Humanizing Animals

This is all besides the point. My original point was simply that you shouldn't necessarily consider pets in the same way you consider people, because they ARE different.

A cockroach doesn't love you. Even if it keeps coming back to you for food, it is not capable of love.
 
Norsefire said:
This is all besides the point. My original point was simply that you shouldn't necessarily consider pets in the same way you consider people, because they ARE different.

A cockroach doesn't love you. Even if it keeps coming back to you for food, it is not capable of love.
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Of course they are different. So what ?
Is the cockroach required to love you before it gains your respect ?
 
Norsefire said:
This is all besides the point. My original point was simply that you shouldn't necessarily consider pets in the same way you consider people, because they ARE different.

A cockroach doesn't love you. Even if it keeps coming back to you for food, it is not capable of love.
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Again, how do you know how a cockroach feels? We can only assume what anyone or thing thinks or feels because unless someone tells you how they feel, you can't be certain what they are feeling. If Butterflies can have personalities, cockroaches can have feelings.
 
This thread got too long to respond to all of it at once. I'll start with Page 1.
Orleander said:
Is it a mental illness to humanize animals? If people treat a dog like a child, call themselves Mommy or Daddy to little Fido are they mentally ill?
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Do you take everything literally? You must be hard to deal with! When people give names to their cars or call them "baby," do you think they really mean that too?
Orleander said:
Is it just cultural? Is it more women than men doing it?
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Women do it more in public. I say silly things to my dogs but not around strangers.
Norsefire said:
. . . .the dog you think is cute does not like you.
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That's not true. Dogs are pack-social animals like humans, and furthermore they've been living with us in multi-species packs for around 15,000 years. The wolves who didn't have the inclination or temperament to socialize with us stayed out in the wild, but the ones who liked being with us stayed and they still like us. Most dogs think humans make fabulous pack-mates. We're fun, we're affectionate, we're loyal, and we buy all the food. What's not to like?
They are ultimately competitors.
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You need to learn more about pack-social animals versus herd-social animals versus solitary animals. Members of a pack cooperate to improve everyone's life.
Do you think the puppy looks at you and says "aw look at that cute human?". No.
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Dogs love their family and will risk their life for us.
But they don't love you. Apart from some primates and perhaps a handful of other species, most of the life on earth is incapable of feeling emotions as complex as humans, and are largely not even self aware.
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Again, you don't know much about pack-social species. Have you ever even had a dog?
 
Norsefire said:
I didn't say I WANT to kill them. But pets cause problems.


What does anything I said have to do with that?

Also I am not saying you shouldn't have animal companions. Just, realize that they are a totally different species and ultimately they want to survive, as much of a "bond" they might have with you
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Pets cause problems?

You're entitled to your own opinion.

Just don't ever try and take my hypothetical Alsatian away from me. :D (I really want an Alsatian, when I have my own place.)
 
There are no hedgehogs native to the US. I just looked it up.
The ones that are there are introduced.

There are sixteen extant species of spiny hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand. There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to North America; those in New Zealand are introduced.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Hedgehog

In the US it's illegal to own hedgehogs as pets by the way. So I'm afraid your hedgehog will stay hypothetical.
 
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