Are animals our companions or property?

This topic is a much heated debate it seems. And more and more this comes down to laws. Anyone who tells you there is no difference between animal welfare and animal rights is wrong. There is a difference. And there will always be those who will tell you that animals are not sentient, that they only know what it taught them and cannot think for themselves, or that they have no soul.

Ok, time for a few definitions and then my take on them.

Sentience is defined as the ability to feel or perceive. Sentience may also be used to describe the ability to have sensations or experiences. In the philosophy of animal rights, sentience implies the ability to experience pleasure and pain. Animal-rights advocates typically argue that any sentient being is entitled at a minimum to the right not to be subjected to unnecessary suffering, though they may differ on what other rights (e.g., the right to life) may be entailed by simple sentience.

Animal Welfare is defined as the physical and psychological state of non-human animals. The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights.
Systematic concern for animal welfare can be based on awareness that non-human animals are sentient and that consideration should be given to their well-being, especially when they are used for food, in animal testing, as pets, or in other ways. These concerns can include how animals are killed for food, how they are used for scientific research, how they are kept as pets, and how human activities affect the survival of endangered species.

• Freedom from thirst and hunger - by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour.
• Freedom from discomfort - by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
• Freedom from pain, injury, and disease - by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
• Freedom to express normal behavior - by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal's own kind.
• Freedom from fear and distress - by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.

Animal Rights are defined as also referred to as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings. Advocates approach the issue from different philosophical positions, but agree that animals should be viewed as non-human persons and members of the moral community, and should not be used as food, clothing, research subjects, or entertainment. They argue that human beings should stop seeing other sentient beings as property—not even as property to be treated kindly. Critics argue that animals are unable to enter into a social contract or make moral choices, and for that reason cannot be regarded as possessors of rights.

 Ok, here's my take on some things; Having lived with animals around me all my life, and watching wildlife for the pure enjoyment and awe of watching them in their natural state, I firmly feel all animals are sentient. Animals feel emotions, maybe not in the same way we do, but they do have them. They are also very much able to problem solve think for themselves and make decisions. Animals and children however do one thing we adults have forgotten how to do, and that is live in the moment and enjoy that moment to the fullest.

Animals have interacted within our existence for millennia. As we chose to work with animals or bring them into our homes and domesticate them, we unconsciously made a bargin with them. We agreed to care for them, for their needs, protect them, shelter them, provide food and water. They agreed to provide us with protection, hunting skills, companionship, fur and food and a myriad of other things. They have asked so little of us except for compassionate and loving care. But they give us so much more. And they teach us so much. We owe it to them to provide the best we can for them in a humane and compassionate manner. I personally am not for the "money" end of animal exploitation. I think even if they are being raised for food or such they should be treated humanely.

On animal rights, ok, this line is getting blurred more and more. People and the animal rights activists confuse this or make it an extension of animal welfare. Most animal rights activists feel that animals should have rights similar to us. However...... many animals because they have been our companions for centuries are no longer able to forage or care for themselves, so we cannot completely sever our ties with them in the way the activists would like. Personally I feel some of their views are a little extreme. I do feel however that a good middle ground needs to be found here. Animals do need protection from cruelty and neglect. They also do not need to be exploited for research anymore, for medical components, for greed or perceived entertainment (i.e. dog fighting, cock fighting, etc.). Yes they need to be treated with respect, simply because they are sentient and a life. We need to respect all life, period. Respect a wild moose for his beauty, his grace, his life spirit, and the incredibleness that makes him a moose. Remember he's not a tame animal, he's a wild animal, respect him for it and observe, give him room, take only pictures. Respect his boundaries, just as you would wish others to respect your space and boundaries. Big clue here people....... You earn respect by giving it. Respect another's dog because he doesn't know you, and you may be encroaching on his space or his family, or threatening him.

Now back to the headline..... despite all these definitions, etc., the law still sees animals as property, not as sentient members of a family or able to be their own persons. And as long as they continue to be bought and sold or transferred ownership, the law will continue to see them as property.  And as long as they are continued to be seen as property, they will not have rights, HOWEVER... they do qualify for welfare, respect, love and all the care we can give them. It is up to us how we perceive them and interact with them. And I sincerely hope you can be one of the loving, attentive, and compassionate care givers. They give you so much more than you can ever give them, do all you can for them.

A semi-quiet house.......

