New poll for

[Guest guest]

Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the

group:

 

How do you feel about people keeping domestic 'pets' (companion animals) such as

dogs, cats, bunnies, birds?

(Poll is anonymous.)

 

o No one should 'own' or keep another living creature.

o Okay only if the animal is a rescue animal who needs a home.

o Okay - we have domesticated such animals and they 'belong' with humans.

o Other (none of the above).

 

 

To vote, please visit the following web page:

/surveys?id=2241605

 

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are

not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the

web site listed above.

 

Thanks!

[Guest guest]

Hi,

 

Everyone is certainly welcome to their opinion but this

one bothers me a little,

" No one should 'own' or keep another living creature. "

 

It bothers me because of all the animals that wind up at rescues

because there are a lot of people who learn belatedly that they

cannot deal with animals or simply made a bad decision and they

figure they just return it like a thing. There are also a lot of people

during these times that just stop having enough money or even a

home to take care of animals and have to give up the animals that

shared their home. There are also people who die and leave animals.

Then there are those who mistreat animals and have them taken away,

like Michael Vick.

 

I understand the feeling that people think animals should be free but

when an animal ends up in a shelter I think it is a lot better to take them

into my home than either let them run wild in an environment for which

they are either unprepared or simply incapable of dealing with or even

living in or having them euthanized.

 

In the ever-growing numbers of humans and ever-encroaching living spaces

they demand, finding a place for animals to live naturally is unfortunately

becoming more and more difficult. Also dogs and cats in particular have

over hundreds of years become " domesticated " . They aren't really wild

animals anymore. I'm not saying the current situation is a good one but

I'm not at all comfortable to not deal with all the animals that now and

in the future will end up in shelters.

 

Oh, I don't think I 'own' the dogs in my household. I share space with

him, provide them with a place to sleep and food to eat. I try to be their

friend and care for their health and medical problems that do arise.

 

Gary

 

 

[Guest guest]

> Everyone is certainly welcome to their opinion but this

> one bothers me a little,

> " No one should 'own' or keep another living creature. "

 

Hi Gary,

 

Thanks for your thoughtful post. I guess what you're saying is that rescued or

not, companion animals 'belong' with humans because we've bred them to be

dependent on us over the centuries AND that they need to be rescued from time to

time from impossible circumstances. As for 'ownership', well that's a fraught

word. I hate to think of owning a fellow creature, but the law in most places

makes me responsible as 'owner' (I prefer 'guardian') for my dog's behaviour as

well as for her well being. I believe California considered some time ago having

animal ownership/guardianship changed. Do you know what happened over that?

 

Thanks again - it's always good to hear from you. Your dogs btw are lucky to

have you!

 

Best, Pat - guardian to Casey (blind beagle) and Misha (all-observing cat who

thinks he's my guardian)

[Guest guest]

I'm not sure what happened relative to the various

bills in California with respect to owner versus guardian

but now that you've mentioned it I will go looking and see

what I can find.

 

Gary

 

 

 

 

 

________________________________

Pat / 'River' <drpatsant

 

Wed, October 28, 2009 7:34:17 AM

Re: New poll for

 

> Everyone is certainly welcome to their opinion but this

> one bothers me a little,

> " No one should 'own' or keep another living creature. "

 

Hi Gary,

 

Thanks for your thoughtful post. I guess what you're saying is that rescued or

not, companion animals 'belong' with humans because we've bred them to be

dependent on us over the centuries AND that they need to be rescued from time to

time from impossible circumstances. As for 'ownership', well that's a fraught

word. I hate to think of owning a fellow creature, but the law in most places

makes me responsible as 'owner' (I prefer 'guardian') for my dog's behaviour as

well as for her well being. I believe California considered some time ago having

animal ownership/guardianship changed. Do you know what happened over that?

 

Thanks again - it's always good to hear from you. Your dogs btw are lucky to

have you!

 

Best, Pat - guardian to Casey (blind beagle) and Misha (all-observing cat who

thinks he's my guardian)

 

 

 

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