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Animal "rights" versus animal "welfare"

N.H. Sunday News - Dog Tracks Column - 5/18/08
By: Gail T. Fisher

Political correctness has run amok. I am so incredibly tired of tiptoeing around verbal eggshells lest I risk someone take offense where absolutely none is intended. The simplest, most innocent-seeming words no longer have simple, innocent meanings. For example, I preside over the board of a non-profit organization. I am as liberated as the next woman, but I have no problem with, and take no offense being called the “Chairman” of the Board. I am well-aware of my gender, so I don’t require the title Chair”woman.” Nor am I a neutral Chair”person” or, worse still, an inanimate “Chair” (which is what I sit in during meetings). How about simply changing the spelling to chairm*O*n, rather than have to ludicrously and endlessly consider gender or lack of gender when referring to one who presides over a meeting. Consider that if we do this with all other words ending with the suffix “man,” how it will free us for more important things at which to take offense.

What does this have to do with dogs, you wonder? My point is that the political correctness that may have started innocently enough with human-based movements of the 60’s (most notably Civil Rights) has morphed into and taken over animals. And if we dog lovers are not diligent and aware, we face serious dangers.

It started about eight or nine years ago in San Francisco when animal rightists declared that we don’t “own” our pets, we simply have “guardianship”. What may seem like a small change in the lexicon of a movement that started with animal “welfare” has become a potential atomic bomb in the battle between animal “welfare,” animal “rights,” and animal “liberation.”

Recently, I was reviewing a Draft Report from a national dog training organization’s Education Task Force of which I am a member. The author of the Draft used the word “guardian” to refer to the person who acquired the dog from its source (whether from a breeder, rescue service, pet shop, or friend), buys the dog food, pays for the dog’s school and spends time training the dog, pays the mortgage or rent for the house in which the dog lives, and pays the dog’s veterinary bills. Two Task Force members (I being one) wrote objecting to the use of this term. The other objection came from our Task Force Chairman (sic) who attached a column she had written as Secretary of the Carolina Federation of Dog Clubs. Because this is not a local problem, but is a National and International movement, I asked for and received permission from Maggie Blutreich, Secretary of the Carolina Federation of Dog Clubs, to share her article with you. She wrote in part:

“The North Carolina Federation of Dog Clubs represents responsible members of the dog fancy from all corners of the state. … The Federation’s main mission is to monitor current and pending canine legislation. Many extremely well funded and heavily advertised groups advocate for Animal Rights. The NC Federation of Dog Clubs, along with the American Kennel Club, the American Dog Owners’ Association and countless similar national and state-based groups advocate for Animal Welfare. At first glance, the two terms may seem similar, but there is a world of difference.

“The goal, mission and purpose of Animal Welfare is to prevent suffering and cruelty to animals, to provide care and good homes for pets in need. This often includes, but is not limited to, funding and running animal shelters. Such shelters are intended to provide sanctuary for abandoned, abused, homeless or unwanted pets, to place them in good homes, where possible, to provide painless euthanasia for those that cannot be placed, to educate the public about the need to spay or neuter pets in order to prevent more animals from ending in shelters. Further, the Animal Welfare goal, mission and purpose is for enforcement of anticruelty statutes (where their authority permits). to initiate, lobby for and monitor enforcement of legislation to help ensure more humane standards of care for livestock, laboratory animals, performing animals and pets.

“The goal, mission and purpose of Animal Rights is to end all human ”exploitation” of animals -- including, but not limited to: eliminate raising and slaughtering livestock for human or animal consumption, eliminate eating meat, end hunting, eliminate using animals for any medical or veterinary research. Further, the goal, mission and purpose of Animal Rights is to … end horse shows, end dog shows, stop animals performing in TV commercials, shows or movies (regardless of how well treated any of the above are), eliminate guide dogs for the blind, eliminate police dogs, eliminate assistance dogs, eliminate search and rescue dogs, and end the practice of owning pets of any species.

“A key marker in new legislation being advanced by many Animal Rights groups is the use of the tag “Guardian” to replace the word, “Owner.” This change in wording may sound innocuous, but it actually has strategic legal ramifications designed to curtail a person’s right to enjoy any kind of relationship with domestic animals. All pet owners, responsible breeders, exhibitors, animal sports enthusiasts, trainers, and more need to be aware.”