.

Stories like this happen every day in Wuhan, and indeed all over China. They are not related to each other, but one after another pets are killed and each owner is heartbroken because of this, but there is nothing they can do because China has no relevant animal protection laws, but humans are punished for obstructing the work of the government. This is all because local officials fear that pets can spread the Coronavirus, but there is no evidence that they can.

The information I get on the internet is fragmented and if I presented the darkest moments of these pets together, it might not evoke strong empathy and sympathy from the audience because it's not their pet and the audience doesn't know the stories and deep love of each pet and owner.

In order to address this, I first conducted study on reader psychology. this relates to "narrative empathy", which is defined here as the psychological process whereby recipients of narrative texts grasp and vicariously experience what （Fernandez-Quintanilla, C. 2020). Therefore, the experience of relating to characters is important.

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Fernandez-Quintanilla, C. (2020). Textual and reader factors in narrative empathy: An empirical reader response study using focus groups. 

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As an author and illustrator, I am very concerned about this social problem that has deeply touched and enraged me but perhaps not all audience. I chose this social issue as the focus of the MAIN project because I have a dog and am also concerned that if I have the coronavirus, it will be culled and I am unable to protect it. Despite the fact that my target audience is made up of animal lovers, I occasionally speak to audiences who may not have experience with pets. Therefore, how do I get their sympathy so they'll stand by me? A major challenge for me was learning how to create an engaging tale.

A good story like a fine piece of music, catches and keeps the reader's attention. Writers can turn to story theory and narrative structure whenever their story just isn’t working; when they feel that their writing is awkward, aimless, or — worst of all — boring. (Anon 2018)

A complete story from start to finish, with a cause and an ending, can better touch and inspire an audience's heart by researching publications and social media. For instance, a media release of a video detailing the entire experience of an owner's puppy from birth to being culled in the pandemic resonated with millions of people.

As a good reference,I created a plot with a beginning, middle, and end based on real pet crises I've observed and interviews I've conducted. Then convey this to my audience while also sharing a few Fragment real pet crisis tales.

After that, I gathered and examined audience feedback using qualitative methodologies. The findings demonstrate that a whole story framework evokes greater empathy in the audience better than telling fragment stories. So I tend to build a non-fiction biographical story.  Interviews with residents of our community inspired the central plot of the story about a fruit vendor who rescued a stray dog and it was culled by the local government because its owner was infected with the coronavirus.

What I learned here is that A story’s structure directly affects the way the plot unfolds and how its driving forces (characters, obstacles, setting, etc.) are introduced to the reader. Structure helps writers draw connections between ‘things that happen’ and ‘things that matter.’ In other words, structuring the plot well creates a satisfying narrative experience that accomplishes the author’s aims.

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My picture book will go under the non-fiction biographical story category.

The difference between realistic fiction and non-fiction biographical story:

Realistic Fiction: A story that is believable but does not actually contain true events or real people.

*Non-fictional biographical story:

A biography is a story intended to tell the true facts about the life of a real person. The biography definition in literature has three basic elements:
•Biographer: the author, who writes about another person's life
•Subject: the individual whose life is covered by the biography
•Third-person point of view: the action of the story is narrated by an outside observer (the biographer)

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•Interviewing the subject directly.
•Reading or watching interviews with the subject from a variety of news and personal sources.
•Interviewing people close to the subject, such as family, friends, and colleagues.
•Reading texts written by the subject, such as books, articles, journals, or blogs.
•Reading and viewing other material written about the subject.

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A "genre wheel" showing common categories of fiction and nonfiction picture books.

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Form is a set of ideas about format, medium, content, genre, audience, structure, and style.(Steven Withrow, Lesley Breen Withrow, 2009)

Medium: Handmade informational picture books( a subset of the "picture book" format that includes " concept" books).
Content: A fruit vendor from my neighbourhood rescues a stray dog in 2020, but it was killed by the local government in Wuhan because the owner has the Coronavirus and they are concerned the dog will spread the Covid-19 infection.
Genre: Non-fictional biographical story. (Wordless picture book about the animal welfare crisis during the pandemic in China.
Audience: Pets lovers, animal charity groups, Teenagers.
Structure: To tell one story, without words.
Style: Cartoonish.

