Educate Before Forming an Opinion

If you’ve ever have had a pet animal whether it be a cat, a dog, a rabbit, a snake, or a bird you have a special bond with that animal. They are considered part of the family – your best friend. They are there when you are sad and celebrate when you are happy. You need your pet and they need you. I’ve had my cat, Raven, on the right for 10 years. This is what many would call a bond, a special relationship between two things.

The human-animal interaction is a strong relationship. This was quite evident through Animal Sciences 305 where students discussed this interaction and how it impacts our lives and the animal’s life. To analyze this relationship, we have to go back to domestication of pets and their purpose. In class, we discussed two proposals of how dogs were domesticated: human involvement or self-domestication through natural selection (Albert, 2015). Over the course of a century, dogs’ physical appearance changed into what we know of them today. In today’s society, humans can have control of breeding a dog and choosing its traits through artificial selection. In class we also discussed how domestication in animals has helped humans through food, clothing, protection, and companionship just to name a few (Albert, 2015). Domestication is the beginning stage of the human-animal interaction as it has benefited humans in many ways.

An animal’s emotions are one of the foundations of the human-animal bond. I’ve heard of many stories where the pet owner will confide in the pet and say that the animal will seem to understand them. In class, we discussed the hot topic of animal sentience, which is when the animal is claimed to be able to feel or perceive an emotion. Animal sentience is a highly debated issue between animal activists and the general public. Are animal emotions comparable to human emotions and vice versa? I feel that this is a very important topic to have an educated opinion on. It is a large part of the human-animal bond, which can be based on emotions and behavior. In class we learned about the fields of study associated with this topic. Comparative psychology, which is the understanding of human psychology using animals and ethology, the study focused on animal cognition are fields where scientific research is used (Albert, 2015). A famous scientist that studies animal ethology is Jane Goodall and her experiment living with wild chimpanzees that was considered unscientific. In this video from CBS News, it includes interviews with Jane and her extended experiment with the chimpanzees. As you can see, there are many pros and cons to animal emotions and how to measure it. There are scientists that dedicate their entire careers to it and some say it is anthropomorphic. Anthropomorphism is describing animals with human characteristics. For example, having Simba, the lion, talk in English such as in famous Disney movie The Lion King is anthropomorphism. This concept relates to animal welfare as humans think of animals just like themselves and want to treat themselves as such. The perception of animal welfare is an important topic to not only this class, but also the general public.

The animal rights concept was a big discussion in our class. It is a highly debated topic that farmers and activist organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) take very seriously. In class, we learned about the underlying issues and the tactics used for animal rights campaigns. The documentary about the founder of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk, gave the audience an inside look into PETA and their business. On the other hand, farmers are stepping up and giving virtual tours of their farms to show that they have nothing to hide and that they treat their animals right. Since animal rights are such a vastly disputed argument, I think it is important to have an educated opinion on it. No matter which side you take, you need to have scientific research to back your claims…not based on emotions and feeling.  I think it is also important to distinguish the difference between animal welfare and animal rights. Animal welfare concerns the animal and the environment it lives in whether it be a companion animal or livestock. Animal rights are how the animal is treated. It is important to be educated on this topic so we can contribute to the conversation.  We cannot rely on what we are given through the Internet; we need the truth and find it out ourselves.

In Animal Sciences 305, we learned how animals interact with humans. Through films, entertainment, sports, religion, therapy, and service, we interact with animals every day. It was very surprising to dig deeper into the human-animal interaction and realize that it is one of the biggest relationships a human can have with a non-human. My grandfather and my dog, Sasha have a special bond as seen on the left. He is so happy when she is around. Animals are a part of our society and will be for a very long time. The overall theme in this class is to learn about the human-animal bond. That interaction is an important part of our lives whether they are companion animals or livestock. This class has taught me to be educated about the topic so I have a knowledgeable opinion on it. I had no idea that the human-animal bond was so deep and goes beyond just calling my dog a friend. I learned that animals could be of service to other humans and contribute to society.   

