Slaves of Our Affection

[Z...]

Very little is done in today's world to promote the real truth about our coexistence with 2D dwellers. The article I accidentally digged out these days is few years old and appearently it didnt make so much difference. It seems it will take much more then few angry vets.

Most of my colleagues are aware of the truth, at least on some level.
But it cannot be easy to to start hacking the very branch you are sitting on. So we lull ourselves into the sleep hoping that this too shall pass. Unfortunatelly the truth remains out there regardless of our ability to deal with it. Sooner or later all of us will have to face it and figure out the way how to deal with it.
Those who have managed to stare the truth in the eyes and survived to tell about it inspire me with awe.
Charles Danten is one of them. He was a veterinarian in Montreal for 20 years. Now he's a journalist who writes about the ethics of his former profession, problem that nobody wants to talk about. He has published the book An angry veterinarian - essays about zooscience few years ago which doesnt seem to be published in english. I only managed to find french version on the net. Generally his presence on the net is very poor these days and you will find his articles on obscure sites.

Slaves of our affection- full article

There is a persistent belief that pets are well treated in our society, that in fact they're often better treated than children. Owning an animal is often taken to be proof of love, respect and compassion. But the reality is considerably darker, and until we look into it, it's hardly possible to bring about a meaningful change.

From the time I began my veterinary career, I was never quite comfortable with my job and what our society is doing to animals and nature. I could never reconcile the welfare of my patients and animals in general with the interests of my clients and my financial obligations.

You see, vets are not as much at the service of animals as they are at the service of the human clients who pay the bills. To be successful, a veterinarian has to make a lot of concessions that I eventually became unable to make. We have a very romantic idea about what a vet actually does. We tend to think he spends his days as James Herriot, rushing to the rescue of sick and injured animals. Although that part of veterinary medicine does exist, the work of a vet in general practice is not quite so exciting.

A veterinarian is responsible for the alteration, maintenance, repair and disposal of a commodity that we are consuming in unprecedented quantities. He softens and humanizes the use of animals, condoning it by his silence, active promotion and co-operation. He facilitates the use of animals as a renewable resource, all the while making the relationship seem heart-warming and generous. Without his services, our society could not use animals with such ease and so freely.

Unhealthy case of mistaken identity - full article
Whereas no one can possibly deny that we are exploiting animals for food, clothing, or scientific research, it is much less obvious in the case of pets. One of the main reasons for the ambiguity is that animals themselves seek and appreciate our company. For many people, this seemingly natural attraction is the proof that animals and humans have a noble, natural inclination to love each other. But the case is not so simple.


What we are mistaking for a voluntary attraction of animals to humans can be explained by the imprint phenomenon. This vital biological process, discovered by Konrad Lorenz, is responsible for the fact that animals, including humans, learn early to identify with members of their own species. However, if members of another species raise the newborn animals, they will readily identify with that species. In Syria, for example, a young boy was found living with a herd of gazelles. His identification with the non-human family became readily apparent. After his gazelle family was slaughtered, he was captured and taken into human society. Although his new parents tried everything to socialize him, he continued to behave like a wild animal, refusing to be tamed. Due to his upbringing, he had developed very strong ankles and knees that made him capable of jumping to the street from the second floor of his house. In order to civilize him and stop him from trying to escape, his new family had his tendons cut. Unfortunately, as this story shows, this most amazing, built-in “magnet

 

[Amelopsis]

Deckard this is an interesting topic and I think you've very aptly titled the thread.

I'm not a vet, but have known a few and worked in a clinic for a short time when I thought I wanted to become a vet. My life took a different course, but I don't think I'd have made it through the coursework....inflicting injuries in order to better demonstrate the methods of repair really would not have sat well with me (I could barely disect the frog in high school).

There is a great deal to explore in this thread. As the more esoteric evaluation of our relationships with companion animals, as well as our attitudes and treatment of animals in the wild, are indeed a feeding relationship of sorts between the 2D - 3D individuals involved; and there is also the morality of the decisions we make which are simply daily life but never the less play crucial roles in the way we excercise our individuality and freedom of choice.

