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Ethical dilemma about animal rights
The issue of ethical treatment of animals
The issue of ethical treatment of animals
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There can be no doubt that shelters in the United States are overcrowded, feral cats roam our city streets, thousands of dogs live in grotesque conditions in puppy mills across the country, and yet most American citizens when polled will readily declare that their cat or dog is like ‘a member of the family’. The state of companion animals in this country is precarious at best; caught between scientists who subscribe to Descartes’s idea of ‘anima ex machina’ (unfeeling, a living example of biological processes without the status of ‘being’) and the more common phenomenon of people who pamper their pets in ways that most people would envy. For most individuals living in an urban society such as ours, the most common interaction with animals happens within the home – if the animals that we relate to and interact with the most continue to be abandoned and mistreated on a large scale, there must be some solution that involves more than just building more animal shelters or performing euthanasia more liberally. The evidence that pets are not considered very important in the United States is easy to find – as Bernard E. Rollin and Michael D.H. Rollin state: “we acquire these animals while knowing nothing of their needs and natures, then get rid of them because they cannot help those needs and natures…we adopt them on a whim, and get rid of them when it passes…” (Rollin & Rollin “Ethics and Companion Animals” 546). Overpopulation of companion animals like dogs and cats presents perhaps the most clearly visible dilemma – “although no completely reliable statistics exist, it is estimated that between 6 and 10 million dogs and between 7 and 10 million cats were humanely killed in pet shelters in the United States in 1990” (Palmer “Killing ... ... middle of paper ... ...ernard and Michael Rollin, I believe “that we have a contractual relationship with all domestic animals, but most clearly those who are totally dependent on us, and for whom we have left no room to subsist, let alone thrive on their own” (Rollin & Rollin “Ethics and Companion Animals” 547). Our unique relationship with companion animals should afford them considerable importance in our lives, and as Clare Palmer says “solving the problem of homeless animals is a step toward expanding our caring to all living beings” (Palmer, 579). Works Cited (FROM ANIMAL ETHICS READER) Leigh, Diane and Geyer, Marilee. “The Miracle of Life”. Mathews, Freya. “Living with Animals”. Palmer, Clare. “Killing Animals in Animal Shelters”. Rollin, Bernard E. and Rollin, Michael D.H. “Dogmaticisms and Catechisms: Ethics and Companion Animals”. Shepard, Paul. “The Pet World”.
For the mass population of pet owners, pets are considered a treasure, so the conversation of how much is to be spend on them is a hot debut. I do agree with Burkhart Bilger's Argument that, “Our love affair with pets our pets has gotten out of control.” but I contend with the ideal that it is a widespread problem. I still insist that owners should show attention and love to their pet but so without the overspending in regards to your income. This topic is brought up in Bilgers’ article “The Last Meow” where he uses different facts, examples, and stories that back up my position.
Have you ever wondered how much it costs to have and maintain a pet? Burkhard Bilger, the author of “The Last Meow”, explains how Americans spend a lot of money on their pets and that people's “love affair” with their pets has gotten out of control. An observation I have made is that in many movies dogs are treated very well. When I was younger, I watched a movie called Bratz and one character would always have her dog inside a dog purse and they would even get manicures and pedicures together. The dog always had shiny clothes on and it was always very clean. Therefore, I agree with Bilger's argument that Americans “love affair” with their pets has gotten out of control.
One of the many problems that we seem to be having is the amount of No Kill Shelters in America. No kill Shelters are shelters in which the animals there are not treated like the “pound” or “dog house.” These shelters do not kill healthy or treatable animals and even if they are not treatable they reserve euthanasia for them as the last resort to trying to save the animals. However, many understand that these some of these dogs can be a menace to society, but every single animal should be able to live. We do not have many of these in this country or if we do we are use the animals for the testing of some of our products. One of the many benefits of No Kill Shelters is the promotion of adopting dogs. Many people do not adopt dogs but they go to breeders which is not a bad idea, but we have many dogs that get killed in pounds every day. Why do we Americans have the say so in when an animals wants to die? With everything there are pros and cons and some of these cons can be the overpopulation of animals , but we do not kill humans if one race/gender is becoming overpopulated. The
Thousands of animals are put to sleep each year due to not having any available homes for them to be adopted. According to Jennifer Sexton and Tom Warhol in Domestic Animal Overpopulation, “The average female cat can produce two litters of six kittens per year, a female dog can produce one litter of six or more puppies per year, making pet overpopulation a significant problem.” Animal overpopulation is costing money and you can help the pets with spay and neutering programs. A new solution is mandatory contracts for breeders and spay and neuter programs. This paper will talk about spay and neuter programs, contracts for breeders, and why some people don’t think animal overpopulation is a problem.
The lack of awareness programs attributes to animal hoarding greatly. The Robinson Rescue is an organization that “educate[s] pet owners about the importance of spay/neuter as a means of ending pet overpopulation.” ( ). This organization shows children how they should think of animals so that they do not abuse their animals like a case in which the defendants argued “that pets are classified as personal property…” and that they have feelings too (Donaghey 2011) (Gunnarson). Few people realize that 354 animals are eutha...
