I have been loosely following the horses of Central Park animal rights controversy in the news as of late.
If you haven't heard about it, the basic gist of it is that some animal rights activists are trying to put an end to the horse-drawn carriage rides through Central Park in New York City. Individuals, including the mayor, claim that having to pull carriages and people through a massive park in one of the largest cities in North America is abusive to the horses.
Now, you are probably wondering what this has to do with dogs. Well it's not so much dogs or horses up for discussion, but rather the issue of animal rights and activists.
To be clear I am not discussing animal abuse or the definition thereof, but the interpretation of "what is in the animal's best interest."
Having grown up on a farm and having returned to the rural life, my view of animal welfare is, and always has been, arguably different than that of the average urbanite. I have a difficult time listening to people whose children have no idea where milk comes from remark on how dairy cows are treated. I shake my head at people who keep chickens in a cage on their condo balcony so they can get a fresh egg every day complain about how chickens are kept in large facilities. And I also have a hard time hearing about a potential dog owner's application being rejected because they live on five acres while the rescue organization is housing 10 dogs in an urban home pending adoptions. The irony is overshadowed only by contradiction.
At what point does activism become selfish, based on views that come from judgment rather than true knowledge of an animal's needs? Is it really better that a dog is walked with a group of other dogs on the same trails for an hour every day then left inside the home alone until a family member returns? Or is it better that a dog is allowed to explore - unrestricted yet supervised - its environment all day long while the owner tends to daily tasks outside? I suspect there are many opinions of this situation. And if you are truly honest with yourself you would realize that the side you took was selfishly constructed from your personal opinion of what's best for your dog based on your current situation. It would not be based on what is truly best for the dog. We make this selfish judgment regarding animal welfare based on what we want for the dog.
If we were truly acting in the best interest of dogs we would not keep them in apartments, or alone all day only to be walked for 30 minutes when the owner gets home. We would not pay for dog daycare, dog training and dog walkers because dogs should be free of behavioural restrictions and boundaries - like their wolf cousins. This would mean that only people in rural areas, where life is less restrictive, could have dogs.
But if we do that, if we set that as the bar for animal welfare, we would deprive urban dwellers of the innate human desire to connect with nature. We would deprive people of the tranquil feeling of companionship that comes with having a dog rest its head on its owner's lap. We would deprive humans of the joy they receive from living vicariously though their dog's joie de vivre.
Sometimes owning a dog is the closest people will ever get to experiencing another living animal in their presence other than humans and by depriving them of a dog we deprive them of maturation.
If activists were really acting in the best interest of animals, they would realize that there is no right or wrong way. They would recognize that all animals, including horses, chickens, cows and dogs, are able to live comfortably within their chosen living arrangements because they adapt and they have been adapting for tens of thousands of years. That is what domestication is.
Joan Klucha has been working with dogs for more than 15 years in obedience, tracking and behavioural rehabilitation. Contact her through her website k9kinship.com.
