First The Greenies Want Us to Eat Our Dogs… Now the Academics Say It Is Insulting to Call Them Pets

ACADEMICS: CALLING ANIMALS ‘PETS’ IS INSULTING

Last week for Earth Day the Disciples of Global Warming re-cycled their campaign to Eat the Family Pet to reduce our carbon footprint.

Domestic dogs, cats, hamsters or budgerigars [birds] should be rebranded as “companion animals” while owners should be known as “human carers”, they insist.  Even terms such as wildlife are dismissed as insulting to the animals concerned – who should instead be known as “free-living”, the academics including an Oxford professor suggest.

The call comes from the editors of then Journal of Animal Ethics, a new academic publication devoted to the issue. …

In its first editorial, the journal – jointly published by Prof Linzey’s centre and the University of Illinois in the US – condemns the use of terms such as ”critters” and “beasts”.  It argues that “derogatory” language about animals can affect the way that they are treated.

“Despite its prevalence, ‘pets’ is surely a derogatory term both of the animals concerned and their human carers,” the editorial claims.  “Again the word ‘owners’, whilst technically correct in law, harks back to a previous age when animals were regarded as just that: property, machines or things to use without moral constraint.”

It goes on: “We invite authors to use the words ‘free-living’, ‘free-ranging’ or ‘free-roaming’ rather than ‘wild animals’

“For most, ‘wildness’ is synonymous with uncivilized, unrestrained, barbarous existence.

“There is an obvious prejudgment here that should be avoided.”  [h/t WeaselZippers / the Blaze]

Personally I prefer to think of my pets as ‘furkids’ and part of the family to love, not as property.  They add much more to my life than the so-called care-giving I do for them could be counted as a burden.  I don’t mind doing for them as I don’t for any family member and believe they deserve fair treatment and love.  As of insulting them if they are called pets… doubt they’d notice. But as for eating them or euthanizing them for global warming… not a chance!

Perhaps these academics might want to put themselves to work fighting some of the real anti-pet, anti-animal, animal cruelty issues??  What a concept.  Here are a few if they can’t find any:

The Latest Enemies of Iran: Dogs and Their Owners

No Mercy:  Calf Farm Cruelty Exposed

Greenies Gone Wild Again… for Earth Day  -  Back to Americans Doing More, Including Eating Our Dogs

China, Korea and many other nations are still eating dogs and cats:

STOP KILLING DOGS! 2 Million Dogs Killed in Horrible Ways Every Year in South Korea

Olympic Clean-up Chinese Style:  Beijing’s Shocking Cat Death Camps

And how about the fact that we in the United States we are Still Euthanizing 4 Million Dogs Plus Additional Pets in Shelters in America Every Year because of don’t have a good system. We base rules on lobbies or making money and we restrict people in far too many communities to one or two pets.  No one is promoting hoarding, but 3 to 6 pets are the right number for some people, one is too many for others and abuses need to be addressed on an individual bases.  We also allow vets to over-charge for spay and neutering procedures and demonize private breeders and people who choose to let their pet have a litter but too often look the other way when it comes to puppy and kitten mills and the pet stores who buy and sell the the ‘mill’s animals.  Join the “NO KILL Movement” and report all abuse and neglect, against animals and humans.

Related:

UN Document: Mother Earth Has Same Rights as Humans

Protect Innocent Animals; Make Bestiality a Felony

Gov’t to Decide What Pets You Can Own