Animal companions

Module 5: more uses of animals

1. Having animal companions (pets)  
2. Using animals for research 
3. Review Nov 2
4. Exam II Nov 4

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Should we keep domesticated animals as pets?

• NO
• Gary Francione & Anna Charlton, "The Case Against Pets" (Aeon)
• Francione is a professor of law at Rutgers University
• YES
• Donaldson & Kymlicka (response to Francione)
• Rowlands (contrast with Francione)

Wild animals as pets (they're not discussing)

• pet squirrels
• taming and forming a relationship with a hawk -- e.g. H is for Hawk

Domesticated animals as pets

What is domestication?

• Wikipedia definition
• two species coexist, one exerts influence on the other (doesn't have to be intentional)
• leads over time to modification of genes, appearance, behavior
• domesticated animals: not afraid of humans, socialize with humans, less aggressive, more dependent
• the grey wolf (canis lupus) --> dogs (canis lupus familiaris) 
• African wild cats (felis sylvestris lybica) --> house cats (felis sylvestris catus)

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Francione & Charlton's main claim:  

Domesticated animals are impoverished because of the way they ARE, not just because of the way we TREAT them

• wild ancestors of cats and dogs: self-sufficient, skilled, fearful, avoid humans
• domesticated animals: docile, helpless, dependent, don't fear humans, can "read" humans, want our attention and praise, love us, can be obedient, like perpetual children

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What should we DO about domesticated animals we have as pets?

Francione & Charlton

1. Stop treating them as property
2. Rescue from shelters
3. Spay and neuter
4. Extinction is the ultimate goal

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CRITICS

D&K's response to Francione --

"dependency is not inherently degrading or undignified, and certainly not unnatural. What matters is how we respond to dependency, and in both the human and animal case, a central task of a citizenship perspective is precisely to uphold the dignity of those co-citizens who over the course of their lifetime exhibit various stages and degrees of dependence." (D&K p. 4)

Francione's response to D&K --

 RR quesion 2: what would Rowlands say to Francione and Charlton?