@erikah thanks for your comments and for taking the time to read my article :) I have interacted with many animals in my life and have found them to have characters, be expressive of emotions and feelings, have empathy and compassion for people AND express it, there is very little doubt in my mind that we, as humans, have very little understanding of how complex these beings are.
If we take the time to interact with these animals as though they are a sentient being, or like we would another human being, we find that we can bond with them in similar ways, they can become our friends and family.
I have had some confrontations with animals in the past, and while i have been prepared to fight if need be, i have found that being calm and interacting with the animal with respect has gotten me out of these situations quite easily. Though i know that method may not work with all animals (eg bears, lions, elephants) , they are also sentient beings which can be connected with. That being said we must always be cautious when interacting with animals we are not familiar with.
Well said, I agree with every word you said! The sad thing is that many people have pets and have absolutely no idea how to treat them. I'm always saying that people should attend some courses before getting pets and teach people how to behave with animals first, then give them animals.
I don't own an animal but my dad had a dog and was able to spend a lot of time with him. Unbelievable how smart he was although no one has thought him those things.
I'm very glad you did this article and maybe you can do more to raise awareness, to make people pay more attention to animals.
some people tend to see animals as an object or possession.... so they think the can just sell it or get rid of it if they no longer suite the needs of the family, like getting the kids a puppy or a kitty, then when it grows up a bit and is no longer a "cute" novelty , they release it in a park.
People need to understand that taking in an animal is like adopting a child, you can not just leave them in a park or field once they are no longer "adorable babies". this is what annoys me so much when i see people giving away their animals when they move because the "new place does not allow animals". OK so find another place, lie and have the animal anyway, any number of solutions, but dont get rid of a family member because they are "not allowed". I mean would people sell their kids because they want to eat dinner at a "child free restaurant" , i think not.
Good point and I agree with you on that, totally. People need to be educated. Some people, however, are not fit emotionally to care for these animals, pets.
Good thing that in some countries there are organizations to protect animals and people can face jail time for not treating animals well.