Pet Articles
Animal Ethics
Author: Jon Dunkerley
Animal Ethics By Jon Dunkerley
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Introduction
A long time ago, before evolution turned the primate into the
businessman carrying a brief case, the topic of ethical
considerations concerning animals was as talked about as an
episode of Barney at a dog trainer’s convention. Why is this? I
believe that this is because nobody bothered to decide to give
the issue any thought. And how could they? Back in the day of
the cave man, people spent their days’ hunting, and looking
after family. Whatever animals they owned were used for hunting
purposes, or food. Today we as society still use animals for
hunting and food purposes, however I am sure that we have a more
animalistic view now than the cave man did back years ago. Over
the years, as we have evolved into what we are today, ethical
and principle considerations have evolved right along with us.
What I can not understand, is why it took so long for people to
start considering the feelings of animals! In today’s society,
many animals are abused, neglected and tortured in various
hideous ways. Back in the day of the cave man, I am sure that
similar behavior took place. Is it a case of evolution
installing a sense of compassion towards our animals, or is it
something deeper? I do not know the answer to this, but I do
know that values and ethics are passed down from generation to
generation, and it is up to us today to instill our values on
the next generation so that we can continue to provide the
optimum environment for our animals to live in and enjoy. In the
following paper, I will analyze key ethical principles that I
have, and relate them to some of society’s most talked about
animal related issues. In doing this I will discuss issues from
both sides of the fence however, emphasis will be placed on my
own beliefs as this is afterall a reflection paper. Some issues
being discussed in this paper include: Views on service dogs,
animal rights, and animal-master bond just to name a few.
Service Dogs
“Dogs that have been specially trained to assist a disabled
person with certain daily tasks.” (The American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language) This definition given by the
above source is the best way that I could ever describe a
service dog. Having the ability to further one’s independence is
an amazing feeling that is not felt until one is in the position
to do so; yet in a lot of cases, people have a negative outlook
on the use of dogs or other animals as providers and assistive
partners for those who need them. I myself, am a huge service
dog advocate. Being able to witness first hand what a dog can do
for a disabled person has made me wonder why there are people
out there who disagree with the service dog concept; however,
There are people out there who simply view the dog as “man’s
best friend.” These people have the belief that a dog is a pet,
and should be pampered, and not forced to be given the
responsibilities that service dogs are given. I can totally
understand why these people would be against service dogs based
on their own values, however what I do disagree with is the way
that these people go about degrading the work put in by
thousands of dedicated individuals to ensure that a successful
dog/handler team is formed. Rallies against the use of dogs for
service needs are held now and again, and you can not get away
from people staring or yelling “slave labor” as you pass them.
What these people do not understand, is that service dogs live
more productive, healthy and fulfilling lives than most family
pets. Because of the work that these dogs willing and happily
perform, they are subjected to very high quality care, (e.g.)
top of the line dog food, ample exercise and against popular
belief, a lot of normal doggie activity. The aim in a dog’s life
is to please, and I wish those people against the use of service
dogs could be there every morning when I ask Luther if he is
ready to go to work!
Animal Master Bond
The saying "dog is a man's best friend” is one that I hold a lot
of respect for. First of all unconditional love from a dog to a
master is incomparable to that of another human being. Second,
dog's do not blab secrets that you tell them! All kidding aside,
the dog has and will be one of man's best comrades, because they
have what we all want and need, this being an ability to put up
with us, understand us better than we think they do, and the
ability to make us feel better when we are sad. On a personal
level, I love spending time with my dog, and would rather his
company to the company of most people. No he can not talk to me
or give me advice on problems that I tell him about, however he
is always there for me with a lick and a tail wag, letting me
know in his own way that he loves me and wants to be with me. I
do believe that I may have an unhealthy relationship with my
dog. When spending the majority of your day in close proximity
with an animal I have found it impossible not to grow used to
the constence of him being there. On an ethical level, people
may view this as unethical due to the fact that it may look to
them that I need my dog to function as a human being. This is
not the case. I need my dog to assist me in day to day activity
that could be performed minus the dog, however is greatly
enhanced with the assistants that he provides me. Of course you
will get the “oh he’s so smart,” or “Oh he is so well behaved in
public,” kind of people, however others again may view the fact
that the dog is so in tune with what I am doing as a negative. I
have talked with people in the past about my dog's willingness
to be with me and why he travels everywhere with me instead of
lying in the corner 24 hours a day or chasing cars like normal
dogs. The animal bond works two ways: them being, the dog
bonding to the master and the master bonding to the dog. I never
knew the feeling of a human dog commensal relationship until I
got to know my own dog, and it is a feeling that I will not
trade for the world, and I would say that Luther feels the same
as I do. We both respect each other, we both know what is
expected of each other, we both know what buttons to press and
not to press, and we definitely know how to have fun either with
each other or apart. However going back to the unhealthy bonding
issue, this is where I believe I may have gone wrong with my
dog. By spending so much time together, we have become used to
each other's company, and when we are apart, I miss him terribly
and I know he feels the same way I do. Dogs wear their emotions
on their paws, and I can tell when he is stressed or upset as
I'm sure he can tell if I am feeling different than normal. This
said, I would not trade or relationship for the world. Luther
makes my life easier, and in return, I provide him with love, a
stable home, and everything else that a big slab of lab needs to
enjoy his life to the fullest.
