Pets

The domestic pet industry in the developed world is huge. The urban lifestyles which are degrading the planet have given rise to a complex system of pet purchasing, pet abandonment and pet shelters. The pet food industry adds to the drain on the environment by requiring more and more meat, fish and cereals. 

I see this from the viewpoint of a former pet keeper and a person who lives on a mostly vegetarian diet. I have housed and fed dogs and cats over the years. I like some dogs and cats. I confess to not understanding the affection human beings shower on reptiles and fish. Yes, they are fascinating, but not cuddly with the possible exception of constrictor snakes.

If we lived in a healthier natural environment, we would be coexisting with many more species of animals. More education about the instincts and needs of other species would alter the popular conceptions about pet ownership. "Ownership" in itself is a very revealing term. It implies that domestic animals are simply property, as opposed to creatures with some intelligence and instinctive motivations of their own. 

Most domestic pets are emotional slaves to humans. The emotions are human, of course. They are projected upon the cat or dog with fervor. "He love me," a proud dog keeper might say. Whether or not the dog experiences "love" is a big question without a scientifically definitive answer. A social animal, like a dog, isolated from its species and totally dependent on a human "master" is more like an emotional slave than a loving partner. This may explain the common occurrence of runaway pets. 

I am currently living with two cats, adopted as old adults from a shelter by my partner. They are admittedly attractive and provide a fair amount of unintentional entertainment, as they live out their own instinctive lives in the house. They have made bonds with us, related to the provision of regular meals and comfortable shelter. I do not believe they "love" me or ever will. I believe they recognize that they are dependent upon me and respond accordingly to satisfy their needs. In turn, I feel responsible to tend to their needs, since they are in my environment and are dependent on me. 

Sentimentalizing relationships with other species satisfies the emotional needs of some human beings.  Some human beings sacrifice their potential for fulfilling relationships with other human beings in favor of their relationship with a pet. Pets require time and attention that can take away from human contact for some. In an age in the U.S. of increasing social isolation, it is not surprising that keeping a dog by single individuals is escalating. It is also not surprising that the pit bull breed has found sudden popularity in a violent, drug-polluted society. 

There are many fascinating species in Nature, including our own. Broadening an appreciation of how many different forms of animal life exist independent of human life helps me to understand and accept my place in the Universe. It dispels illusions that I, as a human being, am at the center of the universe of life. I fear that pet "ownership" for many simply reinforces that illusion.