Anti-pet ownership.

Hey, check out some of these quotes concerning the debate over whether it is moral to keep pets. I'm feel compelled to agree with some of these quotes. Domestication for the sole sake of companionship can create some sick and twisted situations. I've always preferred to observe animals in their natural environment in the place of watching my pets.

I think it's a very unhealthy situation for both human and animal when we continue breeding these "lost" animals and coddle and treat them like small, stupid people. They will never be true members of their own species, will never live as they were designed to, and yet they can never truly understand humanity either. That's just heartbreaking to me. I can't even see any joy in it anymore! What I do feel is a ton of guilt for supporting this institution, though I've always felt conflicted about it.

With the exception of pets and livestock that provide a service to humanity, I just don't see a need for us to own pets when we should be making friends with other humans instead of animals.



ANTI-PET OWNERSHIP QUOTES

"Pet ownership is an absolutely abysmal situation brought about
by human manipulation." -- Ingrid Newkirk, national director,
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA), Just Like Us?
Toward a Nation of Animal Rights" (symposium), Harper's, August
1988, p. 50.

"Liberating our language by eliminating the word 'pet' is the
first step... In an ideal society where all exploitation and
oppression has been eliminated, it will be NJARA's policy to
oppose the keeping of animals as 'pets.'" --New Jersey Animal
Rights Alliance, "Should Dogs Be Kept As Pets? NO!" Good Dog!
February 1991, p. 20.

"Let us allow the dog to disappear from our brick and concrete
jungles--from our firesides, from the leather nooses and chains
by which we enslave it." --John Bryant, Fettered Kingdoms: An
Examination of A Changing Ethic (Washington, DC: People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA), 1982), p. 15.

"The cat, like the dog, must disappear... We should cut the
domestic cat free from our dominance by neutering, neutering, and
more neutering, until our pathetic version of the cat ceases to
exist." --John Bryant, Fettered Kingdoms: An Examination of A
Changing Ethic (Washington, DC: People for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals (PeTA), 1982), p. 15.

"As John Bryant has written in his book Fettered Kingdoms, they
[pets] are like slaves, even if well-kept slaves." --PeTA's
Statement on Companion Animals.

"In a perfect world, all other than human animals would be free
of human interference, and dogs and cats would be part of the
ecological scheme." --PeTA's Statement on Companion Animals.

"[A]s the surplus of cats and dogs {artificially engineered by
centuries of forced breeding) declined, eventually companion
animals would be phased out, and we would return to a more
symbiotic relationship--enjoyment at a distance." --Ingrid
Newkirk, "Just Like Us? Toward a Notion of Animal Rights"
(symposium), Harper's, August 1988, p. 50.

"The bottom line is that people don't have the right to
manipulate or to breed dogs and cats ... If people want toys,
they should buy inanimate objects. If they want companionship,
they should seek it with their own kind," -- Ingrid Newkirk,
national director, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PeTA), Animals,< May/June 1993.

"You don't have to own squirrels and starlings to get enjoyment
>from them ... One day, we would like an end to pet shops and the
breeding of animals. [Dogs] would pursue their natural lives in
the wild .. they would have full lives, not wasting at home for
someone to come home in the evening and pet them and then sit
there and watch TV," -- Ingrid Newkirk, national director, People
for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA), Chicago Daily
Herald, March 1, 1990.

"[Animal] Fancies provide an escape from the real world, a sense
of purpose in a lot of purposeless lives, a chance to play God by
breeding animals, and a chance to play celebrity by showing
them." (The Animals' Agenda, Dec. 1991, Phil Maggitti).

"Human care (of animals) is simply sentimental, sympathetic
patronage." (Dr. Michael W. Fox, HSUS, in 1988 Newsweek
interview).

"We are not especially 'interested in' animals. Neither of us had
ever been inordinately fond of dogs, cats, or horses in the way
that many people are. We didn't 'love' animals." --Peter Singer,
Animal Liberation: A New Ethic for Our Treatment of Animals, 2nd
ed. (New York Review of Books, 1990), Preface, p. ii.

"The theory of animal rights simply is not consistent with the
theory of animal welfare... Animal rights means dramatic social
changes for humans and non-humans alike; if our bourgeois values
prevent us from accepting those changes, then we have no right to
call ourselves advocates of animal rights." --Gary Francione,
The Animals' Voice, Vol. 4, No. 2 (undated), pp. 54-55.

"Not only are the philosophies of animal rights and animal
welfare separated by irreconcilable differences... the enactment
of animal welfare measures actually impedes the achievement of
animal rights... Welfare reforms, by their very nature, can only
serve to retard the pace at which animal rights goals are
achieved." --Gary Francione and Tom Regan, "A Movement's Means
Create Its Ends," The Animals' Agenda, January/February 1992,
pp. 40-42.




Taken from:

http://www.huntfacts.com/anti-pet%20quotes.htm

 

Domesticated animals are domesticated now. They cant live out in the wild, and there are too many of them to be "realeased" without majorly disturbing the balance of the natural world even if they could

Im completely against the abuse, neglect and maltreatment of other animals as any feeling human being would be, but when creatures are well cared for in someones home i see nothing wrong with that. I have a great relationship witht he rabbits we share our lives with and they are MOST happy.

