Recognizing that dogs are dogs is a quick and easy starting point to make a dog-related argument. You shouldn’t need to rely on making emotional comparisons to humans. Dogs are not people. They’re lesser evolved animals with highly reduced cognitive function than more developed mammals. Equating animals to humans is for dumb people. So when someone is doing something to a dog that you don’t want them to do, saying something along the lines of “you wouldn’t want that done to you” is also dumb.
I forgot the example that made me even start to write this, but it was something having to do with a pampered-dog owner saying “you wouldn’t like that, would you” to some normal act of treating a dog like a normal dog instead of a human. Like having it eat outside, or something, when the owner wanted to feed it in the kitchen around all the human food (gross). “You wouldn’t like that very much, would you?” – uh. no. You got me. I would prefer not to eat canned slop out of a bowl on the floor. What is the point supposed to be here? They think that they’re being clever but really, if they’re claiming that we have to treat dogs under human standards then we have to have them at the table, expect them to use the toilet, and about 999 other basics of being in polite society.
If you think this is some kind of anti-dog argument, you’re dumb. Recognizing that dogs are not people is not anti-dog but it definitely helps in making pro-proper-canine-care arguments.
If someone is leaving their pup tied up outside all day with no attention or exercise, it’s not compelling to say “you wouldn’t want that done to YOU would you?” because anyone leaving their dog tied to a tree for days does not see themselves as on the same level. Instead of making the foolish false parallel, just say the truth: dogs are pack animals that need exercise and attention and leaving them alone with tethered limited mobility for most of their day puts a lot of abusive stress on them. That’s bad and you should not be a bad person. — See how easy it is? No false equivalence to humans required.
The reverse works too: People are people, not dumb animals, but when their behavior resembles that of a lower-evolved creature, it is appropriate to point it out and treat the situation accordingly. If a dog is being aggressive, you muzzle it. If a human is being aggressive, you handcuff it. Simple stuff. .
When people act like animals, you should treat them as such. It happens all the time and it’s an appropriate response. When you think animals are acting like people, however, you don’t treat them as such. You’re only perceiving this because you want to.
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