Format is the finished products we purchase in bookstores or borrow from libraries. There we find numerous groupings based on length, size, shape, primary age group, "read-aloud" or " read-alone" capacity, genre, word/picture balance, sophistication of content and vocabulary, and instructional value, among other criteria. (Steven Withrow, Lesley Breen Withrow, 2009)

Length: 54 pages
Size: 200mm*250mm
Shape: Rectangle
primary age group: 14 ages above

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Suggestion from group tutorial with Sinead 01/11/2022

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Corgi Chasing its owner who was taken by ambulance because infected

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Corgi Chasing its owner who was taken by ambulance because infected

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The clip, which appears to have been filmed by a resident of a nearby building, shows a Covid prevention worker – dressed head to toe in protective gear – chasing the corgi down a street, the corgi is seen running after a bus said to be taking its owner to an isolation facility.

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The worker hit it three times with a shovel. It then shows the dog lying motionless.

The corgi’s owner was in quarantine at the time of the attack, according to state-run magazine China News Weekly, and had released the dog onto the streets after being unable to find anyone to care for the animal in his absence.

“In the end, I thought I could let (the corgi) loose outside to become a stray, at least it wouldn’t starve to death,” the owner wrote in an online group, explaining he had no dog food left at home, according to China News Weekly. “I never thought once we had left, it would be beaten to death.”

He claimed a neighborhood committee had declined to help care for the dog, the magazine reported. The committee said it was concerned the corgi could have been infected too.

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Wen Ni 2022

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Worker break into Corgi owner's home and beat it to death

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Worker break into Corgi owner's home and beat it to death

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Video footage of the incident, appeared to show one of the Covid health workers who were disinfecting the woman's flat beating the dog with a crowbar.

“Did the leader say we need to settle it right here on the spot?” one of them can be heard asking. “Yes,” the other replies, as he proceeds to move a table the corgi was hiding under, and strike the animal on the head with the crowbar. The dog whimpers and runs off camera to another room.

The unsettling scene, captured by a security camera and shared online by the dog’s owner, shows the last moments before the pet was killed in its home by Covid prevention workers.

The only pet whose death is known in this area, according to claims from online users, is Corgi, whose owner set a camera to film everything and posted the footage online. In fact, all pet dogs in this community have been culled.

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Virus panic: pets were thrown away from highrise buildings

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Virus panic: pets were thrown away from highrise buildings

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Chilling pictures of bloodied corpses of cats and dogs lying on the road have been the doing the rounds on social media following bogus claims that deadly coronavirus can be transmitted by animals.
These innocent creatures are hurled to death.

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The Anci district of Langfang city, in northern China, ordered the "complete culling of indoor animals" of coronavirus patients, the state-run China News Service reported.

The work had stopped immediately, the China News Service reported, citing a staff member for the Langfang Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It is not clear how many animals were killed.

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7151387/

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Abstract

As the novel coronavirus outbreak spreads globally with devastating effects on human health, pets are also becoming unnecessary victims amidst the pandemic panic. Many have been reluctantly left home alone by owners who have been forced to temporarily evacuate their homes. And, although no evidence exists to indicate that they can either transmit the virus or develop its associated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), fear among the public that pets might play a role in spreading COVID-19 has resulted in pets being abandoned or even killed. This article outlines some of the ways in which the current pandemic has negatively impacted the welfare of pets. It also highlights the relationships between animal, human, and environmental health, as well as the importance of taking a collaborative transdisciplinary One Health approach to help prevent future COVID-19 outbreaks.

Keywords: Animal coronaviruses, COVID-19, One health, Pets, SARS-CoV-2, Zoonotic disease

Introduction

On December 31, 2019, China alerted the World Health Organization to a cluster of unusual cases of pneumonia that were diagnosed in Wuhan, in Hubei province, China. Although the cause at that time was unknown, the patients' symptoms and clinical features were most suggestive of a viral etiology. On January 7, 2020, officials reported that they had isolated the causative agent behind the cases-a novel coronavirus [[1], [2], [3]].

The name of this novel virus evolved quickly to its now official designation as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) becoming the official name of the disease caused by the virus [ 3].

Global spread of the virus has been rapid, and the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30, 2020. Worldwide, more than 1 million cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection have now been confirmed, and more than 51,000 people have died of COVID-19 [ 4]

The animal welfare impact

And while the pandemic has resulted in devastating consequences for health systems and economic stability throughout the world, it has also had undesirable, but perhaps not surprising, ramifications for animal welfare. In particular, for veterinary and animal welfare professionals, the wave of fear among the general public is of great concern with respect to how this pandemic will affect pets.