I agree that words like "pet" and "owner" are probably very old fashioned and should be avoided. I say companion or friends or those kinds of things, and im not their "owner", they have their freedom here. But saying living with non-human animals is immoral is just plain silly

 

Oh, and i dont agree with your last sentiments, either. I have learnt so so much from our bunny rabbits. Their natural behavior (as they are happy and have the run of the house) And i still have human friends, so i dont really see what youre getting at

And "unless theyre of service"...surely thats a worse attitude!?

 

P.s-i do agree that "breeding" should not be done, though. There are just too many common "pet" animals already

 

Oohhh dear Peta... *rolls eyes*

And ...how would you plan to UNdomesticate such animals as dogs and cats, that have already been domesticated for thousands of years??

I am all for the ethical treatment of animals...it's one of my main concerns... but I do not see that there is ANYTHING wrong with having an animal companion to love and care for... we care for our pets, the way we do for our children...

I'd be more concerned about the domestication, conditioning, and control brought to us as humans, by civilization, over anything...

Once we've got that figured out, and can undomesticate ourselves to live as animals the way we were intended to,THEN, talk to me about dogs and cats.

There are a lot bigger problems facing the animal kingdom and nature, than people having dogs and cats that they genuinely care for, love, and treat as their own friends and family...

I'd say first, let's think about the endangered species out there, and the fact that people kill animals in the wild for the sake of vanity (i.e. fur and leather coats, "trophies", etc)

I'd rather see people loving their pets, than to see people not interacting with the other species around them, period, and/or blasting their brains out for "fun"

 

Totally

 

One problem I have is this. Domestication of certain animals as pets creates a fucked up situation where we've decided which animals deserve humane treatment and which don't. Dogs and cats are cuter than pigs and don't make a good food source (because they are predators, 2nd level consumers, and so don't yield as much energy as herbivors) and are more common as house pets so people aren't allowed to eat them and treat them badly and yet people can treat pigs and cattle however they want?

I'm sorry but that is just fucked up.

Beyond that, I don't really see the point of owning pets anymore. What do they give you that you can't get from other humans or interacting with nature? Anything you can learn from your pets you can learn by quietly observing the wildlife around you.

Ideally I think we should all be vegetarians and hunters and not even bother with domestication anymore. Stop breeding animals and allow domestication to die when the current generations die of natural causes. This is what we'd also do with pets. We would stop them from breeding until their numbers decrease, eventually to zero.

I don't know how it would work, or if it would be feasible, but I think we'd be a happier species for it and would feel a lot less (subconscious) guilt.

Let's not get upset with each other, I'm just speaking my mind and I know you are too, but I do think that even the most well meaning pet owners are supporting a system that creates unnecessary complications and unhappiness. This isn't an insult aimed at you, just that animals and humans do not need to coexist beyond the point of neccesity, when we had to use dogs to survive.

This is coming from someone who's been around horses, pigs, goats, chickens, dogs, etc. all my life. I'm no stranger to having and caring for pets.

Maybe a complete abolishment of pets isn't even neccesary, maybe just having stricter pet laws where you need to prove you're taking care of your pets to be allowed a license to have them. I see a lot of people who have pets that shouldn't, based on their treatment of them.

And I don't just mean not giving them food and water either, I mean not giving them attention, not understanding the specific emotional needs of their pets, etc.

 

Wait a minute...
I just re-read your post... "With the exception of pets and livestock that provide a service to humanity, I just don't see a need for us to own pets when we should be making friends with other humans instead of animals. "

So, it's okay to force an animal to work for you, but not okay to love and care for an animal?
That makes no sense.
You agree with livestock... which by the way, more than half of the meat produced FROM that livestock, will probably be wasted and thrown away... but you don't agree with people finding friends in animals, and loving them?

My cat has the fucking life. He doesn't have to hunt for his own food, he gets it handed to him, in a pretty painted ceramic dish... he doesn't have to go and die of heartworm, because I protect him against it... he get's a warm place to sleep in the wintertime, amongst blankets and pillows in a heated house, and a cool place to chill out in, on hot summer days... He gets clean water, free of disease and feces...

I hardly think that's cruel and inhumane.... especially, in comparison to breeding cows for livestock ....

 

Breeding livestock is necessary to support the human race at this point. I'd prefer a vegetarian system but that does not even seem remotely realistic at the moment.

Pet owning is not necessary, hence my decision to argue against it, rather than the meat market.

You need to pick your fights. Meat business is another argument entirely.