I saw a glimpse of this darker side of your profession, so to speak (declawing, euthanasia or owner abandonment in lieu of treatment, excessive treatment beyond reason, et al), and I do not envy you the conundrum that you must have faced between the reasons you began to practice and the reality of the treatment being practiced. Withholding a quality or quantity of care at the behest of the human's whim of sympathy or their overwhelming sympathy can be equally detrimental to the true patient, yet they have no contribution which is generally considered as much as it should.

I would be interested in your analysis of some aspect of this.

 

[Z...]

Deckard this is an interesting topic and I think you've very aptly titled the thread.

Its the title of Danten's article

I would be interested in your analysis of some aspect of this.

Well this is the stuff that shakes your very foundations, that is - if you are professionaly involved in the animal/human vicious circle. I am afraid I cant say much as I am still trying to figure this one out. Long before I encountered danten's writings I had similar feelings.
But I am sure this is the part of my 3D lessons and I will strive to opt for the right choice when opportunity to choose presents itself. For the time being I am striving to be different from other colleagues by aproaching 2D beings with compassion and ultimate respect.

I like to belive that homeopathic aproach will aid this and maybe make some tiny difference, and I hope that with time I will be able to completely abandon surgical procedures and dedicate myself exclusively to homeopathy. But for now I still have to be "Dr. Mengele" in order to survive, at least when it comes to neutering.

 

[anart]

I like to belive that homeopathic approach will aid this and maybe make some tiny difference, and I hope that with time I will be able to completely abandon surgical procedures and dedicate myself exclusively to homeopathy. But for now I still have to be "Dr. Mengele" in order to survive, at least when it comes to neutering.

My vet had an allopathic background and turned to homeopathic/Chinese herbal/Holistic medicine about 12 years ago. He tells his clients that the fewer times their pet sees any vet, especially an allopathic vet, the longer they will live. He's very successful and considered one of the top avian vets in the country. If you'd like to see where he has taken it, his website is www(d)wellvet.com

 

[Nienna]

We have a Macaw who had a growth at where the soft skin is between the upper and lower beaks. The only avian vet in this area also is a homeopath. He had me put nitric acid (I believe this is what it was as this was quite a while ago) in his water. He said to do it for a month, but nothing was happening so I continued it for another month, and then lo and behold, the darned thing dried up shrunk up and fell off. The only other thing would have been to have it surgically removed. And for those of you who might not know, a parrot's tongue is as nimble as a person's fingers. He would have had any stitches out in a matter of minutes. So I was glad to get our little friend in to see this vet.

 

[Iron]

Although i agree with most of the points made, i disagree in one part.It's untrue that animals always have this "window" of association.
A friend of mine has a dog who was severely abused by humans for a long time... i think 2 or more years. When he retrieved the dog, the poor thing was traumatized and distrusted humans, but he and those of the house, this dog fiercelly defends. A oposite case is the one when a new born dog simply don't like a person or another. Runs away of the person or use even other defenses.

In resume i think this stance of the "time of association" is a gross oversimplification of the cognitive abilities of animals. But i agree that is heartbreaking to realize they are treated no better than slaves, a conclusion i arrived years ago.

 

[Z...]

If you'd like to see where he has taken it, his website is www.wellvetdcom

Thanks for the tip, a lot of useful info - he does strike me as very commercial though. but this just proves my point - if you abandon surgery (which is the major source of income) you have to boost your finances some other way.

Although i agree with most of the points made, i disagree in one part.It's untrue that animals always have this "window" of association.
A friend of mine has a dog who was severely abused by humans for a long time... i think 2 or more years. When he retrieved the dog, the poor thing was traumatized and distrusted humans, but he and those of the house, this dog fiercelly defends. A oposite case is the one when a new born dog simply don't like a person or another. Runs away of the person or use even other defenses.

I think it is you who simplifies here. These examples may be proof of individual character traits in dogs or other animals but they can hardly disprove theory of imprinting. Actually the theory of imprinting has been substantiated with numerous evidence across the whole range of animal species including human.

