[eddiehaskell]

Simple question: is it cruel to confine pets to our homes?

Is a dog really fulfilling his God given natural role on earth by being cooped up in a human’s home?

What if aliens were to come down and given our look and level of intelligence - they decided to keep us as pets. Perhaps something akin to living in the Truman show where our basic needs are met and being human is done purely for their entertainment.

I know people that work in the veterinary field and they say crap loads of dogs and cats have to be put down. There’s load of bad owners. Loads of abuse. Dogs trained to fight. People that don’t want to pay for the simplest of treatments, etc.

If people didn’t desire pets so much the market for them would retract and their would be a net reduction in the amount of animal suffering.

And what about the people that really “love” pets and have 20 of them? Is that really any kind of life? Can the animals even begin to reciprocate love in the way humans understand it?

Are we simply using them/projecting feelings to fill a void in our life?

[Screenwriter70]

I believe it is cruel. Animals were not meant to be our 'fur babies' or even pets. I find the cult of dog worship in western nations very troubling. People seem to care more for animals and their welfare than that of children, the elderly, or mentally ill and handicapped. Most don't care about their fellow humans at all. I've seen such cruel posts on social media against the homeless, LGBTQ community, and those of non European ancestry. It's quite sad and I'll admit to have fallen prey to misanthropic feelings & posts myself. I'm trying to tone it down.

My great aunt couldn't have children, so she kept dogs & cats instead. Most of my family are not animal lovers - there are a few who keep dogs, but not many. I grew up in the Black community, and being lovers of animals wasn't & still isn't a thing with us. Many of the men didn't care for pets at all, in fact.

My fiance, who is White, grew up with dogs in the house and allowing dogs on the furniture, in the bedroom, that sort of thing. I've seen his mom take plates with leftover food and put them on the floor so that their dogs could eat off of them! My grandparents would never have let us do that.

I have cats but soon as I get to CA, they are going to go outside into a cat house & my fiance's pitbulls will be outside too, whether he likes it or not. My fiance has promised to build the cats their own home. After these pets are gone, I will never keep another animal in my house. Humans should desire other humans as their companions.

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by eddiehaskell

Simple question: is it cruel to confine pets to our homes?

Is a dog really fulfilling his God given natural role on earth by being cooped up in a human’s home?

What if aliens were to come down and given our look and level of intelligence - they decided to keep us as pets. Perhaps something akin to living in the Truman show where our basic needs are met and being human is done purely for their entertainment.

I know people that work in the veterinary field and they say crap loads of dogs and cats have to be put down. There’s load of bad owners. Loads of abuse. Dogs trained to fight. People that don’t want to pay for the simplest of treatments, etc.

If people didn’t desire pets so much the market for them would retract and their would be a net reduction in the amount of animal suffering.

And what about the people that really “love” pets and have 20 of them? Is that really any kind of life? Can the animals even begin to reciprocate love in the way humans understand it?

Are we simply using them/projecting feelings to fill a void in our life?

Hardly a simple question at all. And, your examples are not exactly reasonable either. You are citing extreme cases, not the norm.

BTW, a modern-day, domestic dog isn't "fulfilling its God-given natural role on earth"...it is fulfilling the role that generations of human-influenced selective breeding has created for it. If part of that role is cohabiting a human household so be it. You are writing as if every single dog owner treats theirs the same way which is hardly true. There are many responsible dog owners who treat their pets with informed respect...,treating them as the creature they are...a canine, feline, or whatever. Informed respect which includes daily exercise and stimulation, great health care, good nutrition, love and care appropriate for the species. OTOH there are many horror stories too. Not every pet owner is a hoarder, an ignorant abusive neglectful person, or someone who has warped a dog or cat into a surrogate human baby, a fashion accessory, or dress up doll.

I usually have several pets of different sorts. Not because I am desperately trying to replace anything, but because I value the daily interaction with them. If they provide anything for me it is beauty and a sense of devotion to something other than myself. Not a bad thing to be less selfish going through life. I don't treat my python in the same manner I do my dog. That would be absurd. The dog values time spent with me...the python doesn't and I don't force him to (he was rescued from an abusive owner and adopted through a humane society by me. I can't fly him back to Africa and release him so he gets humane care by me instead). I've adopted quite a few creatures from poor backgrounds over the years. I give them the best care I can; do a lot of research on their natural behaviors, signs of frustration or stress, their native habitat, nutrition, seek out the best vet care, search out the most appropriate diets, give them generous living spaces, and let THEM dictate how much or little interaction they want from me. If they don't want to be bothered, I don't. If they do want interaction they get it.