Well, for the next month it is pretty much just my husband, myself and the critters. This morning is the third morning without extra humans in the house. And overall I must admit it's quieter. Overall, not totally.

I believe the animals now see me pretty much as their sole source to torment some mornings. I don't think that I've actually been able to sleep to the alarm time yet this week. Usually it's one of the dogs who start either snarling and snapping or barking. Unfortunately the barking one is teaching my littlest one bad habits.

And the barker also starts the barking/howling episodes in the evenings when I go to bed because no one sleeps upstairs with us. They all get put up in their space for the night. I guess they think that we're being mean putting them up so early.

Anyhow, I may be getting close to my wit's end with the morning barker. I have tried everything so far short of a sound emitting anti-barking device to make him shut up in the mornings. Mr. Impatient I call him. The moment he thinks I am up he starts barking, but shuts up the second he percieves I am coming down the stairs. Grrrrrrrrr..... He's not stupid, he's just not respectful or mindful.

I do take time with him and the others outside in the mornings and evenings playing till he's tired and they've all done their business well before putting them up for the day or night. They all do sit quietly with me before bedtime, and I don't have problems there. Ah well.... maybe he'll get the picture that he doesn't always get his way with me. He's usually used to getting his way by being disrespectful, and annoying or a nuisance with my brother, and my brother gives in to shut him up. Not me. Oh and a squit bottle does not help at all, he thinks it's a toy.

Now the cats, Yummy (above) has become very, very talkative and will meow constantly till you feed him. Even Djinn will talk more than usual. I am so happy Chronic squeaks when he meows, so he's really quiet. He doesn't need to talk, his body language says it all. And yes, squirt bottles work on the cats. LOL

I may go ahead and invest in an anti-barking device to try it out. At least to get him to know when it's acceptable to bark and when it's not. Like outside at the birds at 5:30am. LOL.... I know he's happy and impatient to greet the morning and he is telling the birds all about it, but it doesn't stop till after you've fed him and put him back out, then he's more than happy to be quiet. Gotta try something, and I am not into shocking devices unless it's an electric fence to keep a pushy dog off the fence or from breaking said fence to escape. Those are relatively harmless and work quite well. And boy I ought to know they're harmless, but a bit "shocking" shall we say? I was forever running into the one I had around the stallion pen in past. It'll wake you up though. Ah well, will see what I can come up with. Any ideas? all welcome! :)

Furry Helpers or Nuisances?

Ok, so I am sure they would prefer to consider themselves helpers, however, most times we would say they are being pests or being a nuisance. Personally I think they're telling us to slow down, calm down, laugh a little, or they simply could be saying "Pay attention to me! I am most certainly more important than that telephone call with the irate customer!"

My brother telecommutes, and right now he's staying with us. With his pets, Chronic (picture above) and two dogs. Then there is my cat, Yummy, who feels he is the supreme being in the house and all must bow before him. Yeah right.

Chronic has a way of creating distractions and some frustrations for my brother. Quite often he walks across in front of the monitors or plops down on his mouse hand while trying to operate said mouse. Or walk across the keyboard. And there have been numerous incidents of him disconnecting the phone call when he's talking to a client.

Yummy, talks more than the other cats in the house. And when he wants attention or you to do something for him, it's usually right now with a vocal emphasis. Of course this serves most times to distract the client on the phone, as they will hear him meow and invariably ask what is that? Is that a cat? Quite often this diffuses tempers or stress. Sometimes it's simply annoying to my brother, because Yum is an impatient kitty, you ignore him the first time, and the second request includes claws.

Hmmmm, the dogs, now they are a different matter. Usually as my husband and I are at work, and my brother is busy working, I'll pen the dogs into the kitchen/dining area. This is to minimize the mess they can make (especially if no one is watching them or sees them ask to go out), and minimizes the barking at passing cars or persons out front. However, with Poppy snarling at anything she perceives entering her space out of the blue, it can be startling, and quite often the noise carries. Then there is the collie, Corny. Very needy boy he is. If he doesn't get his way, when he wants it, he whines, chuffs, and then barks. Not conducive for a quiet or calm work environment. He also has a habit of barking A LOT outside all the time.