Dogs are especially bad example to disprove the theory of imprinting as they have been extensivelly genetically modified by humans, so much so that we can even talk of the imprinting of the collective species psychee. The best proof of this is the fact that primitive breeds (.e. breeds which did not change for thousands of years) show least inclination for behaviours that are desirable to modern humans.


In any case my intention was to focus on the situation which seems to be sort of a catch 22.
We are 3D beings and we cannot escape our reality. Feeding on animals is just biological reality. The most we can do about this is to make sure that our source of food is honoured and turned into our meal in the least painfull way( I am not suggesting that we should start praying to totemic souls of animals before we kill them but anyone who has visited commercial pig or chicken farm will notice the huge gap between these two models).

What is worring more than killing animals for food is the cloak in which we disguise our unholy hungers. We are living a lie.
Instead of healing our degenerated psychee we turn to animals as a quick fix or living Prozac as Danten nicely puts it.
We can lie to ourselves as much as we like but we cannot escape the statistic- 70 % of animal (pet) owners gets rid of them within first two years.
I think this gives us very clear message that animals actually cannot live with humans.

And for the end of this post some food for thoughts

- The chances are - as long as we live in 3D we will have to feed on animals. Also it seems likely that as long as this situation persists we will be the food for the beings from the upper floor. Therefore it seems the only way out is the way out of matrix.
Maybe seeing things for what they really are can help us to find this way.

 

[anart]

If you'd like to see where he has taken it, his website is www.wellvetdcom

Thanks for the tip, a lot of useful info - he does strike me as very commercial though. but this just proves my point - if you abandon surgery (which is the major source of income) you have to boost your finances some other way.

Absolutely - after all, this is Earth. A minor difference is that he boosts his finances while trying to follow holistic/homeopathic guidelines -while trying to do some 'good'. I'm sure he's not always successful, but compared to when he worked in a western vet clinic - he's immeasurably happier. fwiw.

Although i agree with most of the points made, i disagree in one part.It's untrue that animals always have this "window" of association.
A friend of mine has a dog who was severely abused by humans for a long time... i think 2 or more years. When he retrieved the dog, the poor thing was traumatized and distrusted humans, but he and those of the house, this dog fiercelly defends. A oposite case is the one when a new born dog simply don't like a person or another. Runs away of the person or use even other defenses.

I think it is you who simplifies here.

Again, for what it's worth, it seems that Iron was simply saying that the short term imprinting guidelines cannot and do not explain all animal behavior. And, they don't. That doesn't negate imprinting in general, but there are a lot of deviations from the 'rule'. I, personally, don't think humans have a clue about what really goes on in the emotional lives of animals - or even the 'intellectual' lives of animals. They seem to start off from this premise that the animals are stupid and go from there - but that's just what I've seen happen and I could be wrong.

 

[Cyre2067]

G didn't seem to have a problem with having pets. His description of Philos in Meetings with Remarkable Men is quite amusing. And for some reason it didn't surprise me that G stumbled across and owned a very crafty dog.

Thanks for your input Deckard, I have a friend who's considering becoming a vet because she's an animal lover. These articles are a great resource and would allow her a glimpse of what she's really getting into.

 

[Iron]

I understood your points Deckard.

And thank you Anart for putting in better words what i was trying to say.

 

[notanothermonday]

Pets are living Prozac- full article
Is this fixation on pets a symptom of deeper social problems like loneliness, self-insufficiency, anthropocentrism, compulsiveness and homelessness ?
Through this apparently innocent fad, we are in fact condoning the use of bogus quick-fix «solutions» instead of confronting the real issues: a social system unfit for humans. When we teach children that it is normal to separate animals from their ecosystem and remove their freedom, we are telling them that it is normal to make slaves out of those we love. By condoning the pleasures and privileges of the abuse of power we are in fact cultivating a deeply incrusted insensitivity not only towards animals and nature but towards our own kind.
At this point in time when we are finally coming to terms with the inconsistencies and flaws of our lifestyle, when we are urgently trying to save the environment and preserve the biodiversity we need in order to survive, this attitude is quite destructive. Under the cover of innocence a grave assault on humankind is taking place.