Unintended initial consequences

At the original epicenter of the outbreak in Wuhan, many residents were forced to leave behind their pets when authorities evacuated people from their homes. Reports suggest that owners left enough food and water to last their pets for a few days until they hoped to be able to return home again. But now, more than 6 weeks later, many owners still have not returned home. Animal welfare organizations in China estimate that, in Hubei alone, tens of thousands of cats and dogs have been left behind, facing starvation and death [ 5].

Unfounded fears that pets might spread SARS-CoV-2

Concern also rapidly emerged among pet owners and the general public in late February 2020, when a dog in Hong Kong tested positive for the novel coronavirus. This was considered to be the first known case of potential human-to-animal SARS-CoV-2 transmission [ 6].

The 17-year-old male Pomeranian was tested after his owner developed COVID-19. Although the dog had no clinical signs, he was taken to a nearby animal quarantine facility where oral, nasal, and rectal swab specimens were collected from him for SARS-CoV-2 testing. The oral and nasal swabs returned "weak positive" results. Additional swab specimens were collected from the dog on two further occasions over the next five days, and they again tested "weak positive". The dog remained under mandatory quarantine at the facility for 14 days before returning home. Nevertheless, despite having no signs of clinical illness, the dog died just 2 days after returning home. The cause of death remains unknown because the owner did not consent to post-mortem examination. However, given the dog's elderly age, and because he reportedly had underlying health conditions, experts believe it is unlikely that his death was related to the positive SARS-CoV-2 test result [[7], [8], [9]].

This first case sparked fears among the public, resulting in acts of animal abuse by people who believed that pets might start to spread the virus to people. One group known as the Urban Construction Administration announced it would kill cats and dogs found outdoors, to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2. And even officials in Hunan and Zhejiang provinces announced they would begin killing pets that were found in public [ 5].

The Hong Kong Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals issued a statement to inform the public that there is no evidence to show that pets can transmit the virus to people, and warning people against compromising animal welfare [ 5]. But this did little to calm people's fears, and panic among pet owners and the general public has also spread globally. Anecdotal reports have been widespread in the media and on social media about an increase in the number of pets being abandoned at this time. While many owners fear their animals might transmit SARS-CoV-2 to them, others also now find themselves unemployed and unable to afford to care for a pet [ 10].

On the positive side, with many people now finding themselves isolated at home during the pandemic, rates of pet adoptions and fosters at many shelters have also markedly risen-often cancelling out or markedly exceeding the high rates of abandonment. This is good news for people and pets who now get to enjoy the great advantages of the human-animal bond during this unique time of great need. Inevitably, however, some experts worry that many of these pets will be returned to the shelter when life eventually returns to a new normal [[10], [11], [12]].

So, what's the deal with animals and COVID-19?

The origin of SARS-CoV-2

One common factor linking some of the first patients that were diagnosed with COVID-19 in Wuhan was a history of visiting or working at the local Huanan Seafood Market. This was also reported to be a "wet market" that dealt in the sale of various live animals [[1], [2], [3]]. Because of this, many experts have suggested that the disease in humans originated via initial animal-to-human spread of the novel virus.

The SARS-CoV-2 has been genetically identified and sequenced and shown to be related to other similar known coronaviruses that circulate among bats (such as the SARS coronavirus and the MERS coronavirus) [ 13]. So, bats are considered to be the most likely natural reservoir of this novel coronavirus.

However, the first case of COVID-19 in Wuhan occurred in a patient who had no link to the seafood market [ 1]. Also, bats are reported to be rare in markets in China [ 14]. Although the SARS-CoV-2 may theoretically transmit directly from bats to humans, the evidence so far suggests it more likely spreads indirectly through another animal playing the role of an intermediate host to transmit the virus to humans. Although an intermediary animal species has not yet been definitively identified, it could have been one of the wild live animal species sold at the seafood market in Wuhan.

The idea of this novel virus emerging at the animal-human interface is not a new concept. Zoonotic diseases with a wildlife reservoir have long been recognized as a significant public health problem. Indeed, up to three-quarters of infectious diseases that emerge in humans are known to be zoonotic [ 15].

