Essay: The ethics of keeping pets

The ethics of keeping pets is a subject that still comes in to debate today, whether it is ethically right or not to keep an animal as a pet. Pets can be any type of species such as a dog or a cat, or even a leopard gecko. But with such a variety of different animals seen as pets it means that all their biological and psychological needs are not the same, and the owner must learn how to properly care for them. It becomes an ethical problem when these needs are not met and it raises the question whether it is right to keep pets. It is not just pet owners who have to ensure they are treating their pet ethically right, but also pet shops who sell pet, and breeders. Pet shops must ensure that all the animals that they sell are treated properly and have all their needs catered for. Breeders must also ensure that their pets are cared for appropriately, and that when selling the animals, they are given to people who will care for them correctly. It is a big debate on the ethical side of keeping pets, whether it is in the animals best interest to be kept as pets by people.
Hilary Bok (2011) defines pets as “nonhuman animals that people take into their homes and accept as members of the household”.
The question still raises today as to whether it is ethical or not to keep pets. For many, pets are seen as companionship and great happiness.  And adopting an unwanted or unloved animal would clearly be seen as a morally good thing to do.  (BBC, 2014) states that it is only ethical to keep an animal as a pet if both the animal’s biological and psychological needs are properly catered for.
The most common pets are drawn from the pool of domesticated animals such as cats and dogs, often these pets are seen as morally good since they have a long history of being part of family homes.
If an animal is not well cared for, or is seen as harm to any other animal or human being this is when ethical problems arise.
This essay will focus on the argument as to whether or not it is ethical to keep pets, in homes and in pet shops. Along with focussing on overbreeding, the dangers of pets, exploitation and also breeding clubs.
In order for me to answer the question effectively, I will compare both arguments for and against.
For as long as animals have been domesticated there has been massive debate on the ethical side of keeping animals as pets. But the human desire to have that animal as a companion has created many of the animals to still have some of its natural instincts, however they would not be able to survive in the wild on their own, so must be kept in houses, cages and on fields to keep them safe. Having animals as pets has created a vast problem with overbreeding, this results in many animals being abandoned and having to live on the streets, as well as having to be put down. The breeding of illegal dogs such as the Pitbull terrier, this has also caused a problem, as it means that a potentially dangerous dog is in the hands of a person who may or may not have welfare as their priority, as they could be used in illegal dog fighting. This could because that type of the dog, the Pitbull terrier, is considered a statues dog and being illegal makes them more desirable. If caught with an illegal dog that dog is sent to a dog pound to be put down, this creates an ethical problem of the dog has the right to live and it’s not the dog which is the problem it’s the owner.
The different types of pets that people have, require different needs to help them to survive like a dog has different requirements to a snake. It is down to the owner of the pet to ensure that their pet gets the correct requirements and are able to behaviour as naturally as is possible. If these needs aren’t met, then this is where the ethical side comes in to it, as why should people be allowed to keep animals if needs can’t even be met.
Some people believe that animals should not be kept as they aren’t given the opportunity to behave naturally as they would in the wild. They are also restricted to what their owner gives them such as dry cat food or wet cat food, whereas in the wild they would have had to hunt for their food, which is part of their natural instinct to do. However, it could be argued that these animals wouldn’t necessarily know any different as they only know the environment in which they have lived in. Also, if they are getting all the necessary requirements needed for them to live a healthy and happy life, then why can’t people keep animals as pets.
As well as pet owners, pet shops must also ensure that they are looking after their animals welfare correctly. Wild/exotic animals and smaller animals are protected under the Animal Welfare Act 1996, this first came into effect in 1966. In the act – Promotion of welfare part 9 – (Animal Welfare Act 1996) it states that the animals must have a suitable environment, a suitable diet, they should be able to exhibit normal behaviour, be housed correctly so if they are social animals then be housed with others of the same species or if they aren’t social then they should be housed apart from other animals. They should also be protected from any pain, suffering, diseases and injury. Pet shops also have the responsibility to ensure that any sales of their animals are should to people who are old enough to buy them and have all the information they need to correctly care for them. However, it can be argued by that is it ethical to sell animals as the pet shop doesn’t know if the animals they sell are going to be looked after correctly and kept in a safe environment.
Breeding clubs such as the kennel club can be questioned for their ethics when it comes to them focusing on breeding dogs to have specific traits such as the bulldog to have shorter legs, be short faced and have a wide chest. This however causes problems for the bulldog species as they end up having Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome this is due to their shortened face, this causes them to have difficulty breathing and difficulty eating. They do however have a code of ethics which breeders and owners must follow to keep the dog healthy and happy.
To conclude the ethics of keeping pets, it is a broad subject to talk about as there are many different views on the ethics of pets and animals in general. An owner must care for their pets psychological and biological needs so the pet has a good life and is also able to behave like any normal dog would. If the needs aren’t met, then this is where an ethical problem arises as the animal is not being treated correctly. Pet shops and breeding clubs also have responsibility for pets as they must ensure that the animals are going to be going to a good home. Also, that whilst in the care of the pet shop the animals are still getting all the correct needs even if they haven’t been bought by a pet owner yet, or customer.