My call to action to those reading this blog is to do the research and form an educated opinion on the human-animal bond. With topics like animal welfare, animals in sports, pet loss, and animal cognition just to name a few, it is important to learn how animals interact with our world. In today’s society, we all think that once we read something on the Internet that we are experts on the situation. I encourage anyone to take a class that focuses on the human-animal bond so you know your pet better and understand to take care of all their needs. It is our responsibility as owners.

Albert, S. (Presenter). (2015, September 1). Animal Cognition. Lecture presented at University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.

Albert, S. (Presenter). (2015, August 27). Domestication and HAB. Lecture presented at University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.

CBS News. (2010, October 24). Jane Goodall and Her Chimps [Video file]. Retrieved from

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5Q6-hh49mU

Dangerous Dog or Dangerous Owner?

Dangerous dogs. It is a subject that is highly debated on whether you are a dog owner or not. It is a thought process that every owner has and must make decisions upon. What constitutes as a “dangerous dog”? Is there a certain breed that is stereotypically thought of to be dangerous? It is a topic that every dog owner has an opinion on, but we have to look at the facts first.

To answer these questions, we must go back through history and see where this problem started and how it has evolved. According to Sarah Albert’s lecture on October 27^th, dogs in the 19^th century had a certain purpose to humans; not as companions as we think they are in today’s society. Dogs could be seen as objects, which could lead to abuse and neglect.  In lecture, we also discussed guard dogs, which were popularly used especially at night. Those dogs were trained to bite anyone that was seen as a threat and were suppose to know who was “good” and who was “bad”.  Owners also had hunting dogs that were trained to kill other animals. On the other hand, dogs were also used on the farm to herd other animals and protect them from predators. Dogs could also be found as strays wandering on the streets. These dogs could potentially carry disease and other parasites, which made them dangerous for a human to interact with them. According to Albert’s lecture, all these dog purposes’ have one thing in common: they are trained to protect and kill anything that jeopardizes that. Later on, this could lead to what we call a “dangerous dog”. Their breed can also characterize these threatening dogs. From our lecture, the Bloodhound breed was considered the first dangerous dog. We discussed the question whether if it was the actually breed that deserves the “dangerous dog” title or if had something to do with the owner. This is a highly debated topic to this day. The German Shepherd breed has also been claimed to be a dangerous dog breed and now can be seen alongside police officers to help. The Doberman Pincher can also be associated as a dangerous dog. In today’s society, it is the Pit Bull breed that is claimed to be dangerous. Throughout the lecture, we also discussed the role the media plays in shaping what is considered a “dangerous dog”. When attacks happen, they can be written out in the next day’s paper or on the morning television report. Is too much media attention causing dogs to get a bad reputation?

If you were to “Google” the most dangerous dog breed, many articles would list their Top 10 list or something similar. The Richest.com website lists their top 10 dangerous breeds. The author, Rob Cramer, rates Great Danes as #10, Boxers #9, Wolf Hybrid as #8, Malamute breed #7, Husky as #6, Bullmastiff ranks #5, Doberman Pincher #4, German Shepherd as #3, Rottweiler as #2, and Pit Bulls as the most dangerous dog breed. This website is not a credible source, but gives a suggestion as what people think are the most dangerous breeds.

If you research dangerous dog breeds on YouTube, a video comes up from Elite Facts. The video contains almost the same breeds from Richest.com but in a different order. The video contains scary images of dogs as seen on the right. The video is also based on opinion and not scientific facts.  It is important for individuals to research this topic more before jumping into any conclusions.

From our lecture, we discussed a question that I think resonates with this issue. Is it the dog breed or the owner? I firmly believe that it is the owner responsibility at fault. Our lecture goes through the history of dangerous dogs and the owner was involved in every situation except when the dog was a stray on the streets. They were guard dogs for the owner, protected livestock for the owner, hunted prey for the owner, etc. There is a pattern here that is associated with the human. The owner enforces all of these actions. On September 10^th, we discussed classification of animals according to humans and our social interaction with them. We consider their use, treatment, and value of animals, especially dogs in this situation. Our August 27^th lecture examined the social hierarchy of dogs and how humans justify the leadership role. The dog adheres to the owner.