The events that facilitate emergence of new zoonotic diseases and their geographical spread are complex and affected by multiple factors at multiple levels, including those related to the pathogen, environment, humans, and animals. Although we still have much to learn about SARS-CoV-2, a complexity of animal, human, and environmental factors have inevitably played a critical role in its emergence [ 16]. As such, a One Health approach will eventually be critical as part of the response to this emerging infectious disease.

Traditionally, veterinary professionals have treated animals, medical professionals have treated people, and ecologists have taken care of the environment. However, recognizing the complex interconnectedness of the health of animals, humans, and the environment, the One Health approach eliminates this fragmented strategy. Instead, it uses "a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach-working at the local, regional, national, and global levels", engaging professionals across many disciplines such as veterinary, human, and environmental health [ 17]. As such, it aims to improve public health outcomes by understanding and preventing risks that arise at the interface between animals, humans, and their environments [ 16].

Pets and SARS-CoV-2

What about the pets that have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2?

So far, despite more than 1 million people around the world having tested positive for the virus, only 4 cases have been reported in which pets have apparently tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. These have involved 2 dogs and 2 cats. In all 4 cases, the animals' owners were sick with COVID-19 and are believed to be the most likely source of transmission of the virus to their pets. Although neither of the 2 dogs showed any clinical signs, one of the cats did have signs of illness.

Shortly after the Pomeranian in Hong Kong tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, in March 2020, a second dog in Hong Kong also tested positive for the virus. After the second dog's owner, a 30-year-old woman, was diagnosed with COVID-19, her 2 dogs were sent to the quarantine facility for testing. Oral and nasal swabs from one of them, a German shepherd dog, tested positive for the virus. However, swabs collected from the second, a mixed breed dog, tested negative [ 7, 18].

In late March 2020, health officials in Belgium reported that a cat from Liège province had also tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, about 1 week after its owner was diagnosed with COVID-19. Unlike the 2 dogs that tested positive for the virus, the cat did show signs of illness, including diarrhea, vomiting, and difficulty breathing [ 19]. Samples of vomit and feces from the cat were tested at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Liège and "genetic tests showed high levels of SARS-CoV-2 in those samples", according to Dr Daniel Desmecht. The cat reportedly recovered after 9 days [ 19].

On March 31, officials in Hong Kong reported that a cat was being kept in quarantine after testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 via oral, nasal, and rectal swabs. This cat's owner had also been diagnosed with COVID-19. However, the cat had no clinical signs of illness. [ 20].

Does this mean those four pets were infectious?

So far, for the 4 pets in Hong Kong and Belgium, the available clinical and diagnostic information is incomplete. But, based on what we know at this stage from the media accounts, there is no definitive evidence to suggest that any of the animals were actually infectious.

By all accounts, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests were used to detect SARS-CoV-2 in the 4 pets. However, it is important to remind pet owners and members of the general public that, just because a sample from a pet "tests positive" using this method, this is not necessarily synonymous with the pet "being infectious". And, in the cases of these 4 pets, we also do not have enough information to know whether they were even truly infected with the virus.

Although RT-PCR is a highly sensitive testing method, a positive result indicates only the presence of viral nucleotides in the sample. However, it does not indicate how those viral particles ended up in the sample in the first place. So, it does not tell us whether the virus actually infected the animals (in which case, the viral particles could be a breakdown product of the infection) or whether viral nucleotides were present in the samples because the animals merely came into direct contact with the virus (perhaps by licking either their sick owners or contaminated surfaces in the home). Thus, the positive RT-PCR results in these pets do not necessarily indicate the presence of viable virus that was infectious and could potentially have put other people (or animals) at risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

So, overall, we must be careful to avoid overinterpreting the positive results in these pets. Certainly, in the case of the cat in Belgium, if the owner consents to serologic testing, this may prove helpful to indicate a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection by detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies. However, the presence of these antibodies still would not necessarily prove that the SARS-CoV-2 infection had resulted in the cat's clinical signs.

Interestingly, although not a pet, a female Malayan tiger at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo in New York City also tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on April 5. Officials believe the source of the virus was a zookeeper who was actively shedding virus. The animal was one of several tigers and lions who showed signs of a dry cough. However, because of the need for general anesthesia to collect diagnostic samples from these big cats, this tiger was the only one of the animals with clinical signs that was tested for the virus [ 21]. Again, at this stage, the significance of this positive result in this tiger and its association with the animal's clinical signs remain unclear.

