Remember when you got your first pet? Maybe something small, like a guinea pig or a goldfish. Or maybe you're the person in your house who cuddles with the cat and takes Fido for his afternoon walk. Perhaps you're more like Lisa Simpson (and myself) and every year at Christmas you get down on your knees and in your most angelic voice you ask your parents to just please, pretty please with a cherry on top, please, please, please, buy you a pony.
It's undeniable: pets are everywhere in our society and if you don't have one, you've probably had one in the past or you're busy making the case for your parents to buy you a new pet. Yet, animals are not naturally domesticated, and instead they've been bred as pets for centuries. So why have humans gone to all of the trouble of introducing these furry friends into our lives? If you ask someone, chances are that they'll give you one of the following four reasons for having (or wanting) a pet:
Companionship
I'm sure you've heard the expression, "Dogs are man's best friends." There's a reason that this expression came about. When you're lonely, it's nice to have another living creature for company, which is the beauty of pets. An animal can be the friend who doesn't judge you when you spill your guts about your latest crush. They won't run around telling everyone your deepest darkest secrets. They can curl into bed with you and keep you warm at night. Best of all, a pet won't send you angry facebook messages when you get into a fight.
Entertainment
Sitting around watching TV every night can get pretty boring, but animals can be a diversion. Take Lassie for a walk and ta-da - you've got an instant boredom buster. You can even go to the dog-park and play fetch and meet other dog owners ?-and because you both own dogs, you'll have something in common that you can talk about! Even fish, which don't talk, can be fun pets because you can sit and watch them swimming around for hours at a time.
Appearance
My sister is obsessed with owls because she thinks they look gorgeous. Tropical fish come in all sorts of bright colors and dart around every which way. You probably even have a favorite breed of dog - I personally prefer shelties because I love all of their long and soft fur. There is no doubt that animals are fascinating and beautiful creatures that humans love watching. Why not add something cute to your life? Or maybe you prefer a tough looking dog?
Status
People might not be so quick to admit that their pets are a status symbol, but think about it: pets can become very expensive, very fast. If you don't have to pay for the animal itself, then you definitely have to pay to feed it, buy it toys and a cage and that's to say nothing of the costs of going to the vet. If you own a pet then it's a sign that you have the money to spend on a luxury. Remember how you got a new pet turtle and you went to school and bragged about it to all of your friends? Of course, there are even more extreme examples, like a puppy spa. There are people who have so much money that they can send their dogs for a manicure, when I can't even afford one for myself. And a silk collar? Puh-lease. My cat only wears it if it's made of platinum and diamond encrusted.
Do you notice something that all of these reasons have in common? They are all reasons that revolve around what humans want. Yeah, I'd really like that diamond-encrusted collar but is that really what Fluffy wants or even needs? I concede that certain types of animals are necessarily domesticated species, and could not survive in the wild, but if we want to insure the best quality of life for our pets, then we need to make sure we're not anthropomorphizing them. (That means we can't project human characteristics on animals. They probably don't enjoy wearing tutus but it also means we can't be sure that they have emotions like sadness, anger and greed.)
Taking care of a pet is often considered beneficial because we derive satisfaction from caring for a pet, but in this sense our satisfaction comes from ourselves and our own actions, and not our pets themselves. How powerful do we feel to have animal completely dependent on us for their survival? I'm not saying you shouldn't feel good about keeping an animal alive - au contraire! But if these are the only reasons we love our animals then it's a little bit egotistical and extremely utilitarian! While humans put a lot into caring for an animal, they also get a pretty hefty reward in return - but what's in it for your four-legged best friend?
-GG01
Author's Note: Source:
http://www.ledevoir.com/societe/254981/l-animal-et-nous-version-longue-1
