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Originally Posted by SJane3384  And ArtisticRainey, I don't understand your point. You say people shouldn't "own" animals, and yet you have several pets yourself. That seems like a double standard. |
Just because there are guinea pigs living in my house does not mean I own them. The issue is how you see your 'pets'. I have never maintained that they are my property. If I have a child I do not own it. I love it and care for it, but there cannot be an issue of ownership because it is a living creature. You may say that human children can grow up and become independent, thus making a conscious decision to leave; guinea pigs cannot. Why is this? They live in a human-dominated world and cannot survive in the wild. Why is this? Humans have domesticated the 'pet' guinea pig over hundreds of years. While they still maintain many of their ancestors' characteristics, I can't help but thinking that if we set them all free, they would just get eaten with ease. I know they are prey animals; but not every prey animal gets eaten.
Thus, my standpoint is that humans have created this sub-species by breeding and domesticating. If we want to stop this cruelty, then we have to stop breeding. This will still leave us with a lot of animals until they all die off. Thus, it is our responsibility to care for these animals in the best possible way until they die off with dignity. That is my intention with my cavies. They will never be bred. They will be kept in large habitats and given all the medical attention they need. And then they will die.
Note I say CARE for them, not OWN them. It's only a double standard if you maintain the animals in your care are your property. I don't.
Of course, you could try to refute this argument by saying that it is a mere issue of semantics. Perhaps in text, yes. But in my heart, there is a big difference.
EDIT: Oh, and Leea - you ask VJ what gives her the power to insult you. Well, what gives you the power to insult everyone who has posted here by brushing off everything that has been said and laughing at us? The initial posts given were respectful. It was only after you failed to respect them (even if you didn't agree) that people failed to respect you.