But, the cat in Belgium was sick-doesn't that indicate SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Although the cat in Belgium had diarrhea, vomiting, and difficulty breathing, this constellation of clinical signs isn't enough to suggest that the cat had full-blown COVID-19, or even true SARS-CoV-2 infection. These clinical signs are relatively nonspecific and can arise in cats in association with various nonspecific and specific conditions. In fact, one confounding factor in the cat's case is the fact that other coronaviruses do affect cats.

Other coronaviruses are well recognized in cats

Coronaviruses represent a large family of viruses (the Coronaviridae) that can cause a variety of diseases of differing severity in animals as well as in humans. These viruses are well established in different animal species as causes of a range of conditions that predominantly affect the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory system, and nervous system [ 22].

Coronaviruses are well recognized as causes of disease in cats. Feline enteric coronavirus (FECV) is a ubiquitous enteric virus in the cat population. And, although it is highly contagious and commonly infects cats via feco-oral transmission, it typically produces either no clinical signs or only mild diarrhea. However, in a small percentage of cats, FECV undergoes mutation to produce feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) virus. This mutant variant of FECV is responsible for causing FIP, a devastating and lethal systemic infection that is considered to be one of the most significant infectious diseases in cats [ 23].

Other coronaviruses are also well recognized as causes of disease in dogs

In dogs, canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCoV) affects the respiratory system, typically contributing as one of many pathogenic organisms to cause canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRD), also widely known as "kennel cough". Infection with CRCoV is usually associated with mild, self-limiting clinical signs that typically are nonspecific and include dry cough, sneezing, and nasal discharge. However, infection with this virus can potentially progress to pneumonia in some cases and has been associated with outbreaks of severe respiratory disease in dogs in shelters and boarding facilities [ 24, 25].

Another distinct coronavirus, canine coronavirus (CCoV), affects the gastrointestinal tract in dogs and can cause gastroenteritis that may range in severity from mild to severe disease. Enteric infection in dogs is usually self-limiting and typically produces either no clinical signs or only mild enteritis [ 26].

In contrast to this CCoV which shows only enteric tropism, a pantropic pathogenic variant of CCoV has also been described in association with an outbreak of fatal systemic disease in puppies aged approximately 6-8 weeks old at a pet shop in Italy. The clinical signs in the puppies included fever, lethargy, inappetence, vomiting, hemorrhagic diarrhea, ataxia, and seizures. The animals died 2 days after the onset of clinical signs. At post-mortem examination, lesions were present in multiple tissues, including the intestines, liver, spleen, kidneys, lungs, and lymph nodes. CCoV was also detected in multiple tissues, including the lungs, suggesting the potential for this pathogenic variant to also contribute to the pathogenesis of CIRD [ 26].

However, none of these more typical feline or canine coronaviruses are directly associated with the current novel coronavirus outbreak. Despite belonging in the same family of viruses, they are all distinct from the SARS-CoV-2 which is responsible for causing COVID-19.

No evidence that pets play a key role in SARS-CoV-2 transmission

We are still in the early stages of understanding how this novel virus affects humans, let alone animals. So, more time and testing will be necessary to better understand how exactly SARS-CoV-2 behaves in pets. Routine testing of pets for SARS-CoV-2 is not recommended at this time. Instead, it is currently being reserved for cases in which animal and public health officials believe a pet should be tested because it is linked to a person with confirmed COVID-19 [ 27]. However, some testing has been performed.

To date, officials in Hong Kong have tested samples collected from more than 25 pets living in homes in which their owners either had received confirmed diagnoses of COVID-19 or had been in close contact with someone with the disease. Yet, only 2 dogs and 1 cat from this group have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 [ 20].

IDEXX Laboratories, a multinational veterinary diagnostics company, has also developed a PCR-based SARS-CoV-2 test. Although the test is not available for commercial use, the company is actively monitoring for emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in companion animals. So far, IDEXX has analyzed more than 4000 samples from dogs, cats, and horses with respiratory signs. Many of these specimens came from regions experiencing COVID-19 cases in humans. However, so far, all the samples have tested negative for the novel virus [ 28].

Conclusion

Overall, based on the early data so far, no significant evidence exists to suggest that pets or other animals pose a substantial threat to people or other animals with respect to transmitting SARS-CoV-2.

Nevertheless, given the rising concern among the general public, major health organizations, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and key animal health organizations have all issued statements aiming to calm people's fears about their pets being a source of the novel virus [ 20], [ 29], [ 30], [ 31], [ 32] [ 33]. "There is no justification in taking measures against companion animals which may compromise their welfare," the World Organisation for Animal Health has emphasized.