Ideally, pet supply would be equal to the demand for wanted pets. There may never be enough caring homes for all the pets as is evident by the fact that only about 25 percent of the pets in shelters are ever adopted. F...
Countless lives locked away in cages and forgotten about have overwhelmed our society, it has left blood stains on our history as a species and if history has taught us anything, it’s that we have a choice to change our ways of adjusting to situations. A war which was fought in pursuit of ending such criminal means, yet we as human beings do little to nothing to end the horrific crimes of animal deaths in shelters. It is no secret that this world has become infused with problems that have extended from one side of the globe to the other. Amongst these problems lies a terrible truth: nearly every year, sums of almost eight million cats and dogs have been placed in shelters around the world. Out of these vast numbers, half will be euthanized; that equals to one animal being put down every 8 seconds. Animals that are not adopted are kept in shelters until they find a home. Most of these shelters do not have enough space or resources to care for the animal. Only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats that enter animal shelters are reunited with their owners. The majority of pets are obtained from acquaintances and family members. Twenty-six percent of dogs are purchased from breeders, 20 to 30 percent of cats and dogs are adopted from shelters and rescues, and 2 to 10 percent are purchased from pet shops. In addition, only 56% of dogs and 71% of cats that enter animal shelters are euthanized. The 10% of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered, while 78 percent of dogs and 88 percent of cats are not spayed or neutered, in 2009 Statistics from animal shelters in 55 counties in WV (West Virginia) shows that nearly 54% of all animals entering shelters are euthanized, The euthanasia rates ranged from the lowest at 5% to the highe...
As an advocate of animal rights, Tom Regan presents us with the idea that animals deserve to be treated with equal respect to humans. Commonly, we view our household pets and select exotic animals in different regard as oppose to the animals we perceive as merely a food source which, is a notion that animal rights activists
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 7.6 million companion pets enter animal shelters across the United States each year, nearly evenly disrupted between dogs and cats . These animals are abandoned for reasons including families no longer being able to care for them (sickness/death of an owner), to families not wanting them (the novelty wearing of the animal wearing off), to the animals being born into puppy mills to finally animals that are loved being lost from their owners. These animals do not understand what is happening to them and rely on the kindness of humans to provide for them in shelters until their forever home can be found.
A harmless visit to the neighborhood pet store turns into a ruthless encounter for me. Every Saturday, Pecan (my dog) and I visit a local pet store to purchase food and treats for her. Pecan and I pass by a dozen of shelter volunteers eagerly showcasing homeless dogs before entering the pet store. Shelter volunteers are special because they are willing to devote their Saturday morning to help homeless pets. On the way I stop and great each volunteer and dog, then I walk away emotionally grieving and trying to holding back tears. My sadness soon turns into anger, when I realize I cannot adopt every homeless pet. The pet population is a increasing crisis in America. In this essay I will discuss the cause and effect of homeless pets, I will begin by explain the anatomy that contributes to pet overpopulation, then I will discuss the consequences encompassing animal breeding, then I will examine the social stance that effects pets, lastly I will conclude by suggesting solutions.
"Pet Overpopulation : The Humane Society of the United States." RSS. The Humane Society of
Humans have greatly impacted the global environment. Throughout the course of history, human populations have rapidly increased. Especially in Africa, these numbers have reached extraordinary proportions. Out of all the continents in the world, Africa’s population is increasing the most. The type of growth here is exponential. “Overpopulation is a condition when an organisms numbers exceeds the carrying of its ecological niche.” The growth rate of a population is equal to the birth rate minus the death rate. Therefore, for overpopulation to occur, the birth rate must surpass the death rate (Wiley). The current population of Nigeria is estimated to be 155,215,573. Most of the population consists of the younger generation. More specifically, 41% of the population is between the ages of 0-14. 56% of the population is between the ages of 15-64. However, only 3.1% of the population is 65 and over. This age group represents a very small part of the population. (CIA)
“A dog is a man’s best friend” goes much deeper than the phrase might initially imply. Recently many medical journals have begun to identify with the many and varied benefits of pet ownership. Men have always relied upon animals for work, transportation, and survival. As times have changed, man has begun to appreciate a different bond with animals. Gone are the days of animals running free outside around the homestead, for now animals are allowed inside and are considered by many to be an integral part of our daily lives! Medical studies have found that animals have a much greater intelligence level than originally thought. Through proper training and experience, animals are not only household pets, but also are becoming an accepted form of medical treatment.
Overpopulation of unwanted pets has become a major issue in the United States. According to Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society, there are 70 million stray cats and dogs in the United Stated. 6 to 8 million of those enter shelters each year. An estimated 3 to 4 million are euthanized in shelters
Humans place themselves at the top of the sociological tier, close to what we as individuals call our pets who have a sentimental value in our lives. Resource animal’s on the other hand have a contributory value within our lives: they provide us with meat and other important resources. In order to determine the boundaries between how we treat animals as pets and others simply as resources, utilitarians see these “resource animals” as tools. They contemplate the welfare significances of animals as well as the probable welfares for human-beings. Whereas deontologists see actions taken towards these “resources animals” as obligations regardless of whom or what they harm in the process. The objection to these theories are, whose welfare are we