Do you remember your first dog or cat? Perhaps even your first boa constrictor? Whatever your preference, pets can play a huge role in our lives, even becoming full-fledged family members. But is domestication really in an animal’s best interest? Does pet ownership create a loving bond between human and animal, or does it only serve our own interests?
Rutgers University School of Law
I want to make sure that the question is clear, at least in so far as my analysis of it is concerned.
I certainly believe that we have a moral obligation to care for the dogs, cats, and other nonhumans whose existence we have caused or facilitated as part of the institution of “pet” ownership. But I maintain that we ought to abolish the institution and stop causing or facilitating the existence of more “companion” animals.
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