I have a dog named Sasha and she is half Pit Bull, half Labrador. She came from the local humane society and we adopted her into our family. Sasha is the sweetest dog I have ever met and is a true friend to me. She is a part of our family and we treat her as such. When I read stories about how Pit Bulls attack others, it breaks my heart. From the articles I read, it also seems that the dogs did not come from good homes as they were outside and were not chained up. Most of the time, those dogs did not have a rabies shot either and were euthanized. Either the owner could not afford the shot or did not care to get it for their dog. This shows me that it is the owner at fault.  Our responsibility as pet owners is to take care of the dog and treat to all of its needs. It cannot just walk up to the local veterinarian and ask for its rabies shot. I believe this is a call to action to end the stereotype of what dictates a “dangerous dog”.

My call to action is for all pet owners. Before deciding to adopt a pet, please consider all requirements the pet needs which includes foot, shelter, medicine, etc. Is it affordable? Secondly, consider the mental health of each person associated with the pet. Are they able to be around animals without hurting them? Do they consider the pet an object or a subject? These questions must be asked before getting a new pet.

Dangerous dogs, including pit bulls should not be considered dangerous because their owner does not care for them. I firmly believe it is within the owner responsibility to treat pets with care and cater to their needs. We need to get rid of that stereotype. I can’t imagine my life without my dog, Sasha who is half pit bull and the sweetest dog alive.  We need to do it for them.

Albert, S. (Presenter). (2015, October 27). The History of Dangerous Dog Attacks. Lecture presented at University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.

Albert, S. (Presenter). (2015, September 10). Social Construction of Animals. Lecture presented at University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.

Albert, S. (Presenter). (2015, August 27). The Science and Biochemistry Behind the Human-Animal Bond. Lecture presented at University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.

Cramer, R. (2014, October 15). The World’s 10 Most Dangerous Dog Breeds. Retrieved from The Richest website: http://www.therichest.com/rich-list/the-biggest/ the-worlds-10-most-dangerous-dog-breeds/10/

Elite Facts. (2015, June 24). World’s Top 10 MOST DANGEROUS Dog Breeds [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HefsnsdyOo

PETA & Pit Bulls

The blog post “PETA Joins Forces with Group Working to Kill All ‘Pit Bulls’ Nationwide” by Nathan J Winograd really saddened me. Before this article, I was under the impression that the goal of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was to save all animals from human use. This article by Winograd discusses the opposite. PETA’s goal is to kill pit bulls. Why? That’s a great question. The article doesn’t go on to say why PETA is choosing to kill all pit bulls that go through the shelter door. It shares examples of how PETA carries out this campaign. This is the opposite of the “No Kill” movement.

We discussed no-kill shelters in lecture on October 20^th. Nathan Winograd who wrote the blog post about PETA started the “no kill” movement.  Our October 20^th lecture discussed the “No Kill Equation” started by Winograd on the left. These examples demonstrate ways of saving pets in   We also discussed the problems associated with this movement in our lecture on October 20^th. The first issue was warehousing. It is a problem in many shelters to have room for all the animals that come in. With the “No Kill Movement”, they do not euthanize animals; therefore, they need room for all pets. It would take time and money as well to house them. This also goes along with the hoarding issue. Too many animals in one place can also lead to neglect and not be able to give each animal its needs. Another issue according to our lecture is limited admission within the shelter. On what condition do they accept animals? Who makes those decisions? A lot of these issues depend on the shelter and their approach to the matter. Another problem with the “No Kill Equation” by Winograd is the emotional and physical state of the animal itself. The length of time they are in the shelter is important as well as their exercise and nutrition. This issue also plays into warehousing. These are all issues with the “No Kill Equation” by Nathan Winograd. PETA’s goal to kill pit bulls obviously goes against this movement. 

animal shelters rather than killing them. I think these are practical methods; however, there are many factors such as cost that need to be taken into consideration. It also depends on each shelter and whether they are willing to participate in the “No-Kill Movement”.

