Pets Morally Wrong?

Cactus Col

Just wondering if people agreed with me that having pets is morally wrong.

As far as I can see it's a form of animal slavery. Sure, most people love their pets, but, everything the pet does is left to the whim of the owner.

aidan_walsh

Do you have an alternative? Shall we let them all run free?

Anaiyela

No i wouldn't agree with you at all. I would say that people shouldn't be allowed have pets if they can't look after them. A well looked after pet is happy, they are fed when they're hungry, have somewhere nice and dry and warm to sleep, whats the alternative? for them to live in the wild??

Wertz

Cactus Col wrote:

... but, everything the pet does is left to the whim of the owner.

You've obviously never owned a cat. My cat has the run of the place, and determines when it is he goes out, when he sleeps and when he eats. More a form of human slavery if you ask me...

Miles

I think the PETA people now suggest that you think of yourself as a guardian rather than as an owner.


Mind you my cat has the run af the place and could care less.

Flukey

I would not agree it is a form of slavery. Most large pets are companions. Are friendships and relationships a form of slavery? Some are mistreated of course, but most are looked after properly. Even a lot of those that are working animals, like guide dogs, are companions too and are not being mistreated or slaves through their employment. Those that are not really companions as such are having their lives prolonged by having someone to look after them. The pets have a lot to gain out of being pets too.

cajun_tiger

well my dog does what he wants really... the only thing he has no say on is his food order.... he has though taken what ever he wanted... goes in and out when ever he wants, the works...

Cactus Col

doodle_sketch wrote:

Do you have an alternative? Shall we let them all run free?

Unfortunately it seems be too late for that, I'm no scientist, but it seems that dogs and cats have lost the ability to live in a non domestic environment. Which is sad in itself.

But because we have tamed them, these animals have to be spayed to help prevent over population, and euthanised when people don't want them.

FranknFurter

Anaiyela wrote:

No i wouldn't agree with you at all. I would say that people shouldn't be allowed have pets if they can't look after them. A well looked after pet is happy, they are fed when they're hungry, have somewhere nice and dry and warm to sleep, whats the alternative? for them to live in the wild??

I would agree with that 100%

However, I would add, there are some animals that I believe shouldnt be kept as pets.

There are animals, whose species have been destroyed by the pet trade.
There are also animals who just will never adjust to captivity and whose lifespans will be significantly *shortened* by being pets.

An example, I once had to take in a very very large Python, this animal was so large that he could not have been housed anywhere but a zoo or highly equipped facility. He was also extremely viscious, which made him a very very dangerous animal.

As a pet, he would never have had a good life, he would never have been tamable, and could easilly have killed a child.
Animals such as him, should not be kept, other than by licence for specific stated reason.

Now, Im not talking about 60% of snakes and reptiles. Just specific species. I have had several snakes and lizards that were, believe it or not, very loving pets.

But, I do believe that the sale of, and breeding of, all animals should be better controlled.
I base this on many years of experience taking in domestic and exotic animals that were sold to unsuspecting famillies without any idea of the animals needs.

When I see somone under the age of 16, with a snake, I cringe. Im not saying all 16 year olds are bad pet owners, only that at that age, a newly forming social life often overtakes the needs of their pet.

TBH, its an issue im always torn by. I do think having pets is a valuable experience, and if kept correctly they can have a longer happier life than they would have had.

I do however feel strongly that animals for the pet trade should have been bred in captivity.
I find the idea of taking an animal from the wild, and keeping it in captivity, to be a disgusting abhorrent practice. :mad:

spyro_2001ie

Pets have it easy. Food, Comfortable enviroment , piss & **** at there lesiure. Then played with and loved the whole shee-bang, and what do they have to do to deserve this. Nout, Just look cute and fumble around the place. If thats all i had to do to live the life, i wanna be reincarnated as a dog.