Inevitably, the crucial focus right now during this current pandemic is to control human-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and this requires each of us to play a key role to reduce community spread of the virus. However, the unfolding of this pandemic has again highlighted the complex interrelationships that exist between animals, people, and the environment. Ultimately, a multidisciplinary One Health approach will thus inevitably be critical to develop appropriate strategies to effectively prevent and control future outbreaks of COVID-19. And, given the speculation that wild live animal species may be linked to this pandemic, this collaborative approach will also require the expertise of wildlife forensic specialists. At best, trading at wet markets like the one in Wuhan often tends to occur under poor regulatory and welfare standards, and illegal wildlife trade frequently coexists at these locations. Indeed, many experts also hope that this crisis could represent the end of the global wildlife trade.

Declaration of competing interest

The author is a Section Editor of Forensic Science International: Reports and has previously authored chapters of veterinary textbooks published by Elsevier. The author has no financial or other personal interests to report. The opinions are solely those of the author.

References

2. Hui D.S., I Azhar E., Madani T.A., Ntoumi F. The continuing 2019-nCoV epidemic threat of novel coronaviruses to global health - the latest 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. China. Int. J. Infect. Dis. 2020;91:264-266. [[ PMC free article] [ PubMed] Google Scholar]

6. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) Detection of Low Level of COVID-19 Virus in Pet Dog. 2020. The government of the Hong Kong Special administrative region. Press releases. March 4. Available at: https://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/publications/publications_press/pr2342.html. Accessed April 3, 2020. [ Google Scholar]

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COVID-19 and pets: When pandemic meets panic

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As the novel coronavirus outbreak spreads globally with devastating effects on human health, pets are also becoming unnecessary victims amidst the pandemic panic. Many have been reluctantly left home alone by owners who have been forced to temporarily evacuate their homes.

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The entire narrative is an adaption based on real-life pet crises that I have observed, studied, and spoken with locals about. My project's intent is to touch your heart and inspire people to speak up for pet welfare in Wuhan even the whole country.

The story's central plot is about a fruit vendor who rescues a stray dog in Wuhan, 2020. But the dog is killed by the local government because the owner got Coronavirus.

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"A story is, quite simply, a tale told that has a begining, middle, and an end." said by Jane Yolen.

While the number of multichapter graphic novels for older
readers is increasing, most picture books are, in terms of
length and basic structure, the literary equivalent of very short stories. (Steven Withrow, Lesley Breen Withrow, 2009)

As short stories, picture books generally have :
at least one character.     Dog, Owner, Health worker
a setting (place and time].    Wuhan 2020
a point of view (angle from which the story is told).  Third,
a central conflict or story problem (physical, emotional, or both) that drives the plot (sequence of logically connected events). The dog was culled by workers when the owner get infected.
a variety of themes (controlling ideas or central insights). Powerless in the face of this social situation, at the same time, to inspire audience empathy to speak out for animal welfare.

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The dog

My roles began in my sketchbook as a collection of doodles and character drawings, which evolved through trial and error and careful selection. I drew from observation, research, memory, and imagination.

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To create model turnarounds to show characters from different angles to try to keep details consistent.

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The health worker

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(Steven Withrow, Lesley Breen Withrow, 2009)

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The form of composition will be a double-page spread.

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Keyframes for the story

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Constructed a cohesive narrative in picture

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Constructed a cohesive narrative in picture

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Page 1-17

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Page 18-32

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These thumbnail sequences--without color, texture, or much detail--were convenient tools for quickly sketching out and experimenting with possible visual ideas, page layouts, and story progressions. With each new storyboard, the composition of each double-page spread became more refined and could establish how each scene set up and flowed into the next. It also shows the placement of the text. (Lesley Breen 2009)

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A story's setting encompasses both time and place. It is the stage on which the characters act and the world in which they interact. In picture books, setting can refer to the hour of the day and its accompanying weather, and the passage of time from page to page.
Some stories give only a vague conception of setting, like when characters seem to exist only as visual ideas on the page. But beyond simply depicting a background for the action, illustrators use setting to express mood, atmosphere, conflict, and factual or emotional information about the cast. (Lesley Breen Withrow 2009)

Thinking: I need to provide more complex and specific elements of geography, history, culture, and society; even require maps or timelines to help navigate my limits.