I have a close connect with this blog post. My own dog is half Labrador and half Pit Bull. We adopted her from the county humane society. She was cheaper than the other dogs for two reasons. The first was she was a pit bull. The shelter had many terriers, more than any other breed. They had her at a lower price so she could get adopted. The second reason Sasha was cheaper because she was going to get euthanized if no one took her in. The animal shelter was not a “no-kill” and had limited room.  When we met Sasha, she was the sweetest dog. She was well behaved and not the stereotypical pit bull that everyone thinks they are. The blog post by Winograd talks about this stereotype. Winograd explains that there is no such thing  as a pit bull breed. It is just a stereotype for a group of dogs. I went on to research and found out from that the American Pit Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier are what make up the stereotypical “pit bull” (Dogtime.com). Winograd goes on to write that “not only do shelters misidentify breeds as much as 75 percent of the time, but as used by shelters, law enforcement agencies and even courts, ‘Pit Bull’ is not a breed of dog” (Winograd, 2015). It is an interesting point that Winograd makes. However, he does not provide a source to his statistic, which makes it difficult of whether or not it is factual.

 Winograd’s blog post degrades PETA’s anti pit bull campaign. He is for the “no kill” movement and until now I thought PETA was on the same page or they used to be. I found a blog post from 2009 from PETA’s website that talked about their stance that there were for saving pit bulls. They also advocated for spay and neuter of the dogs. A lot has changed since then. I am confused by PETA’s position, as it seems inconsistent. In this video from PETA’s YouTube Channel, it talks about how PETA supports legislation in favor of requiring pit bulls to be spayed or neutered. This video was posted on October 19, 2015.

The video is titled “100 Pit Bulls in 100 Seconds” that shows injured and starving dogs and why they need to stop the increasing population. They do not mention killing the pit bulls but just simply spaying and neutering them to avoid this problem.

After reading Winograd’s blog and seeing PETA’s blog post and video, it is difficult to say which side PETA is on. Are they anti-pit bull or for saving them? I have always known PETA to save animals, not kill them and their blog post and video support that. We watched a documentary in class about Ingrid Newkirk, the founder of PETA. In that video, she was shown going to houses and rescuing dogs that were not cared for.  Most of them were terriers. In my opinion, I think it is important to do our best to save dogs no matter what their breed. I understand the “no kill” movement and the issues that are associated with it. It is a complex issue. I think the bottom line is that it is important to spay and neuter our pets if we don’t have room for them. I think of my own dog, Sasha, and how she was almost euthanatized. I’m very thankful that my family came along and saved her but shudder to think if we did not. This is an issue I take personally and think it is in our best interest to do anything we can to give pets a great life.

Albert, S. (Presenter). (2015, October 20). The Emotional Environment of Animal Sheltering. Lecture presented at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.

Dogtime.com. (n.d.). American Pit Bull Terrier. Retrieved from Dogtime.com website: http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/american-pit-bull-terrier

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. (2015, October 19). 100 Pit Bulls in 100 Seconds [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arPB4FHgwHg

Winograd, N. J. (2015, October 19). PETA Joins Forces with Group Working to Kill All “Pit Bulls” Nationwide. Retrieved from Nathan J Winograd website: http://www.nathanwinograd.com/?p=15754

Speciesism: Based on Emotion

Speciesism.

It’s a topic that has been debated about for years. I just never knew that there was a technical name for it. It’s a word that causes a lot of anger on either side of the debate. I think it is a word that is argued based on people’s emotions. So what does “speciesism” exactly mean?

According to our class lecture on Septmeber 17th, speciesism is “prejudice against those of another species and that species alone determines value”. The Merriam-Webster dictionary online states that speciesism is “prejudice or discrimination based on species especially discrimination against animals”.  In my own words, I think speciesism is when a species is bias to themselves over another species. I did a simple Google search where I just entered speciesism. Besides given me definitions, I found this image located on the left. According to Google, the mentions of the word speciesism did not increase until the 1970s through the 2000s, which I found very interesting. From our lecture on September 22^nd titled “The Modern Animal Rights Movement” the third wave of the movement hit at the same time. This time frame was also when the Internet was starting to be utilized. With resources like the Internet, people were able to read more about speciesism. 

 The most common example of speciesism is humans to non-human animals. Our lecture discussed that speciesism is very common especially with the human life vs. animal life debate. One organization that comes to mind is PETA or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Their mission is to stop the exploitation of animals whether it is for food, entertainment, or any kind of human use. There are many people that would dispute this. This just proves that the debate is larger than the issue itself.

