ANIMAL RIGHTS Part 1: Dogs and Sharks

Why care about pigs? Or chickens? Or cows? Or fish? Or sharks (Especially after Jaws)? Or dolphins? Or whales? Or horses? Or tigers? Or dogs? Or cats?

 (All photos found on Google images)

Dogs:   In America dogs are everywhere. Puppies instantly get us with their cute faces (even though we try not to show it to avoid seeming cliché). Dogs are loyal pets – alerting their family when strangers are around. They would instantly defend them against any person who would bring harm into the household. Cops specifically train dogs to find criminals ad detect drugs. But more than their protective nature, the thing people love most about dogs is their unyielding affection. A dog is the first face you see when you walk through the door. They are always excited to see you. They wait around all day for you to come home, moping by the window. Dogs are lively and energetic making their demeanor optimistic and welcoming. They are often taken for granted, but their presence is resilient and always appreciated. They make a family feel safe and at home.

            In India, for the most part, dogs have been looked down on for a long time. They see dogs as “vomit eaters” because when a dog throws up it will lap up its vomit. This is gross. But a dog only does that because its sense of taste is minimal. That’s why dogs can eat out of garbage cans and not care. In India dogs are shunned because they are loathed and seen as filthy creatures. They are left to wander the streets trying to fend for themselves. They think of dogs the way most Americans instinctually think of pigs: Lowly creatures not worthy of consideration. But dogs are domesticated animals and cannot live well enough on their own. They can also contract harmful diseases they can then spread to other animals and humans. Dogs need to be cared for.

            On Animal Planet there was a show that discussed “Drug Puppies”. Drug dealers have come up with a new way of getting drugs across the borders. They take puppies, slit open their stomachs, place packages drugs in them, and then sew them back up. The puppies are then taken across the border and given over to drug dealers on the other side. Those dealers then cut the puppy open and take the drugs out. The puppies –which are still alive- are then discarded and left for dead. [When people Don’t respect animals, animals Always suffer]

Sharks:    Except for the sharks in Jaws and Deep Blue Sea which were meant to frighten people, sharks don’t go out of their way to eat humans. There are only about 5 species of shark out of the thousands that exist that are actually harmful. Tiger sharks are like garbage disposals – they’ll eat anything in their path (including license plates and toilet seat covers). Great whites eat mostly seals that swim along the surface of the water. Guess what humans look like to those sharks? (Sorry they don’t take the time to differentiate between warm-blooded swimming mammals). Sharks feed on instinct. They don’t have Red Lobster or Black Angus catering to their needs. They eat what they can when they get the chance. They don’t have the luxury or the intelligence to distinguish between seals and humans.

            In China they make an expensive soup designed for the wealthy called “Shark Fin Soup”. They pull a shark onto a boat –usually a blue shark or reef shark- slit the fins off its body and seconds later chuck the shark back into the ocean. Imagine: Having your arm s and legs cut off and then being thrown into the water to slowly die of asphyxiation while being torn and eaten by nearby sharks. It’s as inhumane as it is cruel. Can you imagine people doing that to a dolphin? [When people Don’t respect animals, animals Always suffer]