わんちゃんの好きなところは？
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What I adore about dogs is their seemingly foolish faces. There's a certain pathos perfectly blended into their expressions that gives them a delightful charm.
Such foolishness stirs up a desire to protect them. However, this must be a type of foolishness underpinned by intelligence. It's said that a dog's intelligence, when compared to human standards, is at the level of a young child, which is quite high among animals. The 'foolishness' seems to be a dog's exclusive trait. After all, we say 'silly dog' but not 'silly cat.'
Yet, these creatures are descendants of wolves. It's remarkable how they've transformed from such fearsome ancestors into creatures with adorable faces. They have moved from being livestock to becoming members of our families, a gift of selective breeding.
On the flip side, there are drawbacks to this.Selective breeding ultimately changes the form of living beings to suit human convenience. The focus on breeding only 'cute' dogs is a manifestation of lookism, an attempt to exclude those deemed unattractive, even among the same species.
If human parents declared, 'Our child must marry only a handsome man or a beautiful woman,' it would cause an uproar.
In today's age, what is not permissible for humans is becoming impermissible for animals as well. Animals are starting to be recognized for having 'rights.'
It's not just about appearances. Dogs bred to have flat faces, like the Shih Tzu, are more prone to respiratory issues and heatstroke.
Dogs bred to have long bodies and short legs, like the Dachshund, are at risk for intervertebral disc disease. Such breeding practices can cause harm even internally.
Furthermore, over the fifteen thousand years that dogs have lived with humans, there must have been numerous failed breeding attempts. For instance, breeding a Dachshund with a large breed dog could result in a dog with a belly too large for its legs, unable to move forward, doomed to suffer from bedsores.
This is akin to subjecting animals to unwanted cosmetic surgery, altering their skeletons and appearances to suit our preferences. If this isn't called 'animal cruelty,' what should it be called? As long as the demand for pets as family members continues to rise, these issues will persist.
'Animal cruelty' and 'animal welfare' are two sides of the same coin. Criticism is mounting, and perhaps in the near future, the concept of 'pets' may disappear. Future generations might label our actions as 'barbaric' and 'excessively egocentric,' becoming a subject of mockery.
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