For centuries, humans and their societies have unjustly associated dogs with various adverse human characters such as lewd or immoral women and fraudulent men. But are dogs always the bad guys? Should they always be held accountable for their actions and punished with death? In The Tiger’s Wife, Tea Obreht subtly but surely addresses the issue of animal euthanasia and its inequity in a brutally graphic manner to emphasize its unethicality. Although it is true that some animals may be “natural born killers,” it is actually when they are fettered and forced to do something or live unnaturally that they become vicious manslayers. Such is the case of the misunderstood pit bull species today as it balances precariously on the brink of mass-eradication in the United States of America.
Obreht affirms the innocence of seemingly ferocious animals through the spiritual and tangible tigers in the novel. Though the human-induced wars bring forth times of justified rebellion and unexplainable desires and excitement for the human youth, (Kakutani 1) they render a captive tiger homeless, miserab...
Nationwide, approximately 50 percent of all children will be bitten by a dog before they reach the age of twelve (DeIorio, “Have a Dog-Bite-Free Summer”). In Marion County, Florida, aggressive and dangerous breads of dogs are a “serious issue” for the community according to Marion County Commissioner Jim Payton (Thompson, “County drops '1 free kill'”). Responsible dog owners seem to be unaware of the problem but area residents who have been victims of these attacks have turned to the Marion County Board of Commissioners for help. The local County Commissioners have been wrestling with this issue since October of 2009 when a widow from Ocklawaha, Patricia McBee, had three of her dogs euthanized after they allegedly killed her neighbor’s cat (Thompson, “County drops ‘1 free kill’”). The need for change moved even faster after a 3-year-old little girl was attacked and killed by a dog that was chained to a tree outside her house in Citra (Lee, “Girl, 3, mauled”).
First Friend: A History of Dogs and Humans, by Katherine Rogers, articulates the history of the relationship between dogs and humans. Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals, by Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce, investigates if and how dogs exhibit morality. In both texts, anecdotes and observations are used to portray instances of dogs displaying cooperation, empathy, altruism, and, by extension, morality. Consequently, it stands to reason that dogs have a capacity for sociality, but how can the sociality of dogs be described? A dog’s capacity for sociality is the ability to form long term relationships with members of the same or other species. Dogs, in particular, dogs who hunt as well as dogs who play, are able to form long term relationships with humans and other dogs through trust, love,
Animal cruelty is such a heinous act and pits are the number one candidate for it. So many are left for dead on the streets, chained to a pole and left, or even put down just because they are Pit bulls. “Studies estimate
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated.” (Gandhi). Sadly it seems that there is much to be desired from America. Over the past few years there has been an increase in animal abuse, sadly numerous cases go unreported and unrecognized. It is estimated by the HSUS that every year nearly one million animals are abused or killed with connections of domestic violence. From this growing issue, it is seen that humans have power over animals.
Dogs are a man’s best friend. If you go into many American’s homes you will find a furry four legged friend. Chances are if you watch television you have seen that ASPCA commercial with Sarah McLachlan’s “Arms of an Angel,” playing in the background. The most prominent dog in these heart wrenching videos are pit bulls. Pit bulls have a ferocious stigma in the United States and are being put down is mass numbers every day. Studies estimate that up to 1 million Pits are euthanized per year, or 2,800 per day. (D’Addio, 2011) The fact that pit bulls are being put down for solely being pit bulls is astonishing. I will be discussing the ethical dilemma for euthanizing this dog breed for the stigma we have given them. Although there is contradicting
Billions of animals are being slaughtered, abused, and harmed every year; causing enormous amounts of pain, suffering and distress upon them. It is wrong for humans to cause extended harm to animals for no compelling reason, for the fact that they have moral statuses. We have obligations to animals, and these are not simply grounded in human interests. However, the issues of moral status and equal consideration are far more fundamental and far-reaching in practical impact as DeGrazia have stated. (38) Animals have as much moral status and rights as humans do, and are most definitely worthy of our consideration in their lives.