This is a powerful piece. In my line of work I find that most people are looking for a 'quick fix' or palliative care. Most are inclined not to look any deeper into what it is that truly ills them. Even more tragic is that within the field I practice many of the doctors themselves fall prey to the next great cure, supplement or gadget that will help bring people through the doors of the clinic. They do so by lack of understanding and by the need to make a living.

I find this distressing as I embark on my voyage for success within the my profession. It is difficult to not want to make the pain go away so that the patient believes that I have done something great for them. I find it even more difficult to watch as they continue to live the way they are inducing further, often times, more serious health issues because either I have not delivered the message of the need for change or they have not listened to the warning.

It is fabulous to hear from other professions dealing with the health and vitality of living beings; especially when that message is in recognition of the need for a 'new' approach. An approach that calls for one to come into recognition of dis-eased patterns of behavior that affects our very function and our ability to survive.

Thanks for this gem.

 

[Kel]

This post may not be along the same lines that Deckart began, however it bring to my mind some interesting observations in my own life.

While I was raised on a cattle ranch, I have been exposed to quite a bit of the domestic animal experience. My parents were, as I have now discovered, narcissitic. Pets and animals were a big part of our lives, but only for what they could do for the ranch, as we five girls were.

What is extremely interesting to me has been the recent (10 years or so) turn of events that has taken place on the "home place". When I visit, I'm greeted by apprx 5-6 dogs, of whom have left the "mark" all over the driveway and yard thereby insuring a strange "dance" from the car to the door so as to eliminate any unpleasant odor adhearing to your shoes.

My dad, who, when I was growing up, only had ONE cattle dog, now has 5-6 dogs, his favorite being the chocolate poodle. This dog now is with him and my mother ALL the Time. My mother brags about how when she gets up at 4:30 in the am every day, she lets the dogs in and they all line up to be feed peanut butter from a spoon. She now has 4-5 cats that live in the house (this was never allowed when I was growing up with my 4 sisters--no dogs or cats in the house ever!) and has a cat litter box right beside her recliner next to the phone.

These animals seem to be their life, and although I rarely took my toddlers to her house ( and when I did it was thoroughly exhausting because of the constant vigilance required to keep the kids out of the cat box ect..) they came to visit, with, of course, the poodle. When they come to the house, the poodle is in charge. There is no "Would it be Okay if we brought our dog with us?" and my kids are yelled at constantly because of their interaction with the poodle who click all over my wood floors like he wants to play. The dog is yelled at constantly and forever interrupts the converstation taking place with a yell from one of my parents: "SCOOTER!". Whenever my 3-year-old hear of anything regarding Grandma & Pappey, she yells: SCOOTER! Which is the name of the poodle and the most common term she hears around her grandparents. Crazy.

Anyway, I could go on and on about the crazyness of this scenario, and only until recently did I start of make sense of this through reading about narcissism, there is a question forming in the back of my mind. I'm now seeing so much attention being paid to people's pets. Oprah, Martha Stewart, Paris Hilton--all these seem to be preoccupied with their pets.

Pets seems to be more important than humans. At least in my family as the sickness of narcisissm ages (or doesn't).

What up with this?

I don't have a dog at this time, although I live on a small farm. I let my chickens out in the day and they get to be "free range" without a dog around to harass. My two cats get to live outside where they seem to be truly happy. I have two goats, egg-laying chickens, two horses and one mule, who all seems to be truly happy without a whole lot of "human love". I give free love to my "pets" but give the most of my love an attention to my human family.

I'm bewildered by this growing need for humans to incorporate pets into their intimate lives, it seems at the expense of truly sincere human interaction. I could continue on with more examples somewhat "case studies" of close personal relationships and their bewildering relationships with their pets who actually seem to be running their lives, but don't have the time right now.

Just another perspecitive.

-Kel