Fresno's Paper for Arts, Entertainment, News, and Political Analysis
Can pet ownership be justified?
Posted June 5th, 2007 by cdfierro
Topic Tags
Following up on the discussion that has branched off of the original "Earthlings/vegan" discussion. Can pet ownership justified?
User login
Navigation
Syndicate
Comments
CA Assembly votes to make Spaying/Neutering Mandatory
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/06/07/MNG9FQAND...
"Local governments spend up to $250 million annually euthanizing unclaimed animals"
Apparently it was a narrow vote, 41-38, but from now on people will be fined $500 for not fixing their dogs and cats. Whoopee! Dogs and cats statewide should be rejoicing! Already robbed of their identity and free will, they now have been legally stripped of their biological right to reproduce. Am I the only one who sees the painful hypocrisy in all this? "I love my little Fido, but the world will be better off without a Fido junior."
My only solace is in the comments section after the article on the SF Gate page, where some guy suggests we ought to spay and neuter humans instead. Now THAT makes a lot more sense to me, why don't we encourage more voluntary sterilization in schools(seriously)?
A few pet questions I must ask...
Ahh, the emotional attachment of pet owners to their pets. I can feel it within the very words they respond with. Very well, I now realize there are some concepts that may be subjective, and warrant a discussion themselves.
Well, for starters what do people think about the term "companion?" Can a companionship be forced into creation, is it born of mutual consent or dependence? Does a companion involve a mutually beneficial relationship between two similar beings on a somewhat parallel journey? Does it include spiritual, emotion, intellectual, physical connections? Is the concept loose enough to include a boyfriend or girlfriend with a goldfish or canary? Can a non-living object be a companion, such as a trusty shotgun or a car?
We all know cruelty to animals, abuse, neglect, inhumane treatment, etc. are all against the law. It is common knowledge that staging dog fights, abusing animals and such will get one arrested. Yet it still happens. Is it naive to believe that spaying and neutering pets will solve the associated problems of pet safety? If one holds onto a pet at home and wishes for the best, can there be an end to 1)the profit-driven pet industry and the exploitation of animals and people 2)the genetically-controlled breeding that results in unhealthy, human-oriented pet breeds 3)people with ill-intentions gaining access to animals and harming them? Is this akin to supporting gun-control and yet keeping a few hanguns around the house?
For those who hope for a vegan society and wish for an end to all animal products, what will become of the considerably large population of animals such as cows, pigs, chickens, etc. Will millions die off? Will freed animals have environmentally harmful grazing effects? Will other species and plants be threatened?
I would love to hear peoples ideas on these...
Oh, and one last thing. My previous analogy to slavery was not meant to be specific to all aspects, labor, whips, chains, etc. I was making a comparison between owners and the stripping of the free will of the subjects, and the establishment of an environment forcing the subjects to be dependent on the masters for survival and protection. In such an environment, "protecting" a subject can be quite a sincere act as well.
Now that I think about it, subjectivity in regards to ethics is quite a complex discussion in itself. Especially when considering the whole vegan vs meat-eater issue. I'll have to stick to one topic at a time for now.....
"For those who hope for a
"For those who hope for a vegan society and wish for an end to all animal products, what will become of the considerably large population of animals such as cows, pigs, chickens, etc. Will millions die off?"
Places like Farm Sanctuary (http://www.farmsanctuary.org/) are good examples of what can be accomplished.
To truly get to the bottom of the pet vs. no pets issue, it might be helpful to first just concisely list the arguments for and against pet ownership.
I thought about your
I thought about your questions and recalled a conversation I had with a co-worker over the weekend. She had just lost her beloved dog of several years. Upon telling me the story of her time spent with him (the dog) she often welled up with tears. Clearly her love for her dog was similar to the love between mother/father/child or a friendship and the loss of her dog from her life, was just as painful as if she would have lost one of them. I do also think that relationships bewteen animals and humans, can mutually grow and devlop into a healthy caring companionship. However, as with any relationship I do not think that it can be forced. I can not write this without thinking of my lovely Travis. And I think that in a lot of ways dogs are similar to humans. Recently I got lost getting off the freeway and ended up in some dusty part of rural Fresno. Throughout the small streets and lonely roads I witnessed two things. One, dogs with thier owners. Two, dogs running in packs with other stray dogs. Maybe dogs feel this innate sense to belong with anothers just like we do. We are all born into a family, get hitched, have friends, create chlldren or whatever. Sometimes a dog, cat, bird are included into that inner circle. When two beings meet, treat eachother well, provide and create memories a bond is formed. Regardless of body hair. I am speaking about dogs and cats only, since I've never had any other type of animal. Well once a bird, but he was mean and he murdered his pregnant bird wife and later flew away (that's a true story). So I only write of the pets I've personally encountered. Another thing, I do not think that a companionship can be formed with a gun, knife etc. because it is lifeless and gives out no feeling nor recieves any.