Funniest thing though, while he thinks he's being the big bad protector of his yard, he'll dig at the wood slats in the fence trying to get at the neighbor's dogs he can't see, who most times instigate the barking melee. One afternoon, he had worked a couple 2 or 3 slats loose at the bottom, so next time he jumped on the fence he fell through. Well, suddenly he was out of his environment and his space. He just sat there and looked totally confused and wimped out while the neighbor's daschund chewed on him and told him off. Goofy dog. And he didn't seem to learn from that episode.

The old man, Lil'Shit must be having his second puppyhood. He sees just enough to distinguish shapes, and delights in bouncing like a puppy after the cats. And now it's become a game, but only one of mine play with him this way. The other hisses and ignores him, and Chronic just runs which delights him. He also has decided to chase feet. I swear he's gonna trip one of us and we'll fall.

It's quite the three ring circus round our house these days.

Crazy thing for your pets?

Ok, some of these items I simply could not bring myself to use on my pets, no matter how "convenient" they might seem.

Above is one of the new inventions for pets, or rather should I say lazy owners? The item above is a pet washing machine called the Pet-O-Matic. Now, how traumatized does the dog in the picture look? I know I would be very traumatized! And how do you keep the soap out of their little eyes? I could never abuse the trust my dog has in me to do this to them. There is such a thing called a groomer, who is someone you hire to wash and pamper your pet.

Here's some more items:

A pet translator. Something that attaches to their collar and sends a signal to a walkie talkie type of device that displays an image of what your pet may be trying to communicate through their bark, growl, or meow. Waste of money in my book, get to know your pet, bond with it and words or pictures won't be needed.

A pet GPS locator! Excellent idea, however this one attaches to the collar, and if your beloved pet is stolen, it will do you no good, all the thieves have to do is remove the collar, then you won't be able to find your pet. Personally I think this type of thing should be part of the microchip, which is unable to be removed without some serious effort. Makes the pet safer too, especially for cats, then they don't get a collar hung up and strangle themselves or the collar slip off then the gps is no good for your pet. Perhaps in the near future they'll come up with this capability.

How about this one? Freeze Fido or Fifi's poo to make it less smelly and easier to pick up? Phuleeze! Feed your dog properly and the poo doesn't smell much, nor is there as much of it. However, I wonder if this helps stop poo eaters?

How about an automatic feeder remotely accessed by your computer or cell phone from work? This way you can feed your pooch or cat without having to interrupt your time to come home and do it. Of course this only works for dry food. Ummmm, if you've been reading my blog any, you know I am not a huge fan of just feeding solely dry food. And most animals after you feed them need to go out to go potty anyway. So you might be encouraging them to soil in the house. This one might need more rethinking.

How about a pet peeper? Wonder if this would keep the pooches off the couch to see who's outside that they can bark at?

Now, this is one product I really like and want one myself. I would say it's probably an excellent product for one or two cats.

The Cat Genie. A fully automated litter system that uses rewashable and sanitizable plastic pellets. And it flushes the waste away down the toilet or washer drain. I love this invention and cannot wait to try it out.

The Water Dog, a motion detected watering system. It senses the dog at it, and turns itself on. When the dog leaves it shuts off, and runs off of batteries. Ummmmm, with the collie we have at the house right now, this wouldn't work. He's smart enough to keep turning it on to create the perfect mud puddle which would then develop into the perfect mud hole. So for some this might not be a great idea. I think a water bowl that might allow a tongue into the main basin and no feet, might be a more worthy invention. LOL LOL

How about a digital photo urn for your departed companions? This one would house the pet's ashes and run slideshow of pictures of your pet. Hmmm, kind of on the fence about this one.

Here's one for the tiny pets, hamsters, mice, etc.....
The Hamster Shredder!

Not sure this one is safe for the application you see here. Hamsers climb on everything. It could be ugly. I would think just using your regular household shredder and puting in the shredded paper into the cage directly without sharp thingies looming overhead.

And last but not least of which I list here, there is a high chair for your little dog to join you at the table and make them sit up.

Ok.... I don't think this is actually comfortable for the pet and I would think it would encourage begging at the table. Imagine the fuss he or she might create if they aren't included at the party table when you have guests over?

Don't get me wrong there are some basically good ideas out there for pets, but they might have become the boogy man in the closet by the time the thought or idea developed out. And some are simply for vanity sake, our vanity. And some are for lazy pet owners, whose pets are part of their "image" or such.

Lets think up some safe but good things to better our companions' lives, not just ours.