[Dogboa]

Originally Posted by eddiehaskell

Simple question: is it cruel to confine pets to our homes?

Is a dog really fulfilling his God given natural role on earth by being cooped up in a human’s home?

What if aliens were to come down and given our look and level of intelligence - they decided to keep us as pets. Perhaps something akin to living in the Truman show where our basic needs are met and being human is done purely for their entertainment.

I know people that work in the veterinary field and they say crap loads of dogs and cats have to be put down. There’s load of bad owners. Loads of abuse. Dogs trained to fight. People that don’t want to pay for the simplest of treatments, etc.

If people didn’t desire pets so much the market for them would retract and their would be a net reduction in the amount of animal suffering.

And what about the people that really “love” pets and have 20 of them? Is that really any kind of life? Can the animals even begin to reciprocate love in the way humans understand it?

Are we simply using them/projecting feelings to fill a void in our life?

You sound like the perfect spokesperson for the ASPCA.

Originally Posted by Screenwriter70

I believe it is cruel. Animals were not meant to be our 'fur babies' or even pets. I find the cult of dog worship in western nations very troubling. People seem to care more for animals and their welfare than that of children, the elderly, or mentally ill and handicapped. Most don't care about their fellow humans at all. I've seen such cruel posts on social media against the homeless, LGBTQ community, and those of non European ancestry. It's quite sad and I'll admit to have fallen prey to misanthropic feelings & posts myself. I'm trying to tone it down.

My great aunt couldn't have children, so she kept dogs & cats instead. Most of my family are not animal lovers - there are a few who keep dogs, but not many. I grew up in the Black community, and being lovers of animals wasn't & still isn't a thing with us. Many of the men didn't care for pets at all, in fact.

My fiance, who is White, grew up with dogs in the house and allowing dogs on the furniture, in the bedroom, that sort of thing. I've seen his mom take plates with leftover food and put them on the floor so that their dogs could eat off of them! My grandparents would never have let us do that.

I have cats but soon as I get to CA, they are going to go outside into a cat house & my fiance's pitbulls will be outside too, whether he likes it or not. My fiance has promised to build the cats their own home. After these pets are gone, I will never keep another animal in my house. Humans should desire other humans as their companions.

When I see a dead animal on the side of the road that bothers me. They don't know any better. When I here of a human that dies from drug use, over dose or not, suicide or any other self inflicted cause of death, that is a true statement. Humans know better!

[eddiehaskell]

Originally Posted by Parnassia

Hardly a simple question at all. And, your examples are not exactly reasonable either. You are citing extreme cases, not the norm.

BTW, a modern-day, domestic dog isn't "fulfilling its God-given natural role on earth"...it is fulfilling the role that generations of human-influenced selective breeding has created for it. If part of that role is cohabiting a human household so be it. You are writing as if every single dog owner treats theirs the same way which is hardly true. There are many responsible dog owners who treat their pets with informed respect...,treating them as the creature they are...a canine, feline, or whatever. Informed respect which includes daily exercise and stimulation, great health care, good nutrition, love and care appropriate for the species. OTOH there are many horror stories too. Not every pet owner is a hoarder, an ignorant abusive neglectful person, or someone who has warped a dog or cat into a surrogate human baby, a fashion accessory, or dress up doll.

I usually have several pets of different sorts. Not because I am desperately trying to replace anything, but because I value the daily interaction with them. If they provide anything for me it is beauty and a sense of devotion to something other than myself. Not a bad thing to be less selfish going through life. I don't treat my python in the same manner I do my dog. That would be absurd. The dog values time spent with me...the python doesn't and I don't force him to (he was rescued from an abusive owner and adopted through a humane society by me. I can't fly him back to Africa and release him so he gets humane care by me instead). I've adopted quite a few creatures from poor backgrounds over the years. I give them the best care I can; do a lot of research on their natural behaviors, signs of frustration or stress, their native habitat, nutrition, seek out the best vet care, search out the most appropriate diets, give them generous living spaces, and let THEM dictate how much or little interaction they want from me. If they don't want to be bothered, I don't. If they do want interaction they get it.

