It isn’t uncommon to own a family pet. A single street is almost guaranteed to contain several dogs, cats, parrots and hamsters, and we accept this as a fact of life. We do not pause to consider the morality of housing these animals or even the morality of ‘owning’ animals.
Animals provide us with loving companionship and irreplaceable friendship. Guide dogs, service dogs and therapy dogs provide crucial assistance to many of the world’s population. We repay this huge debt by providing good food, a warm bed and unconditional love. One cannot deny the value of these relationships; however, one may question the ethics concerning animal domestication.
Animals are removed from their natural habitats and forced to separate themselves from their inherent habits and instincts. For example, pet parrots are prohibited from flying, their most natural action. In this we must ask ourselves, is it morally correct to domesticate animals?
When considering this, we must question the legitimacy of ‘owning’ an animal. Animals have their own needs and wants, proving independent beings, not commodities to be ‘owned’ by humans. We must therefore shift our attitude from ‘owning’ a pet to caring for an animal.
Many animals come from loving families who consider their pet as a family member. If animals are receiving love and fair treatment, is removing them from their natural environment necessarily a bad thing?
Realistically in today’s industrialised world, many of the animals we call family would face difficulty surviving with decreased resources and destroyed habitats. Considering this, one may argue that we are helping their species survive through domestication.
In the end, there is no right answer. Pets are an irreplaceable part of the lives of many and, if treated correctly and lovingly, can result in a mutually positive relationship across different species. As pet ‘owners’ (or animal carers) we have a responsibility to provide our beloved animals with unconditional love and endless joy, just as they gift us with daily.