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Reflect thinking about character and setting

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Reflect thinking about character and setting

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Character and setting have a reciprocal relationship; one feeds into the other. Every aspect of a character's surroundings, and the objects or props within it, gives the audience context about the story that affects how the audience views the characters, their circumstances, and the physical and societal "rules" operating in their world, which should remain internally consistent throughout the story.

In the highly compressed form of the picture book, much of a story's setting is implied by or to be inferred from the pictures and text. What the reader does not see is often as important as what is explicitly shown. Picture-book illustration is truly an art of suggestion, and master illustrators can build entire words through the accumulation of small details and through selective use of cropping and negative space.

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Like an animator or film director, I created a series of storyboards that gave me an aerial view of the structure of the whole book blocked out across 54 pages.

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A contemporary and historical exterior setting by Lesley Breen Withrow.

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Colorful, richly detailed setting that suggests the warmth, closeness, and casual chaos of young family at home.

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An interior kitchen setting, which provides a background for the action happening at the table.

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<<My Red Hat>>

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Working with the page turn is one of my favorite parts of making a picture book. The page turn is a pause physically built into the story you're telling; the act of pulling back a page imposes a pulse on the book. (Steven Withrow 2019)

Will the rocket lift off successfully? What does the astronaut notice? Turn the page to see. Because this is a picture book, we do see, and will hopefully be intrigued, surprised, or satisfied by what is presented. A good page turn reveals new information in a way that creates an interesting relationship between the image just seen and the image being introduced. A page turn like this connects and. strengthens both images, and adds meaning to the book as a whole.

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Value and saturation
Value refers to the darkness (shade) or lightness (tint) of a hue. As noted above, adding white to a hue increases the tint, while adding black increases the shade. Saturation (also called intensity) is the brightness or paleness of a hue. The purposeful interplay of value and saturation, along with
hue, affects the mood of a drawing and the reader's emotional response to it. (Russell Tate 2017)

Also, individual colors can have a wide range of symbolic or elemental connotations. Blue in my culture is a symbol of grief. I decided on blue because of its symbolic meaning. as well as some greenery to help the view recede.

Main tones of grey in order to emphasize the emotional meaning in the context of the story being told, like the strange city vibe, the indifferent attitude of health workers, sorrowful and helpless dog owners

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An illustrated misadventure in love and loneliness.

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<<Rhapsodie en bleu>>

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<<Vignelles of Ystan>>

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<<The Night Walk>>

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<<Always lay>>

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Emily Sutton

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In an animation you have movement to help describe a personality, but in books you have a moment a single image, or a series of still images- to capture the character's essence. (Mary Jane 2019)

Reflect thinking: Much design thinking has to go into deciding the final form: should the figure be symmetrical or asymmetrical? What element should be the largest shape? What is the overall gesture and mood of the character expressed? How will the facial expression (if it has a face!) define the mood? When drawing animal characters, anthropomorphism (attribution of human facial expression and gesture) can be used to explore character.

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1. The apprentice confronts the broom with a hatchet.

2. The finished painting shows the highest conflict in the story--the tension between the menace of the magic and the girl's inability to control it--stretching as a full bleed across the gutter.

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Showing emotion through gesture and expression

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Showing emotion through gesture and expression

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I have a dog, so observing the expression of emotion comes very naturally to me. Sometimes I use myself as a laboratory, feeling how the emotion would affect my body if I lose my dog, then draw by looking at the pose in the mirror.

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An illustration's characters are actors,and they must physically embody the motions and emotions needed to tell the story. Rather than rely on the words to state.

Characters are rarely isolated from their settings or other characters, and the ways they interact can be as expressive as how they appear on their own. (Steven Withrow 2019)

I draw characters based on live models or photographs of actual adults and animals or watch dog-related movies to supplement my study of character emotion.

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After finishing the storyboard, I created a simple "working" dummy-- a 3D model of the picture book with no trim size and number of pages. A dummy allows me to experience the story progression from cover to cover and the word-picture balance from page to page just as the reader would.

The dummy is the "instruction manual" for the finished artwork and story that I refer to throughout the long process of production which can extend, on and off, over a period of years. During this time, the dummy serves to remind you of the look and feel of the project." (Shaun Tan 2006)

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My Dog Skip (2000)

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A Dog's Journey (2019)

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Isle of Dogs (2018)