【F1】
When people tell me that they love animals because they"re feeling beings and then go on to abuse them, I tell them that I"m glad they don"t love me.
Recognizing that animals have emotions is important because animals" feelings matter. Animals are sentient beings experiencing the ups and downs of daily life, and we must respect this when we interact with them.【F2】
While we obviously have much more to learn, what we already know should be enough to inspire changes in the way we treat other animals.
We must not simply continue with the status quo because that is what we"ve always done and it"s convenient to do so. What we know has changed, and so should our relationships with animals. Quite often what we accept as "good welfare" isn"t "good enough".
Our relationship with other animals is a complex, ambiguous, challenging and frustrating affair, and we must continually reassess how we should interact with our nonhuman kin. Part of this reassessment involves asking difficult questions. Thus, I often ask researchers who conduct invasive work "Would you do that to your dog?"
【F3】
Some are startled to hear this question, but it"s a very important one to ask because if someone won"t do something to their dog that they do daily to other dogs or to mice, rats, cats, monkeys, pigs, cows, elephants or chimpanzees, we need to know why.
Humans have enormous power to affect the world any way we choose. Daily, we silence sentience in innumerable animals in a wide variety of venues.【F4】
However, we also know that we"re not the only sentient creatures with feelings, and with the knowledge that what hurts us hurts them comes the enormous responsibility and obligation to treat other beings with respect, appreciation, and compassion.
【F5】
There"s no doubt whatsoever that, when it comes to what we can and cannot do to other animals, it"s their emotions that should inform our discussions and our actions on their behalf.