Rethinking The Ethics of Animal Rescue | Bedlam Farm Journal
And as of now, there is little rational argument about animal ethics, the current ethos argues that the lives of all animals are precious, animals have equal, even superior rights than human beings,
and animals must be given perfect lives and kept alive at all costs by any means. This widespread and fiercely defended ideology is not, to me, ethical or merciful, it is actually causing much suffering to people and to animals, and greatly accelerating the disappearance of animals from their habitats and from ours, and thus from the world.
This quote from the linked article particularly provoked my thinking. I know very little about horses or elephants - and some about dogs. The bolded part I particularly agree with. Who lives as a human a *perfect* life? I don't believe that a dog owner should bankrupt themselves or their families to keep a dog alive. There is a time to let go. New medical advances give we dog owners many more options - but at what cost? Just because a medical procedure can be done - does it automatically follow it should be done?
Should we deny seniors the ability to own cats or dogs - because we think that a life with a senior will somehow be less for the dog or cat? Rescues who deny ownership of an animal just because they don't have a fenced in yard? Oh I know that there are rationales - we humans are great at rationalizing away or for anything we decide to do.