AS and Animal Welfare

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I'm obsessed with cats; I volunteer at a cat shelter and read a lot about them.

I also refuse to kill animals if there's no point in doing so--spiders get put outside, flies get caught and released. But I don't think animals have true "rights"--it's more that we as humans have responsibilities towards them. We're so much smarter and so much more organized than animals; that means we should take care of them. If we're going to eat them, then they should be given comfortable lives and painless deaths. If we're not going to eat them, then there's no reason to kill them. (I do think euthanasia for animals in incurable pain is OK.)

I don't like the idea of wearing fur, because you can get the same warmth from something that doesn't kill animals. I do own some leather shoes and a jacket--leather is made from the same cows we eat, and it makes sense to me that the hides shouldn't be wasted. Also, it is better for the environment than (*shudder*) polyester or plastic.

I am thinking that perhaps I should buy only free-range chicken... I have looked at some chicken cages, and they are just too small to give those birds any quality of life. But at this point I can't afford any chicken--most of my protein comes from tuna, beans, and nuts--so I have a while to decide about that.

Eating animals, to me, is OK. I don't even really mind that some people eat dogs and cats, so long as they keep them well and kill them quickly. But I hate it when people round up and kill stray cats, because they are a "nuisance", and they don't want to take the time to properly manage the ferals.

Hearing about animal cruelty of any sort really enrages me--probably to the same degree that hearing about child abuse does. That is saying quite a lot, since I (like many Aspies) have experienced child abuse firsthand and know it is a miserable thing. Really, animal abuse and child abuse are both variants of taking advantage of those in a weaker position; so perhaps that unfairness is what makes me so angry.

If you believe in animal rights, you have a severe double standard if you eat meat. You're just encouraging the brutal slaughter of animals.

I've always felt closer to animals than to people. Right now, I've got three cats and two mice. My cats are my babies and my best friends. I love my mice, too, though I must admit not as much as my kitties.

I also give $22 per month to the ASPCA. It's not much but it's what I can afford right now.

I was vegetarian for 7 years, I discovered I would much prefer to hunt my own meat, but eventually realised that was impossible, and I would have to deal with my negative feelings on the meat industry if I was to survive, my body doesn't get enough energy out of vegies.

First off, there is a huge difference between animal rights and animal welfare. Animal rights supporters often presuppose that animals have the capability and desires necessary to put them on a level footing with humans, which is eminently foolish. I do not, needless to say, support this view. I, like Callista, believe that we have a responsibility to other animals. I do not, however, believe humanity to be any way morally superior or inferior to animals, and that to me means that eating meat is perfectly acceptable as long as reasonably decent conditions are maintained for the duration of their lives--after all, humans are hardly the only omnivores to do so. I would prefer to buy free-range meat if it were me making the buying decisions for the people in the family.

My daughter, Emmily, has been diagnosed with ADHD, ODD and Aspergr's. She connected with her dog, Abbie, on the deepest level I've ever seen her connect with any living creature. Abbie was (past tense; she died about 2 years ago) the best dog a child like Emmily could ever have. (That is Emmily & Abbie in my Avatar. We got Abbie's name from the "Ab-Be-Normal" skit in that movie "Young Frankenstein" and she sure was a silly lovable abnormal dog!)

Anyhow, Abbie was very tolerant and took everything Emmily threw her way… and that poor dog returned nothing but love to her. I say "poor dog" because Emmily was pretty rough with her. Emmily would pull her ears, poke her in the eyes, pull her tail, grab her by one ear and her tail and play "ring-around-the-rosie", hug and squeeze the breath out of her, lay on top of her, rid her like a horse and hold her mouth closed while she kissed her on the mouth. Emmily even bit Abbie, but Abbie never reacted aggressively and stayed by her side every waking moment… and slept in her bed every night. That dog followed Emmily everywhere. I believe that Abbie truly loved Emmily… as much as a dog, or any animal, is possible of loving a human… and Emmily truly loved Abbie.

Emmily has become very passionate about animals, but she wasn't always like this and she could be as cruel as she is passionate. She use to squish the guts right out of a live lizards when she was younger. That cruelty didn't stop until she was about 9 years old and she still can't explain why she did things like that. I was stumped. I didn't know what to do to get her to stop. Then I finally helped her put her "killing energies" to a more noble cause when she was about 9 and that seemed to put an end to it.

What was that cause? We humanly euthanized hundreds of Cuban Tree Frogs to send to the University in Gainesville, Florida to aide them in the research they have been conducting regarding invasive species that are invading and wiping out native species the State of Florida. I talked Emmily through the entire process and educated her on the importance of animals and trying to protect our native frogs, toads and lizards from the Cuban Tree Frog. (They are wiping out our local frogs, toads and lizards to the point of extinction in some areas in Florida. It's a real shame.) Emmily actually developed empathy for the frogs we killed the further we got into our project. I didn't think that would happen, but I was so relieved that she did. Now that she's 11, she has done more to rescue native wildlife and abandoned animals than most adults. She has become a bit of an expert too. She can explain the purpose of just about any animal she's asked about, which is pretty good for any 11 year old.

I believe that pets have an important role in our lives. They love us unconditionally and put up with the nonsense that no other human in the world would be willing to put up with. I think all animals are very important in our lives. My family now has one Rottweiler, two rescued cats, one guinea pig, a lot of fish and our newest addition is a 5 foot male iguana that put the big "L" in Lazy Lizard. We love our pets, but if our house was burning down, I'd save my family before my pets… but preferably, we could gather all our pets up and save them with ourselves and never have to make a choice.

As far as other animals go, when an animal doesn't have a perceived value in the natural order of things, then they are perceived to be nasty creatures, a nuisance, or pests. The way I see it, we all have our place in the world, even if that place is as nourishment for the body of another creature. If an animal becomes a pest to you, observe them and try to figure out how you can coexist with them… if you can't, at least don't be inhumane to them and for heaven sakes don't kill them unless it's for scientific purposes, they have become an epidemic that must be controlled, they are a danger, or you plan to eat them.

I was vegan for just as long. I don't like being just veggie because I'm no fan of the factory farm diary industry. Besides I'm somewhat sensitive to dairy. And its easier being vegan because I easily remember what proucts I can eat and which I can't. However I find many parts of the veggie/vegan inustry annoying aswell, packaging for example is often environmentally unfriendy. Also, I'm somewhat sensitive to soy-based products and I can't live off of beans/nuts ALL the time. For the past four/five years I eat whatever because I can't get to stores that carry what I need to stay vegan. But this is really nagging my mind and I'm exploring my options at the moment.....
I could say a lot more on this topic but I'd go on forever, so I'll shut up.

I like dogs, and am an accomplished dog trainer. Yah, a lot of people say that, but they aren't. I believe I truly am. The animal I'm most afraid of is a dog because there are so many unhealthy animals out there (and I have been bit a number of times throughout the years, especially when I was a kid).

I don't care to hunt, but I do anyway because the meat is really yummy, and it's healthy for you.

I like being around healthy dogs because they are a lot easier to deal with. The way they communicate is extremely consistent and straight-forward. This is how I like to communicate.