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?
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The line
Duty bound?
Where exactly does this duty come from? I don't think it is my duty to either take care or ignore any animal, except of course the ones I have taken as pets , and therefore accepted that responsibility.
And I would be reluctant to say that I am duty bound to ignore feral cats and dogs, considering that many of them end up scrounging in garbage and at the dump for subsistence. Is it really better to let them live this sort of life on the edge than to feed them and make them more comfortable?
If so, why am I also duty bound to feed the homeless people? Animal rights activists often state that animals have the same rights as humans, so either we feed them both or ignore them both. I will err on the side of compassion, and feed them both. I really don't see how you can fault someone for that.
- LagerHead
June 23, 2009 1:41PM
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