Furthermore, for those who are unfamiliar with the proper definition of domestication, it's when we artificially select (versus natural selection) for particular traits, eventually leading to a species that is dependent on us for survival--that cannot survive on its own[/b]
this is the best point i have heard in this thread...and the reason i am against owning a pet, even though i love animals.

owning a pet is like owning a slave to me. it doesn't matter if you care for it, and look out for its welfare, it exists primarily as a human possession, which serves to bring enjoyment to its master/owner.
if i owned a human slave and treated it with respect and perhaps even a measure of 'love', would that change the basic fact it is still a slave?

i am sure this will be a very unpopular opinion..


there is a breed of dog (which a friend of mine owned) which has been bred so selectively for desired characteristics, including size, that the mother cannot give birth naturally without killing herself and her offspring.
it must have its stomach incised (what's the name for that again?)

sure, he enjoyed the dog's company,and took good care of it, but that doesn't mean the whole process isn't unnatural and selfish IMO.

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still, breeding an animal for companionship is still borderline acceptable to me, except most also require us to provide them with meat in order to survive (dogs and cats).

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring04/P.../Processing.htm

this meat obviously has to come from somewhere, and it usually is composed of the remains of animal carcasses which are unfit for human consumption. the pet food industry is in many ways a garbage disposal from these byproducts of largescale meat industries which often cause incredible suffering and diress to animals as intelligent as those we value as pets.

hypocritical if you ask me. this even shows in law. it is a crime to kick a dog or cat to death, and yet factory farming is perfectly acceptable...what's the bloody difference?

well, a steak brings us pleasure, and so does a pet. i see a very grey line between processing animals for physical food, and processing animals for psychological food.

in the end its still processing animals for selfish reasons, and stripping them of their natural environment and lifestyle.


one of the few things i see no problem with is taming a wild horse by non-violent means, or a sheep, etc. they are forced from birth to accept human dominance, and it is wholly their 'choice' (as much as that word is applicable to non-human animals.)