The strongest argument against the dog meat industry centers on the treatment of the dogs that are often killed by ?beating, strangling, [and] boiling? instead of more humane methods such as electrocution. Unnecessary cruelty against animals is universally considered wrong, and is in many cases illegal, and that is what makes this argument effective. Saletan addresses this argument logically, with the simple fact that in the interest of humane treatment of dogs ?South Korean lawmakers are proposing to legalize, license, and regulate the industry.? This simple fact exposes a fundamental hypocrisy within the opposing viewpoint. Saletan argues that it is the same activists who base their arguments on ending cruelty against dogs who are trying to keep new, more humane methods from being adopted. The activists condemn and deplore cruel ...
This essay will explore the moral and ethical issues raised by human superiority over animals, why we shouldn’t have any superiority, and how this subject is portrayed in a variety of different media. The world today is becoming less aware of the pain and suffering being inflicted on animals. As a result, animals are becoming even more and more downtrodden in society. Humans have, and continue to, treat animals as if they are property, as if we can own and therefore control their lives and what happens to them.
When an animal is beaten, it not only causes the animal to be physically harmed, but it can also result in the animal receiving severe psychological damage. The abuse can cause the animal to become afraid of all humans, whether they are abusive or not. Not only can the victim become afraid of humans, it can cause it to even be hostile towards people and other animals. For example, if a dog’s previous owner was abusive, that can end in the dog being aggressive towards others due to its fear of being hurt like he/she was in the past. A tremendous part of animal cruelty that people do not recognize is the abuse of animals is linked to the abuse of humans in many cases. Animal neglect correlates with human neglect, which usually involves a child, elder, or other dependent (Animal Legal Defense Fund). In a survey, seventy-one percent of domestic violence victims said that their abuser also turned their household pet into a victim of abuse (Animal Cruelty Facts and Statistics). In a study completed in 1983, eighty-eight percent of families under investigation for child abuse partook in animal abuse along with the abuse of their child (Animal Cruelty Facts and Statistics). Not only does this cruelty affect the victims, but it can also affect the ones witnessing the violence. When someone is in the presence of violence of an animal or another person, it can affect the
IS CRUELTY TO ANIMALS THE MERE DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY? The Highway Dog-killing And Animal Rights
“There can be many reason for animal cruelty, like any other form of violence, is often committed by a person who feels powerless, unnoticed, or under control of others. Some who are cruel to animals copy acts what they have seen or that have been done to them, others see harming an animal as a safe way to get revenge against--or threaten-- someone who cares about that animal”. (“Animal… Statistics”) Concerns towards abusing animals have gone up in the past. Although there are not many cases on animal abuse, many have occurred. Abusers are charged with Criminal Animal Abuse and then sentenced to life in prison. Some animals that are physically abused are sometimes rescued by Animal Control, and are taken it to an animal shelter. However, many shelters have not had the space to keep the animals so the workers would have to put them down (Carol Roach). Researchers have shown that the main animals getting abused are dogs, chickens, horses, and livestock (“Animal...
Currently, pit bulls have been reported by the media with very horrific and disturbing news of having attacked a child or being shot by a police due to aggression while some are reported to have been abused or neglected by its owners (Forderer and Unkelbach 534). And because the reports keep coming with heated discussions, more and more people have forged a frightening image of pit bulls even to the extreme of refusing to take care of such breed. Pit bull advocates claim that the dogs get a bad reputation considering that people should learn the dogs are not inherently aggressive. What the pit bull advocates would like to point is that the owners of the pit bulls should be considered guilty for mishandling of their own dogs. There are owners of pit bulls that even encourage the dog to be aggressive in order to fight and protect them in a wrong manner and wrong degree of training (Forderer and Unkelbach 536). Pit bull advocates claimed that a well socialized and well trained pit bull would be very intelligent and could be one of the gentle dogs imaginable.
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...
The ugly truth is that animals are dying at the hands of their owners everyday, some in very violent ways that can be avoidable given the right solution. Slaughterhouses, puppy mills, dog fighting, and so on, are just a few examples of how animals are being treated badly by people. Animal cruelty is a form of violence which, un...
For animal welfare and the causes of animal abuse new research has been created. Since animal abuse is fairly a new subject, new research is constantly brought up. In the Bahamas a study was done in the College of Bahamas, and it states that, “…dogs were equally likely to be considered members of the household in homes without domestic violence,” (Fielding 197). Homes with violence show that humans substitute human victims for animal victims. Animal rights activists are trying to break down symbolic boundaries betw...