Which mammal species are suitable to be kept as pet?

Discussion in 'Biology & Genetics' started by Plazma Inferno!, Jul 13, 2016.

  1. cluelusshusbund + Public Dilemma + Valued Senior Member

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    Heres a video that has it... the wildebeast part starts at 2:52

     
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  3. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    That's ... adorable!
     
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  5. cluelusshusbund + Public Dilemma + Valued Senior Member

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    It was neet seein one get away wit its life for a change.!!!
     
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  7. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    Huh? Who doesn't keep their dog locked in or penned up? Who doesn't keep their dog on a leash and sometimes muzzled? Daniel Boone?

    Of course "most" people certainly do. What "compels" them is the desire to keep their dogs from running away - and the desire of the rest of society to not have animals running free. Regardless of how you rationalize it, for "most" pets, there is no freedom.
     
  8. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    Run outside? Yes, more often than not, if given half a chance. Bite? No, the biting response is for when the dog feels he's in imminent physical danger. A prisoner will not punch out every guard he sees but that doesn't mean he isn't looking for a chance to escape.

    You seem to be thinking about a very small minority of dogs that come immediately when they're called and do exactly what they're told without being told twice - because they want to. The vast majority of dogs are not that well assimilated into human culture.

    Like a prisoner who's taken outside to go to court, etc. Yes, a taste of free air is nice. Let him off the leash, let him out of the cuffs, and see how close he stays.

    It isn't about a contribution to the universe. It's about the perks.
     
  9. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    This is still anthropomorphizing.

    Animals don't have an existential imperative to have what humans call freedom. Sure, they want to go outside, but they do not feel oppressed or imprisoned. We can tell this by how they behave toward their masters. The masters are the leaders of the pack, and if the master says stay in the cave, the pack stays in the cave. This is not oppression, this is the animal version of "society" - animals do have the social concept of a pack. The good of the pack outweighs the individual's desire. And they abide by it willingly, because they desire to remain part of the pack.

    Humans do have existential imperative to be free and not imprisoned, and yet we too willing abide by the requirements of our society because we want to remain part of our society. (This is why, despite my desires, I don't walk the streets naked - and why I don't try to smooch with the next pretty thing that passes me. Note: don't try these simultaneously.) Even I as a a human do not consider myself to be oppressed or imprisoned because of my choice to remain part of my society.

    So no, no matter how often you compare animals to humans, well-treated animals do not feel a human sense of oppression or imprisonment.
     
  10. billvon Valued Senior Member

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    And generally Fido makes the final choice. Very few breeders force two dogs to mate.

    Out of curiosity - do you eat meat?
     
  11. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Source? What dogs would these be? How do you conclude "very small minority" versus "vast majority"?

    But yes, dogs that have not been well assimilated would not make good pets. I'm not sure that does much to inform the thread subject though.

    If we are really talking about animals, why is it that you must use analogies to humans every time you ascribe a motive to an animal? The fact that you must - in a sense - commit a straw man fallacy every time you make a point - this should be a warning sign. If the discussion is about animals then the discussion is about animals - not humans.
     
  12. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    That's what I'm saying.

    That's nonsense, of course. Otherwise there would be no such thing as a lost dog.
     
  13. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    Admittedly, I'm only going by my own experience. I personally have never seen a dog that wouldn't come and go freely if given the chance.

    Because humans are animals.
     
  14. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Humans are animals. Therefore - what? animals are human?

    Humans have opposable thumbs.
    Humans are animals, therefore ... animals have opposable thumbs?

    I think you'll want to check your logic, and the conclusions you can draw.
     
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2016
  15. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    Therefore their behaviour is not as dissimilar to human behaviour as you pretend.

    How do dogs get "lost" if not because they take a chance at freedom? By your logic, you could leave the front door open and the dog would never go outside without your permission; you could leave the gate open. You could walk your dog without a leash and it would walk obediently beside you, ignoring all other stimuli because it "loves" you.

    We observe the fact that dogs behave the same way in captivity as humans do.
     
  16. cluelusshusbund + Public Dilemma + Valued Senior Member

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    Woud you consider it ethical if Georgie didnt have the choice.???

    No... but i eat milk an egges.!!!
     
  17. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    So, since all firetrucks are trucks, therefore trucks behave like firetrucks? They have sirens and flashing lights?

    Finding some similarities between two things does not mean you can expand the net of similarity freely.

    "This circle and this square are both shapes and both red. It is safe to conclude that the circle has a similar number of vertices as the square."

    Your analogy is faulty. We know that animals have a different mental capacity than humans.



    Because they like to be outside.

    They do not like to be "lost". They certainly understand the concept of home and the pack and safety.


    We're not talking about captivity; we're talking about pet ownership - a place in the family.
     
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2016
  18. billvon Valued Senior Member

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    Hmm. So you feel pets are immoral but are OK with how dairy cows and chickens are treated? From my experience, pets have far more freedoms, and are treated far better, than livestock.
     
  19. cluelusshusbund + Public Dilemma + Valued Senior Member

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    Yes i thank ownin pets has ethical issues... but im not oK wit how food animals are treated... an how about you... do you thank ther shoud be improvments in the threetment of dairy cows an chickens.???
     
  20. billvon Valued Senior Member

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    D
    In many cases, yes. Good organic farms often take pretty good care of their livestock, but the vast majority of farms act only to maximize profits.

    You don't need to treat them like pets - but in my opinion they should at least be treated like cows and chickens, not like meat and egg reactors.
     
  21. cluelusshusbund + Public Dilemma + Valued Senior Member

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    Most people are much more ethical in the treetment of pets than the treetment food-animals get... an wit people like you an me gettin the word out about unethical treetment of animals... it will help to make the world a beter place

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  22. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    We're not talking about vague similarities. We're talking about specific behaviours. Dogs behave like human prisoners. Trucks with sirens and flashing lights behave like fire trucks.

    I don't walk family members on a leash. I don't make family members stay off the couch.
     
  23. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    But they don't.
     

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