This blog is about pets. Generally, when we think of pets we are referring to dogs, cats and other domesticated animals. Recently there have been several incidents of animals considered pets that are not domestic pets, but tame wild animals.
Or maybe not so tame since the reason they are in the news is because they have attacked and injured humans.
Remember the chimpanzee that removed a woman’s face? And at Sea World a few weeks ago, a Killer Whale mauled a handler? Okay, maybe Tilikum the whale was not a pet, but he was considered tame enough to be part of the theme park show.
How do you feel about “pets” like these? Is it all right to keep prairie dogs confined as pets? Chimps? Tigers? Parrots?
The list is endless.
Personally, I don’t like to see these creatures restricted to cramped spaces. Imagine a marine mammal like a Killer Whale, designed to roam the open oceans, limited to a concrete pool. It does not seem correct.
Let’s hear how you feel about this topic.
Cissy Sumner, CPDT-KABest Behavior Dog TrainingMember, Board of Directors, CCPDTAPDT #062323AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator #13985Vero Beach, FL772-978-7863www.bestbehaviordogtraining.org
