Glorfindel wrote:
> John Wesley wrote:
> > In article >, says...
>
> >>He is your chattel property under the law. You have
> >>legal authority to do almost anything you want to him,
> >>short of what is seen as "unnecessary" cruelty ( similar laws
> >>applied to human slaves).
>
> > Bull crap. They beat the living snot out of slaves on a daily basis.
>
> "They" who? Slaves were valuable property and it was counterproductive
> to injure them "unnecessarily". Yes, some masters were cruel and
> irrationally inhumane. Some masters of animals are also, as all rescue
> and humane law enforcement organizations know.
>
> > If they ran away they cut the fronts of there feet off so they couldn't
> > run. They worked them in the fields until they dropped. Our animals
> > are treated 10 times better than most slaves.
>
> >>You have the legal authority
> >>to have him killed if you wish.
>
> > Euthanized if he is sick yes. Killed no. If I shot him I would be
> > arrested.
>
> Yes, but if you take him in to be euthanized by a vet, the vet can
> legally do it even if he is healthy (although many vets won't).
>
> >>You can dispose of him
> >>to any other person by sale, bequest, or gift.
> >>How is he not a slave?
>
> > Slaves are human. Dogs are not human.
>
> Slaves are property. Dogs are property. Their legal status is
> the same.
>
>
> > They can't survive for long on
> > there own (especially mine, he is a chihuahua, hed freeze to death).
>
> Some can, some can't. It depends on the dog.
>
> > They need us.
>
> Usually yes. We've made them dependent.
>
> > When I was a child I worked on my dads farm. I had no choice. I just
> > did it. I got food and a nice house to live in. I had loving parents
> > that took care of me. I couldn't leave. Was I a slave? no
>
> No, you weren't property.
>
>
> > and neither
> > is my dog.
>
> Yes, he's property.
>
> > Hes like my kid. I take care of him and do whats best for
> > him.
>
> That's nice. He's still property.
Pet ownership may be analogous to slavery in terms of legal status
but it is not analaogus in a practical sense. Wesley's dog
has, we assume, a large degree of freedom and is no worse off than he
would be in the wild. The relationship between Wesley and his dog
is almost certainly close to the relationship between parent and child
than master and slave.