How they are treated - hmm, does that mean they have rights? But then a person can easily decide to end their pets life - directly or indirectly. Does that make them property? If property than it is irrelevant how one decides to treat them. The person that decides to do dog fighting is no worse than the person who has someone else do harm for them during the process that brings a hamburger to their table. Is it even possible to have rights without freedom - do pets have freedom?

[James Bond 007]

I was in the pet store the other day and began thinking of something similar.

I would never want a pet you had to keep in a cage, because keeping an animal in a cage seems cruel (unless you can devise some really big cage with lots of "habitat" the animal would want).

Dogs and cats are probably OK because at least a house is a pretty big thing with enough room for the animal to wander around and do various things. Plus most people let their cats and dogs outside at least once in a while.

[Dogboa]

Originally Posted by James Bond 007

I was in the pet store the other day and began thinking of something similar.

I would never want a pet you had to keep in a cage, because keeping an animal in a cage seems cruel (unless you can devise some really big cage with lots of "habitat" the animal would want).

Dogs and cats are probably OK because at least a house is a pretty big thing with enough room for the animal to wander around and do various things. Plus most people let their cats and dogs outside at least once in a while.

Although I don't consider them pets, I've kept snakes most of my life. I keep them in caging where their environmental requirements can be maintained, temperature, humidity, substrate or climbing/resting (arboreals requiring the latter) and air circulation. I certainly would not allow them to roam free. I also have kept venomous in the past, both domestic and exotic, by law they must be kept in secure caging. All were fed on defrosted rodents to avoid injuries from live prey, even the venomous. There are idiots that get a thrill watching snakes subdue live prey, with no regard to possible injuries that could be inflicted. Then there are other idiots who like to show off by carrying the reptiles draped over their shoulders or clinging to them with no consideration for the reptiles environmental requirements. An example, bearded dragons are a desert or hot dry climate species. Carrying them outside in a heavy humidity environment, during the day isn't a very good idea. I have friends that keep large cats and again their housing must be appropriate for their size and environmental requirements.

[Teacher Terry]

Dogs can’t take care of themselves and look at what short horrible lives feral cats have. It’s cruel to make pets live outside. Dogs are pack animals. I wouldn’t marry someone that insisted my dogs live outside. If you don’t want pets don’t have any.

[ClaraC]

Yes, keeping pets is really weird. (I do it, but recognize it's very unnatural).

Can you imagine being kept as a pet? Or seeing animals keep other species as "pets"? Sometimes, you will find animals who have companions that are a different species, but one doesn't keep the other in a cage.

[Dd714]

Originally Posted by eddiehaskell

Simple question: is it cruel to confine pets to our homes?

Is a dog really fulfilling his God given natural role on earth by being cooped up in a human’s home?

What if aliens were to come down and given our look and level of intelligence - they decided to keep us as pets. Perhaps something akin to living in the Truman show where our basic needs are met and being human is done purely for their entertainment.

I know people that work in the veterinary field and they say crap loads of dogs and cats have to be put down. There’s load of bad owners. Loads of abuse. Dogs trained to fight. People that don’t want to pay for the simplest of treatments, etc.

If people didn’t desire pets so much the market for them would retract and their would be a net reduction in the amount of animal suffering.

And what about the people that really “love” pets and have 20 of them? Is that really any kind of life? Can the animals even begin to reciprocate love in the way humans understand it?

Are we simply using them/projecting feelings to fill a void in our life?

You don't get the evolution aspect. You have to make the distinction between domestic and wild animals, and the role of dogs is unique even in terms of domesticated animal. Over a period of thousands of years, as much as 30,000 years, dogs adapted and evolved to bond with man. Even in cave man times a dog lived and hunted side by side with humans. After millions of generations, there is no other animal on earth that is so attuned and able to bond with man.

So I would say it's just the opposite, it would be cruel to release dogs into the wild. They have long ago lost the ability and features that adapted them to a wild existence and they feel more comfortable living side by side with humans. If one believe's in God, then indeed it is the dogs natural role. Otherwise, or in addition, we can still attribute it to natural evolution that dogs natural role is to live, work, and be a companion with human.