Animal Rights
Being an animal lover, it is hard to understand the difficulty
over the years to ensure animal rights are afforded to our
animals. We as humans have the power to control a lot of
external powers that may confront us, however our animals don’t,
and for the longest time we have ignored this fact and focused
on fending for ourselves. This puzzles me because I am sure that
over the years, we have noticed that human rights issues have
become more and more prominent. People fighting for their rights
is a great thing, however why is it so hard to believe that
animals shouldn't have rights also? Just because the common dog
can not stand up and say, "I have the right to pee on any patch
of grass that I want," does not mean that that right should not
be given to him/her does it? I am not a huge animal rights
advocate, however I do believe that they do need to be prominent
in society so that people know that they can be held responsible
if a right to an animal is withheld, the same way that some one
can be held responsible if a right to a human is denied.
Do We As Humans Have The Right To Make Decisions For Animals?
The answer to this question I believe has changed over the
years. Years ago before the cat and dog were domesticated, I
share the belief that these animals had the ability to fend for
themselves without any human interaction. Now that we have taken
steps to domesticate the common dog and cat as well as numerous
other types of mammals, reptiles and birds, I believe that we do
play and need to play a role in the decision making process that
these creatures go through. When we domesticate an animal we
suppress its natural instincts that it is born with. This sounds
harsh, but it is so true. Take for example the undomesticated
dog. The undomesticated dog kills for its food as today’s
domesticated dog is fed from a bag or a can. I would like
nothing better than to delve into the mind of a dog to find out
which he prefers, however that component of science is
unfortunately yet to be developed. Being able to modify such an
important aspect to the dogs life pattern scares me because it
shows me how much mankind can dominate basically anything living
that it chooses; this said, I do believe that humans do need to
play a big role in the lives of today’s pets. Suppressing an
animals instincts is quite different from eliminating them.
Stray dogs will still form packs and can be cause for concern if
not delbt with. Your cute little guy could be all hunkie dorie
in the daytime, and turn into Wolf Dracula at nighttime while
you are sleeping, returning to curl up by your fireplace the
following morning. The pray drive of the common dog is what can
get him/her into trouble and this is why I believe that human,
master bond is so important. Speaking from experience, having a
good relationship with your dog or cat helps to eliminate bad
decisions that your pet can make. Sometimes, your furry pet is
triggered by primitive instinct, the same instinct that mankind
has tried so hard to suppress due to its unwantedness in human
society. This is an excellent example of why I believe that we
need to play a part in the decision making of our pets. I think
ethical beliefs need to be modified when discussing domesticated
or non-domesticated animals. Thanks to the effort of mankind, we
need to assist our domesticated friends because they do not have
the capability to fully function by themselves. I do not mean to
sound derogatory by this last statement. I am 100% thankful for
the work that our predecessors have put in to allow us to enjoy
the company of a non-human companion. My belief is that most
domesticated animals live better lives than they would’ve led in
the wild so how can domesticating an animal b unethical? I’m
guessing the response to this question would very depending on
the person answering it, and that is ok. People’s opinions will
be different based on their ethical beliefs and I would never
try to push my beliefs on to some one else, however I think I
speak for the majority of the population when I say that without
domesticated animals in our lives, life would just not be the
same. Conclusion I wish I could say that both nondomesticated
and now domesticated animals have thrived on evolution as we as
humans have, however I do understand that a significant
component of animal evolution is due to man’s interference.
Whether we like it or not, mankind was and is responsible for a
large aspect of the animal kingdom as we see it today. Clearing
land, expansion and willingness to befriend, has greatly altered
natural evolution and has imposed the will of mankind on to our
co-habitating non-human species. In today's world I am grateful
to have the option of walking up to a dog or a cat and petting
him/her, an option that I would not have before domestication
became prominent. In today’s society, animals play a huge role
in the lives of millions of people worldwide. Whether it be by
fulfillment, labor related or just company, it is very evident
that life would not be what it is today without the domesticated
animal along side us. These animals provide us with friendship,
love, protection, a good laugh, and stress relief and it is
because of all these positive factors that make me selfish as
well as very thankful that evolutionization has occurred to the
level that it has.
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