Pets for the Ethical Treatment of All Humans

Pets for the Ethical Treatment of All Humans

by Pam Green, © 2014

Christmas Day I was sitting on my bed watching a figure skating program. It was cold (my house lacks central heat and the heat from the wood-stove doesn't reach my bedroom) , so I had blankets over my legs and lap and FoxTheWickedQueensland was draped across my lap under the covers. I'd invited her there in order to "exploit" her body warmth, but she had equally inserted herself under the covers to "exploit" my hands for chest and belly rubs.

So who is "exploiting" whom ?

She often wants to get under the covers at the start of cool to cold nights , and I'm glad to have her there where I can warm my feet against her. She almost always wants to come under and drape herself hard against me in the mornings. She solicits this if I haven't already raised the covers to invite her under.

Again I ask who is "using" whom ?

Now I think all my dogs would advocate that dogs should treat humans in an ethical manner and to "exploit" without harming.

So would they form PETAA = Pets for the Ethical Treatment of Anthropoid Apes or would it be PETAH = Pets for the Ethical Treatment of All Humans ? Could we run heart-wrenching commercials of dogless human misery with soulful music and voice-overs , soliciting donations of just $18 or $19 a month ?? "Your contribution will make a difference" (a difference to the lifestyle of my dogs and myself as CEO and CFO of this charity). And if we have to take in miserable dogless homeless humans, we will evaluate them and euthanize 99% of them, because really they are too far gone to be saved ?

It's now almost time for me to log off and go "exploit" my dogs. It's gonna be a really cold night tonight, so I may exploit more than one dog.

Goddess rest ye merry , gentle beings.

• On the Relationship of Domestic Pets and Humans as being a Symbiosis , ie that the relationship between dogs and people is normally mutually beneficial and likewise that between cats and humans and that any legislation that purports to promote dog and cat welfare must recognize this and promote and protect that relationship. Dogs and cats should not be exterminated nor turned loose to "go back to the wild."
• Fanatics : Owner's Rights, Animal Rights, a discussion of fanaticism at both ends of the spectrum : at one end, those who feel animals are property and no laws should limit the owner's actions ; at the other end, those who feel animals should not be owned at all.
• Fox, the Wicked Queensland, a song about my adored (and wicked) Queensland Heeler bitch, Fox. I have added a MIDI karaoke file that includes a bit of added verse.