Should mankind keep animals as pets?

Answer 1

Yes. Why not? They bring happiness to the lives of millions, help the mental well-being of their owners and can actually help their owners live longer, more fullfilling lives. Sure it's selfish but humans are a selfish bunch.

I get the argument that "animals are people too" and that, as such, they deserve the same rights as people but that is ridiculous. Why stop at pets? Farm animals aren't pets but why not get rid of them too? But no one seems to ask what will happen to all the cows and chickens and pigs when they let free. Or the dogs and cats and fish and birds we keep as pets, for that matter.

Stop looking a "mankind" as some sort of mystical, magical, humanistic being and look at us as we really are. Part of the animal kingdom. Flawed and, usually, at the top of the food chain.

Answer 2

Most of the animals that we now consider as pets started out as workers. Horses for transportation for people, pulling loads we were unable to, etc. Cats were kept to keep the rodent population down. Dogs, interestingly enough, evolved from wolves who chose to be around humans due to the leftovers we pitched out. Wolves who were not very alpha or were outcast for some reason, did not have a great chance for much of a life. Humans have always had some sort of leftover food stuffs that we could not consume, bones, hooves, various sundry bits and pieces of whatever animal we were eating that we just could not eat. Same with plants. Wolves found that this was stuff they could live on. Plus the debris we generated attracted other tiny critters that the wolf could eat. The wolves that chose this life were the more passive animals, but they were also more willing to balance the risk associated by being around us with the benefit of something approaching a regular meal. Or at least not starving. Researchers have found that the more submissive the wolf, the more the physiology of the wolf changed. The ears started to droop, the tail dropped, along with other physical changes. Humans found that these animals were worth having around for many various reasons. One could argue that it was the wolf who kept us, at least from their point of view.

None of this address the modern day question you are asking. People find comfort in animals. For many, their pet is their only friend. Animals offer us unconditional love, even if we do not deserve it.

I am having a hard time answering this as I keep running into, "well, what are we to do with all the pets we have now?". Animals that have humans very often are unable to revert to being wild or feral. If you are asking if we should stop any and all future pets, I am still in a quandry. Are you talking about a complete seperation of humans from animals? Are you implying a completely vegetarian existance? We do waste enormous resources raising animals for consumption, resources better spent in any number of ways to feed the population. If we are to still consume at least animal by-products: milk, eggs, wool, what should the human-animal relationship be? Cows, chickens, sheep, goats would be better off treated as pets than most are treated today.

I, for one, would hate to not be able to have my dogs be part of my life. I do know that unfortunately there are way too many who treat their animals horribly. As horribly as some parents treat their children. My feeling though is that in situations of abuse, neither the animal nor the child is a loved one. They are merely targets for abuse and rage. Living punching bags for the mentally and emotionally crippled.

Ah, this is a thorny issue that will not be decided in our life time, methinks.

Answer 3

I think that man should keep animals as pets, otherwise many would be extinct, or run wild in the city streets, chasing people down, in order to survive. Dogs are running wild in the streets of secondary Europian countries, because their owners can't take the time to train them, or feed them properly, so when they visit their relatives down on the farms, somewhere along the way they are let out of the car, and the owner takes off, while the dog chases after him, til he runs out of breath, and then sits by the side of the road to be picked up again, but the owner never comes back, and most of those dogs are killed by cars, or by angry farmers, because the dog has to eat, and eats the farmer's chickens.
Why keep that dog is their reasoning??, his kid is tired of playing with the dog, the dog grows, and it's not cute anymore. Very common in Greece. This goes against the argument of man being able to keep animals as pets, but there are no agencys to control it, and who cares anyway, it's only a dog!. those Words, are theirs, not mine.

Answer 4

It is certainly dependent on the type of animal you're talking about. But in the case of animals that have been domesticated by humans for man thousands of years, the answer is yes. At this point, not many of these animals can survive in the wild and abandoning them to such a life is irresponsible to both the individual animal and to the wildlife of the area. Wonderful as they are, animals are not capable of making informed decisions about whether they would prefer a life of freedom or a life with humans. It is our responsibility as the ones who have domesticated and bred these animals for ages to take care of them and look out for their best interests

Answer 5

YES!!!!! Unless it's a wild creature or something very exotic that shouldn't be kept. I don't know about you, but I'd be very lonely without my pets. In all actually, I like animals better than people. They love unconditionaly, they never complain unless they're sick, they don't tell you what you can and can't do, and the list goes on and on. Who wouldn't want that kind of friendship?

Answer 6

Noah Did

Answer 7

what eles would we keep as pets? i disagree when people keep exotic animals as pets though...? i don't understand your question!

Answer 8

no we should keep other people as pets....

Answer 9

are you serious?

what do you think/?

Answer 10

why not?