Are You A Good Slave Owner?

I reconnected with an acquaintance the other day who just happened to become a P3TA supporter since our last conversation. I hate these people. Now don't get me wrong, I certainly don't support clubbing baby seals or skinning animals alive. However, I eat meat and my motto on animal products is "If I don't eat it than I won't wear it". Hence I wear leather and sheepskin, I'm not opposed to feathers, but do not wear any type of fur. I find this a reasonable, ethical policy and fairly easy to explain.

As you may know, P3TA's views on animal rights do not end with violently opposing the use of animal meat, hide or by products of any kind. They also consider owning any animal as a pet is "enslavement" of said animal. O_o

Unfortunately, my acquaintance had swallowed this extreme view hook, line and sinker. *Sigh* She knew that I owned a horse, and casually asked if I still did. "Of course!" I replied naively. "Cherry's still with me." To which she admonished me with, "Did you know that horse is your slave?!" She apparently thought that my cat was enslaved as well. *snork*

The conversation ended soon after, and I suspect she contacted me with the express purpose of converting me to the Animal Rights Domestic Terrorism Association (as I like to call them). Obviously, she failed.

However, it got me thinking. I suppose Cherry is my slave, in a way. I own her in the eyes of the law, I make all the decisions of where she lives, what job she does, and what and when she gets to eat. And you know what? I'm fine with that. She's a horse, not a human being.

Going off the assumption that my cat and Cherry are slaves, and thus I am a slave owner, I asked myself, "Am I a good slave owner?"

I think I would have to answer "yes". Both are fed a high quality, nutritionally balanced diet, have access to clean water, receive good medical care (better than I do, in fact), and live quite comfortably. The cat spends her days staring out the window at birds and napping on soft, fluffy blankets. There is always food available, toys to play with and a nice bathroom to crap in. Her only job is to keep bugs out of the house, and this is more of something she volunteers for when she feels like it than an actual job. Doesn't sound much like slavery, does it?

Oh wait, she should be free to roam the countryside and be a cat! How dare I keep her confined in a prison! I should let her be free! Yeah, free to either starve to death in the cold, be squashed flat by a car, or eaten by coyotes. No thank you to that, and I think she'd agree.

As for Cherry, she should be able to run free like the Wild Mustangs! I should turn her loose so she can run like the wind, proud and noble! You know what, even if I did turn her loose, she'd probably end up coming right back home around dinner time. Not much grass out there in the middle of winter. Let's see, starve in the cold and get eaten by wolves, or live in comfort where food is delivered daily and illness and injury (that would hasten being eaten by wolves) are tended to quickly and safely. Hmmmm, hard choice there.

Of course, domestication comes with a price. You have to work for it. That doesn't just apply to animals. We like to live in houses with running water and refrigerators, but we've got to work for them. We do jobs we don't necessarily enjoy to be able to have the things we want. Same goes for horses. We keep them, feed them and care for them, and in return we expect them to work for us.

Of course, some people are terrible animal (slave!) owners. Their horses WOULD be better off fending for themselves in the wild. This is not acceptable. If you own another living creature, you must care for it. That's how the arrangement works. It's a two way street, and if you're not going to hold up your end of the deal (food, shelter, medical care) then you have no right to own that animal.

So, are YOU a good slave owner?