Having said that not all pets are suitible for domestication, Don't like the idea caged animals, if your not willing to let them have reasonable free roam in the house then they should'nt be in your house. On that note i had a hamster that just lived in the house. Lasted a year and 2 months too without running away. She had her little spots that she'd always end up in around the gaf. Although chewed up a good few bits in the carpet for bedding.

monkeyfudge

I have 3 dozen chiwawas locked in my basement making counterfeit jeans.

Invader Zim

I kept dwarf rabbits (2) in my backgarden for six years.

They were let out into the garden in the morning and chased around until they went back in at night (no they weren't frigntened, they just wanted the run ,bastids ).

I'd say they had a fairly cushy life, there was only the two of them but there was lots of other wildlife passing through.

Basically, so long as the animal is happy (ie preform most of the functions it does in the wild) then I don't see the problem.

Invader

Maximilian

My Schnauzer bit the postman but he is an assh0le. The Postman that is, not the Schnauzer. Can you say that Rollover was morally wrong to bite the assh0le? I should point out he bit the assh0le in the thigh and not the assh0le, although its a little close to the assh0le I'll grant you. Another time, he returned a tennis ball, when he could easily have kept it for himself. He doesn't actually play tennis though. I call him Rollover, as I'm training him to be confused. " Sit, Rollover, Sit, stay Rollover".

Flukey

Many years ago there was a pet shop in Stillorgan that had a chimp in a sort of cage. It was just big enough for him to fit in, which of course means it was completely unsuitable. Now that was cruel. As kids we often went in to have a look. It was a bit of novelty for us, but terrible for the chimp. I don't know what happened at night but it was an awful thing to do.

Sarky

My dog will nick your chair if get up from the table at dinnertime. Slaves don't do that, or at least get punished for it...

No, pets are generally kept as equals, not slaves.

PeadarofAodh

One of the most ridiculous arguments I've heard in a while to do with pets tbh :rolleyes:

Calibos

As ridiculous as this arguement is I have a serious question regarding my two little slaves....eh erm...I mean West Highland Terriers type bundles of love.

Found a laser pointer at the bottom of a drawer the other day and discovered that the two dogs went tearing around the house, chasing the red dot. It was absolutely hilarious to watch and within a few seconds both myself and the rest of my family were bent double in hysterical laughter. The dogs seemed to enjoy it too and were panting after their exhertions with tails wagging furiously. When my father came home we demonstrated the hilarity to him but he was unimpressed and thought it cruel to make fun of the dogs in such a way.

The way I look at it, we enjoyed the spectacle, the dogs seemed to enjoy the hunt (weren't Westies originally bred to chase and catch vermin) ie. they got to excercise an inate instinct to chase small fast moving things, they got a bit of vigorous excercise without us having to venture out in the wind and rain. So everyone was happy...except my old man!

So who was right, us or him??

CuLT

I hate pets. </constructive comment>

Bleh, sure, the animals are there simply to please the owner; slaves if you like.

athena 2000

monkeyfudge wrote:

I have 3 dozen chiwawas locked in my basement making counterfeit jeans.

LOL!

Until my fish can provide housekeeping services of any kind he's a pampered diversion with an aggressive personality.
He's a lucky piece of sushi.

Miles

Calibos wrote:

As ridiculous as this arguement is I have a serious question regarding my two little slaves....eh erm...I mean West Highland Terriers type bundles of love.

Found a laser pointer at the bottom of a drawer the other day and discovered that the two dogs went tearing around the house, chasing the red dot. It was absolutely hilarious to watch and within a few seconds both myself and the rest of my family were bent double in hysterical laughter. The dogs seemed to enjoy it too and were panting after their exhertions with tails wagging furiously. When my father came home we demonstrated the hilarity to him but he was unimpressed and thought it cruel to make fun of the dogs in such a way.

The way I look at it, we enjoyed the spectacle, the dogs seemed to enjoy the hunt (weren't Westies originally bred to chase and catch vermin) ie. they got to excercise an inate instinct to chase small fast moving things, they got a bit of vigorous excercise without us having to venture out in the wind and rain. So everyone was happy...except my old man!

So who was right, us or him??

If their like the Westies we used to have then the exercise would probably do them a bit of good.

