Animal Protection & Rights
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Individuals who stand up for animal protection and animal rights will always have a great bond with animals, most of whom will be pets. Such persons have an understanding of animal rights and protection, which they transfer to their particular animal – thus winning a lifelong friend.
That’s exactly how I feel. I wish to treat my pets as members of the family. I wish to grant them their minimum rights to how they should be treated, fed, exercised, occupied, and allowed to mingle with their kind and with humans. I firmly believe in treating dogs properly and not harming them. I will always rise up against cruelty, abandonment, serious neglect, violence, and improper keeping of dogs.
As far back as the 18th century, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) expressed his thoughts on animal rights:
"The world is not a piece of work and animals are not a product for our consumption;
not pity, but justice is what humans owe to animals."
Justice is just one facet of ethics...
Another way to view ethics is as a “philosophy in practice,” which entails human actions. Accordingly, one can differentiate between the good guys and the bad guys, such as dog lovers and dog haters. A closely associated concept is that basic human ethical values, norms, and morals should generally be applied to the ethics and rights concerning animals. This is my belief of how ethics ought to be practiced by humans when dealing with animals.
The principles governing animal protection and the rights of animals define how humans should and should not treat animals. Hence, I always ask myself:
“As a dog lover, what can I do to further the cause of animal protection?”
For my response and advice on this issue, please read on.
Ibiza: September 2005
