Humans have a special connection with various animals such as dog or cat. This special connection exceeds simple affection. The animal connection played an vital role in human evolution. Through the domestication process, our primal likeness to animals took a beneficial turn. Vast quantities of knowledge have been amassed thru our connections to and interest in animals. This knowledge is recommended in that it has allowed us to use this relationship to train these animals and later procreate for our needs. The dog is a special animal that has since early times shaped a strong relationship with man.
Domestication of Animals
Most of the relationship between man and animals corresponds to different views. Keeping animals as pet creates a link with most of these views. Domestication of animals can be traced to ancestral history (Berns,2013)). Sperlin argued that domestication of animals influenced the evolution of human and man greatly. Ancestrally, humans used animals for farming, hunting, food, security and even event clothing.
Shifting to hunting from farming, created a basic change in human animal relationship. Scientific discoveries together with technological and industrial evolution, affected the relationship between animals and mankind. Modern societies have proved crucial in human animal relationships. Training and pet care careers are existent in modern societies unlike traditional ones (Berns, 2013)). This has further shown the changes in human animal relationship. In training, dogs for instance, are conditioned to trail various command levels. In law enforcement and military agencies, dogs are used in search and rescue events. Other communities use dogs for protection, aid people with disabilities.
Keeping pets has and is playing a crucial role in provision of companionship and emotional support to humankind. Emotional support can only come from positive human animal relationship. This has arisen from care, nurture and training that we keep on to provide. Other benefits arising from domesticating animals are loneliness relieve, anxiety reduction and companionship (Cesare,2013). Dog walking also enables people to exercise helping towards reduction of health costs.
Animal Rights
The concepts of animal rights have hugely influenced how we care and protect animals. Like humans, animals too have inherent values which should be respected even though the lack moral awareness and self-identity. Nitkin, Patricia further argues that animals should not be treated as property for the purpose of research, food, clothing and even entertainment objects. Animals should rather be considered as moral community member and be treated as a non-human person (Knapp,1999). Animal rights activists argue that animals should at least have right to freedom from bodily interference and right of life.
Animals should be recognized as equal beings with mankind and should enjoy freedom and life in our communities. Increased socio-political and scholarly campaigns have seen to it that animal rights have been included in legal statutes. One can be punished by the law if s/he mistreats animals. These campaigns are very effective. They have influenced animal legislations greatly. Others argue that animals should not have similar rights to humans since they cannot indulge in social contract and they lack understanding of wrongs and rights and therefore they are unable to make decisions, morally, like humans.
Animals as our Machines
Our history shows that human animal relationship is complex. Animals are used by humans for different reasons from companion to working animals. Researchers argue that animals form a part of a system and should be utilized by mankind. It is different from that of animal rights. Some researchers_x0092_ critic the animal rights movement since they differ from his theory. He, firstly, agrees with some parts of animal rights campaigns like animals can feel pain when tortured like humans since they have sensory sentiments. He disagrees with animal rights activists that animal should choice and expression freedom because they are not moral agents thus lack the capacity to hold any rights. Thus animals should be utilized by animals at will. He shifts the moral obligation to man. Man should utilize the animal without subjecting them to inhumane tortures and inflicting pain and suffering.
Both agriculture and other products come from factories in the modern society. Factory farming is a chief example of machine minded mankind. In this century, our ethics and morals have been compromised in favor of an industrial attitude. This attitude is insensitive towards animals. Animals are exploited and treated as machines as if our survival depends on animals that are caged and fed hormones forcefully in a lab (Knapp, 1999). Factory farming has fast food production and economic benefits but is detrimental to both animals and humans. Animal rights are exploited and animal farming poses a health risk to humans.
Factory farming has realized a decrease in prices in products and meat. Conditions in factory farms have severe behavioral and physiological afflictions to animals. The number of ailments plaguing farm animals in this century is long. They are evident in livestock, innocent, such as dogs which are kept in too small cages (Berns,2013). Meat producers administer antibiotic doses continually and other drugs to animals as a cost effective practice. This practice has a negative impact on these animals.
As researchers encounter and attempt to overcome overcrowding, husbandry and intensive confinement easily as cost effective practices by continually administering antibiotics shows the industrial affiliation humans possess towards animals. This affiliation shows that animals are objectified by factory farming for fast food production and eventual consumption. Animal rights have been pushed aside while factory farmers give little or no attention to farm animals.
Factory farming links humans and animals strongly. They compromise their health for an industry that injects antibiotics and other drugs into farm animals and the animals are later pumped into us; a relationship that animals and humans share. Humans and animals are affected by the barbaric and unapologetic practice. Animals have been turned to machines by humans for the sole purpose of profit. Humans exploit animals that in turn kill us. That is morally important has been left behind for an industrialized attitude of survival that eventually kills us. Family farming is unreliable in providing for the needs of the world as compared to factory farming. Farming, factory is the most obvious option for food production in the world which has a tremendous population growth (Pluhar, 2010.)
Conclusion
From time immemorial, animals have and will continue playing an important role in our lives. Mankind have kept animals as pets for centuries, in modern societies though, protection and animal care have taken main stage in the media. Attention on pets care and animal keeping has increased exponentially.
The cruelty we impose on nature is inexcusable. Animals are killed to appease gods in many festivals. Other animal parts are sold in the black market with none to honorable intentions at ridiculous prices. We should aspire to conserve animals in any way we can. Organizations are trying to do their best but we should join them for better treatment of animals, farm or otherwise.
References
- Berns, G. (2013). How dogs love us: A neuroscientist and his adopted dog decode the canine brain.
- Cesare, M. (2013). The man with the black dog. Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball.
- Inman, M., & TheOatmeal.com (Firm). (2013). My dog: The paradox. Kansas City, Mo: Andrews McMeel Publishing.
- Knapp, C. (1999). Pack of two: The intricate bond between people and dogs. New York: Delta Pub.