 

^^I totally agree here. But this attitude and vision CAN be changed through positive thought and spreading the word WITHOUT kicking our beloved companion animals out onto the streets to die. I dont see how not having "pet" animals would improve peoples treatment of cattle etc

Im not getting upset, dont worry But i dont feel any guilt for sharing my life with our wonderful bunnies. I dont believe our friendships with other creatures should die out.
Wildlife? That would be FANTASTIC, and ideally, sure id love to just go out and befriend a load of wild rabbits or mice or badgers or whatever. Unfortunately our way of life has almost wiped these creatures out where i live, and i suspect almost everywhere. Its not a natural heaven out there teeming with little animals. Its gray, its roads. And i feel my relationship with non-human animals is MOST valuable, i could NOT learn these lessons from human beings. I learn from both my non-human friends and my human ones, differently

 

Oh, youre saying this and you agree with our current meat production system!? Seriously!? That is NOT another agrument, its hypocrisy, imo

 

Infact its bordering on ridiculous

 

Okay,
I agree that picking and choosing which animals are okay to eat, which ones are okay to have as pets, and which ones do this or that, can be ridiculous... but another you do have to understand is that, these things also fluctuate from culture to culture. For example, in some places, cows are sacred, whereas, cats might be okay to eat.

It isn't just one way, universally...

My feeling is that, the reason dogs and cats are common, as opposed to other species, is because they are easier to care for, and better understood than say... an exotic lizard that follows strict dietary needs, and temperature requirements and such.

There ARE laws and requirements to protect "pets"--- but just as there is a law not to kill another human, people still break those laws. You can't change what people do and don't do... and if you want ultimate control over the way people are, than that's no better than the way things already are in today's world.

I'm not saying I don't have an ideal vision of what the world should be like, or have hope that things could be that way... but you also have to work with the way things/people are, and understand that besides the fact that not everyone is going to agree with you, or share your vision, but that humanity has a long way to go before ever getting there.

I don't disagree with your feelings on picking and choosing, or mistreating animals.. at all; I agree. But abolishing animal companions altogether, or taking an extreme action to restore things, isn't healthy or probable either.

If you WERE to restore domesticated animals back to their natural way of living, it would take a LOT of work to get them adapted to their natural habitats and what not again... you couldn't just simply say "pets are not allowed" and throw them back into the wild.

*sigh* I could go on...

And I'm not trying to fight with you...just stating my opinion, and showing you the other side of it.

 

The thing is, your cat likes to hunt. All cats do, it's a part of their nature. Just as humans like to be creative and solve problems. What if someone did everything for you and you ceased to use your imagination. How do you think you would feel?

I think you would have a yearning, maybe a subconscious one, to use that imagination but because that ability has been so atrophied from not using it, pretend that you've completely forgotten about it. You've been so pampered and no longer have a use for it so it's become weak, yet a part of you will always feel unfulfilled, because you arent living to your natural potential.

In other words, I don't think it's right for us to pamper and care for animals like we do. It's an example of humanity exerting control over nature without neccesity. Our ancestors forming relationships with wolves to help themselves survive (and help the wolves too) is completely different than a family keeping an unnaturally bred terrier who has birth defects due to his inbred nature.

 

Breeding livestock is NOT necessary.....
aside from hunting and gathering your own food, the way things are SUPPOSED to be...
there are also other options for having a nutritious diet aside from meat. Breeding livestock, in today's world is JUST as unnecessary as owning pets. You could easily gather nutrients from soymilk and tofu, without the use of breeding cows for food.

It isn't another argument, if you are going to go and say that pet owning is any more unnecessary than breeding livestock.

 

Whether right or wrong the fact is that cats have been domesticated now. Its happened. Too late to object.

Ill tell you, my mother has a bg fat fluffy cat. I remember when he was a kitten, wed let him free in the garden. But hed get scared and come inside. He has never once caught a bird. Hes got fatter and fatter and is best friends with my mums mice and guinea pigs. He never hurts them.

Sure some cats kill birds, but theyre just not lions anymore, it has to be faced. My mothers cat could not survive without her

And as i said, theres hardly a blissful haven waiting for him outside even if he could. Hed be run over

 

Pets R cool.
Cooler than most people.

 

I understand that, I'm already insane because civilization has conditioned me to a thing that I was not intended to be...

Why don't we free ourselves first, in that case?

The entire domestication aspect, doesn't just affect pets, domestication is all over, and I'm simply saying, I think the LEAST of your worries is pets (as far as domestication goes...)

 

Also, another thought to throw in here...im pretty damn sure our rabbits love us as we love them.

They jump up onto the sofa with us and snuggle. They "groom" us for hours, just licking our bare legs. They do things they know make us laugh, they have a sense of humour! Its absolutely true.
Yet they have eachother to snuggle...so why are they bothering to show affection to us?

Because they love us, their humans...thats why

 

But it is neccesary. If all pets were to vanish tomorrow, what would happen to humanity? There would be problems but nothing serious.

Now if the entire meat industry went under, I think that it would be a more severe problem. Some of us have the luxury of living in undeveloped areas where we could learn to hunt, but what are those in the inner city to do?

And yes soy and other nuts are a great source of protein but is the soy and nut market equipped to handle the demands of an entire world cut off from eating livestock? I'm not so sure it is.

Also we are still trying to understand the ramifications of an omnivore such as a human living completely on a vegetarian diet.

I'm not saying keeping livestock will be neccesary forever, but in the immediate future it is. Keeping pets is not neccessary at all.