I’ve lived away from home as a university student for three years, going home every few months during the breaks. I love seeing my family, it’s great to catch up with friends, the home-cooked food is delicious and it’s amazing to be in a warm house. But what I really look forward to, what I get most excited about… Is seeing my dog. I know it sounds silly, but it’s true. I love him that much! However, it’s got me wondering that maybe this relationship is completely different for him. Maybe he sees me as an absolute weirdo who goes away for months, then comes back and occasionally feeds and walks him. Does he even love me in return? If you have a pet – are you troubled with the same thoughts?
Most people have a pet at some point during their lifetime. Whether it’s a cat, dog, fish or rabbit, pets bring companionship that boosts our happiness and adds meaning to our lives. It isn’t hard to believe that most pet owners think of their animals as actual members of the family.
But pets do more than sit their looking cute. They promote both mental and physical health that can significantly improve our lives. People with pets typically have lower heart rates and blood pressure than those without, a result of the additional movement owning a pet requires and the stress relief their company provides. Furthermore, pets can improve a range of mental health conditions, from anxiety and loneliness to depression and low self-esteem.
However, an ethical question has been raised lately, one that has got me really confused. Is it okay to keep house pets? It is not a chosen life for the animal and it’s not what nature intended. While we may love our pets and treat them as well as we can, is this a life they can thrive in? Our animals cannot tell us whether they are happy being pets. When you think about it, we bring our pets into our lives because we want them, then we dictate what they eat, where they live, how they behave, how they look, even whether they get to produce their own offspring. Do we have the right to make that decision for another being?
Now I love my dog, I really do. Even as I write this article, the thought of leaving him to fend for himself and “make his own decisions” makes me upset. But I have to remind myself that the only reason he would be in trouble in the wild is because he hasn’t been raised to live there. He doesn’t know how to fend for himself like a wild dog in their natural habitat would, and that’s because we have spoiled him rotten as most owners do. So, while today’s generation of pets aren’t ready to leave home, would it be possible to make the next? Is this something we should want? Do we want wild cats and dogs all over the place?
Personally, I don’t want that. But at the end of the day, it’s not my decision to make. It is a difficult question to answer, as the animal cannot give its own opinion – but would they really want to live in a house with only a couple of opportunities to go for a walk or a run each day? Would they really want to eat dried food or kibble only? Would they really want to be unable to produce their own offspring? I think not. What do you think? More importantly, what does your pet think?
Critical Thinking Questions:
- What do you think? Should we keep pets? Why/Why Not?
- Is there a way to decide what life is better for the animals? If so, how?
- What would happen to the world if all the house pets were suddenly let into the wild?
Practical Thinking Questions:
- Describe the ideal day in the life of a pet and then of an animal in the wild. Which one do you think is preferred?
- What would be the negative effects on humans if they were to live without pets?
- If you have a pet, go give it a belly rub or take it for a long walk! Treat your pets as well as you can.
64 Responses
love the story can do you have more artilce
wow
yes we should keep the pets
my dog is so cute
I Think They Should Be Kept Where They Are.
personally I think that its would be had for pets to live alone if they’ve been living in a house their whole lives
Pets are awesome I never live with out them is a cat at my school named taco and it real cute a nice a lovely he always lets us pat him
I think it is a bad idea to leave all our pets run wild and do what they like but there are definitely a few things people can do to make there lives more exciting.
cool. that was amazing!
yes pets are the best who would want to trash there pets?
yes we should keep pets they are good they are cute they are helpful
we need to keep pets!!!!!!
bits should have the choice if they want to go for a walk or not Andy should also have an exciting life like us people
every pet deserves a owner, but not every owner deserves a pet
i love my dog
If we can just take more care of our pets and give them a better life, we can keep them!
Some people would be lonely without their pets!
yes diffently we should so keep pets they are most parts of peoples lives but on the other hand some people don’t look after them how they should be treated
yes we should keep pets what would we be whith out them
i got a mini sausage dog and yes keep pets
wow that is so deep and I wonder if my cat likes me?
I have the same thoughts 💭💭💭💭
pets espiccally cats are awesome!!!!
My cat looks like it’s gonna kill me one day and I am prepared for it.My cat hats me.But the other one doesn’t because I have 2
I think we should keep pets! They were literally created to live with humans. Without pets, humans could sad forever!!!!!
YES KEEP them but not posen ones but we LOVE the other ones PLEASE KEEP THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
of course we should keep our pets! none of these reasons to not have pets are invalid
i like pets we should keep them
You used the wrong there. In paragraph 3 sentence 1 you wrote “But pets do more than sit their looking cute”. You used their when you should’ve used there. Thanks
Dog are great!!!🐶
my pets are my whole entire life, i have two dogs and two cats and i adore them
*+*once again i love dogs and i have a dog*+*
Yes we are not like robots so we should keep pets.
People should love animals the are the source of our happiness the key to our life we need them just like #Kobe said earlier on every pet deserves an owner not every owner deserves a pet
I love dogs
please keep pets
I don’t know if we should keep pets….
We love our pets but we don’t know if the pet likes how it’s being treated.
Pets are sooper cool 😎
we should definitely keep pets
i love my dog, and my dog loves me, so YES TO KEEPING PETS!!
yes we should keep pets
the cat at my school went missing=(
I have 2 dogs that i love!! do u have better pets? idk
we should keep pets especially cats
Hi
No Why is this even a question of course we should have pets there amazing and cute and there my whole world.
DEFINITELY KEEP PETS 🐶😽🐰
keep them #keepthepets
I love the story
yes,yes and yes
yes keep pets there so cute
Yes we should be allowed pets
I really love kiwi kids news because it contains a lot of interesting information and the facts are really fun.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Get out of your bed
And in my stew
love it we all love pets so we all need pets !!!
I don’t have any pets but I know my friends love their pets. I feel kinda bad for pets because they don’t get to choose what life they want.
It is very interesting on the reason why people need dogs. Or at least won’t dogs.
I like my dog
If your dog is tied up all day, birds and rabbits in cages and cats cooped up inside all day I suggest you find a better home for them. I think it really depends on the animal and it’s behaviour. If your pet seems happy and content then let it continue it’s life with you.
I think that it wouldn’t be good if pets became wild because they would eat all of the native wildlife and they would pass on deseses
cats dogs and fish yes birds no
pets are cool i wan’t to keep mine
I really like this kind of statement you just said is so amazing
“Every pet deserves a owner, but not every owner deserves a pet”
YES 100% AGREE
WE SHOULD ALWAYS KEEP THE CUTE LITTLE PETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![(^O^)]