"People speak sometimes about the 'bestial' cruelty of man, but that is terribly unjust and offensive to beasts, no animal could ever be so cruel as a man, so artfully, so artistically cruel."
- Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Like many people, I was outraged by the contentious and asinine opinions of Adrian MacNair that appeared in the Surrey Now newspaper regarding the sentencing of Emma Paulsen, the dog walker responsible for the deaths of six dogs in her care.
The the lack of compassion and the insensitivity astounded me as he referred to dogs as inconsequential to this world, even referring to his own dog as stupid.
But, unfortunately, the sad truth is that he is not alone in his opinion of dogs, and I believe that opinions like his contribute to the prevalence of animal abuse in our society.
When people share an opinion that dogs are insignificant and have no concept of themselves and lack sentience, it is easy to negate that dogs have any concept of emotion or pain.
It is then easy to resent having to pay for veterinary care when they get sick or injured. It is also easy to neglect veterinary care when they get sick or injured. It is also easy to not make room for them in your life when you have to move or when they get too old and surrender them to a shelter or euthanize them. It is easy to leave them without food or water for days, tied up to a box in the dead of winter, or dump them at the side of the road and drive off. It is also easy to physically abuse them, carelessly neglect and dispose of them.
In the world shared by people with this opinion, dogs lack any emotion or intelligence, which means they simply don't know what is going on. To them, ignorance is bliss (it is the humans I am referring to as ignorant, not the dogs).
The continued abuse of animals in our society, a civilized society ranked as one of the best places to live in the world, is shameful. The precedent-setting punishment for causing the deaths of those six dogs is just the beginning in the mountainous steps that need to being taken to put an end to the abuse and neglect. The punishment suited the crime and was needed, given our history of punishing animal abusers and the negligible deterrent past convictions have produced. But I do feel that it was simply dipping a toe in the water and punishment should be stiffer. In my opinion, a crime is a crime regardless of whether the victim has two legs or four. The pain they feel and the emotional suffering is the same. Dogs are sentient creatures.
Given the fact that there still is an existing attitude that dogs are insignificant, the only way change can happen is if punishment is increased because it is clear that education isn't working. Threats of impinging one's lifestyle with jail time make most people re-evaluate their opinions and actions. The ones who don't change will do the time.
It would only be fair to mention that the editor of the Surrey Now did print a letter of apology for the callous, disrespectful and insensitive viewpoints of the columnist. As well, a fellow staff writer wrote a counterpoint column expressing his belief that animals are more than just property and, in essence, distanced himself and other staff members from the original columnist's opinions.
I will close with this quote from Albert Schweitzer: "We must fight against the spirit of unconscious cruelty with which we treat the animals. Animals suffer as much as we do. True humanity does not allow us to impose such sufferings on them. It is our duty to make the whole world recognize it. Until we extend our circle of compassion to all living things, humanity will not find peace."
The opinion that dogs and all animals are insignificant only fuels the fire of indifference to the cruelty these creatures endure at the hands of those who view themselves as more intelligent. It's an opinion that serves no one but themselves. If you are not a part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
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.