I think most of us can tell when our pet's enjoying something or being ridiculed.

elivsvonchiaing

I own 2,400 gerbils. Wait - make that 2,399. They only have to work 8 hour shifts on the treadmills - and they keep the electricity bill down to zero. I love all of them - what's wrong with that

neuro-praxis

I think that before we decide to take ownership of an animal, we should ask it if it wants to lose its freedom. If and only if it answers in the affirmative may we then put it in a small box and feed it gloop from a can.

bizmark

Im convinced the world is going mad this thread just about proves it

monkeyfudge

What about dogs that actually have to work?

Like seeing-eye dogs... sniffer dogs.... secuirity dogs...

Nala

monkeyfudge wrote:

What about dogs that actually have to work?

Like seeing-eye dogs... sniffer dogs.... secuirity dogs...

The dogs used for guide dogs and sniffer dogs are rigourously checked and evaluated before being chosen for the job. Only the ones who love the work, and are good at it, are picked. I don't know about the guide dogs, but it's all just one big game for the sniffer dogs.

As for pets being morally wrong-as long as they are happy and looked after properly, I don't see a problem. My cat spends the majority of her time asleep in my room and only goes out to go to the toilet. She hates bad weather! She was originally a stray, we found her as a kitten, the minute we brought her into the house she curled up on my bed and fell asleep. She got lost a week or so later, we got her back and she has never wandered off since.
She lives her life on her own terms. She is allowed to come and go as she pleases, and do pretty much whatever she wants, except the pi$$-$**** stuff.
Oh, and she's not allowed near my birds!

Kingsize

i used to keep goldfish & currently have newts & axolotls,it seems to be the norm to try & replicate the natural habitat & conditions of these little critters to avoid stressing them out, similarly with reptiles & other fish, so my question is who decided that hamsters like to run around wheels or that budgies like to look at themselves in a rounded mirror attached to a bell?
although all my animals were store bought i still think the pet trade sucks & needs to be regulated more

damnyanks

Having children is a form of slavery. Everything the child does is at the whim of the parent

landser

the only decent argument against keeping a pet on moral grounds is that is it immoral to spend money to feed and medicate a non-working animal when there are people starving to death.

this does not refer to working animals or even animals that keep elderly people company etc. It refers more to your average household pet. it costs something in the region of €10,000 to keep a large dog over it's lifetime. the charities rarely say that the money should be given to them as people get very het up re their pets and it might be bad pr for them.

we used to keep german shepherds, and i wouldn't have a problem keeping one again personally. i don't have one now as there's no one at home all day. if i was on the scratcher or worked from home i would buy one though and feel fine with it

i had a moggie, Alan, but he went awol two weeks ago (sob).

Nala

Kingsize wrote:

my question is who decided that hamsters like to run around wheels or that budgies like to look at themselves in a rounded mirror attached to a bell?

The hamster wheel is so that the hamster can get as much exercise as he wants in a confined space. Wild hamsters can travel miles in a night, but few households can give their hamster that much room! Hence the wheel.
Same principle as our treadmills.

The mirror for the budgie is so that the budgie thinks he has a companion, and doesn't get lonely. The bell amuses them, my budgie never stops playing with his.

Chalk

theyre animals ffs.
get over it.

theyre lucky their populations arent being culled.

Canis Lupus

I have a cat and a dog and living in the country they aren't curtailed like animals would be in the city. The cat really does what he wants ungrateful bugger and try to cross him and he will claw out yur eyes although he is cute in his own way particularly the way he leaves birds and rabbits lying about the place.

The dog on the other hand is just stupid but I love him to bits specially when he goes missing for the day and comes back covered in wool and blood (i jest)

Nasty_Girl

The only thing i agree with from the original poster's views is the whole thing of us putting them down and spaying them, I would've loved my Abby cat to have had kittens but she went into heat at four months old and my parents didn't want another kitten having kittens on the dining room floor and trying to eat them situation like they had with our last cat.
That said I can't offer a replacement for these. i couldn't exactly sit my cats down and tell them that they should only mate with someone they really love.....