Friday, October 10, 2014

Companion animals and the fate of others

1165: 

Our attitude to animals in general is a paradox.  It’s curious how we humans can be close to our cats and dogs, even sometimes closer than with our human companions.  We might do everything for our cats and dogs, to make their lives happy, despite the fact they only offer us companionship (‘only’!) and produce no useful products for our use.  We call them pets or companion animals and place great value on them.

Mind you, when they’re no longer able to fulfil their role as ‘companions’ they too may be shot, well, ‘shot’ full of lethal chemicals to ‘put them to sleep’, anyway.  But when they’re alive, living with us as working companions, we often try to give them the very best.  We give them love, food, shelter and expensive medical care.
         

But not so other animals, who are valued not as companions but as property and often as edible property, at that.  These animals enjoy no quality of life whatsoever; jailed for their whole life and, in fact, a life of perpetual torture.

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