I come from an agriculture background. I have been involved in the livestock industry showing goats in 4-H and have consumed beef, chicken, turkey, and pork my whole life. I wasn’t introduced to the animal rights issue until I got to college. It was a new issue that I have never been confronted with about. Coming from a small village surrounded by corn and soybean fields to a large city was a huge culture change for me. I was exposed to new people who lived their lives different including not having meat as their daily diet. 

As an agricultural communications major, my main responsibility is to communicate with farmers as well as consumers. Animal rights is a topic that I will have to confront and is the main reason I wanted to take this class. I suggest anyone learns the facts about a topic before educating others about it.  Therefore, I want to get as many perspectives as I can before writing my thoughts about speciesism. It is certainly a topic that has many perspectives depending on who you are, how you interact with non-human animals, and where you come from.

The Ted Talks video featuring Leslie Bisgould was an interesting perspective. An animal rights activist, she illustrates how humans need to reevaluate their relationship with animals. She uses companion animals and livestock as examples. Bisgould also criticizes laws in effect for humane treatment and how they do not work. In the video she says, “these laws are useless. They do nothing. And in no way they protect animals from human caused suffering”. According to Bisgould, the only way to humanly treat animals is not to claim them as our property. We should not refer to non-human animals as “things”. So what do we refer them as if they are not things or property?

When Bisgould talked about livestock and how they don’t see sunlight until they are shipped off to the slaughterhouse was insulting to the agriculture industry. I wanted to ask her if she has ever stepped on a farm and talked with the farmer about their practices. If she would get the facts, she would realize that poultry have to be housed in cages due to numerous factors. If they were outside they would be exposed to predators, weather, and disease. Many people do not realize why farmers do what they do and they do care for their animals in the best way possible.  

Another thing Bisgould talked about was visuals and how they help persuade others of the animal rights movement. We’ve all seen those horrible photos and videos of a pig beating or a cow getting dragged. That is not how animals are supposed to be treated and farmers wouldn’t do that because it affects their business. If they don’t care for their animal, they are unable to sell it and will lose money. You can’t believe everything you see on the Internet and that it is the same for the entire industry. 

From our lectures and readings, I have learned that animal rights activists do not demonstrate speciesism. Their goal is to treat humans and animals of the same quality and treatment. Like Bisgould in the video, they give examples of why non-human animals should be treated equal to humans.

 In our reading of Peter Singer’s book, Animal Liberation during the  “All Animals Are equal” chapter, the author states that “there are obviously important differences between humans and other animals, and these differences must give rise to some differences in the rights that each have”.  Nobody can deny this statement. There are just differences between human and non-human animals. It is just a given fact. That is the main argument of those who are not supportive of animal rights. Humans and non-human animals are different and are not the same thing. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.

What I have concluded about the animal rights movement and speciesism in general is that it is a complex subject. We all have many differing opinions on the subject, which makes it hard to have a conversation about it. It is also an argument that is driven by our emotions. We all have different feelings towards non-human animals and it depends on the person you are talking to. I have a dissimilar view from Leslie Bisgould in the video that might be different from someone else. This is why speciesism is a complex subject that relies on many different factors.

Works Cited

Albert, Sarah. "Speciesism." University of Illinois. Urbana. 17 Sept. 2015. Lecture.

Albert, Sarah. "The Modern Animal Rights Movement." University of Illinois. Urbana. 22 Sept. 2015. Lecture.

Google. "Google books Ngram Viewer." Google. Google, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2015.

     <https://books.google.com/ngrams/ graph?year_start=1800&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=7&case_insensitive=on&content=speciesism&dire ct_url=t4%3B%2Cspeciesism%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bspeciesism%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BSpeciesism%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BSPECIE

            SISM%3B%2Cc0>.

It's time to re-evaluate our relationship with animals: Lesli Bisgould at TEDxUofT. Prod. Tedx Talks. YouTube. YouTube, 6 May 2014. Web. 22 Sept. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr26scqsIwk>.

Merriam-Webster. "Speciesism." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2015. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speciesism>.

Singer, P. (1975). Animal Liberation.