Pets Why is it illegal to torture a dog or cat, but not an ant, or any animal that is tiny in size?

[Teffy]

Preston Bullants = Carlton = Kill it.

 

[TheStinger]

A few months ago there was a mouse at my folks house and they had set up some traps but couldn't get him. One day though they saw him go behind the fridge, so we pulled the fridge out and their little fox terrier/chihuaua dove behind the fridge and got him.

Unfortunately Jovi didn't really know what to do with it, so he just bit into it a little and let go. Now this mouse was injured but not dead so my mum whacked him with a broom and killed him.

Now, is that cruel or were we putting it out of its misery after the dog mauled it?

It was animal on animal, so a kill or be killed situation (but how a mouse would kill a dog, other than getting stuck in his throat is beyond me) but we actually killed it.

Hmmm, interesting.

tl;dr - Our dog almost killed a mouse and we finished him off.

 

[Bomber Bears]

I think it's generally accepted that finishing off an animal is better than just leaving it to slowly die. We were having dinner the other day and heard the mouse trap snap and a slightly disconcerting squeak. Mouse was dead by the time dad took it outside to finish it off. As abrupt as it is probably a better move than laying bait, which they ingest and go off and die slowly.

I hate seeing animal suffer, and do my best to avoid killing anything (except mozzies, those ***** target me mercilessly) but, having done a bit of bio that involves collecting and dissecting specimens, it's pretty much a case of vertebrates require permission and understanding of the ethics, invertebrates do not.

 

[Plugger35]

I was thinking this when I saw this spider on my wall yesterday. I didn't kill it. I got a glass from my cupboard, and trapped it, and then let it free outside.

Yet if I had killed it, no one would have cared. Yet if I did the same to a dog, I'd be in jail.

Why is it that whales, (even those in huge numbers like Minke Whales) are so revered, yet an ant is not? An ant is just as remarkable as a whale; it just doesn't seem as remarkable because we can barely see them. Ant societies have division of labour, communication between individuals, and an ability to solve complex problems. Surely if an ant was the size of a whale (in which case they would rule the earth, but let's not think of it that way) we'd see them as something we shouldn't kill.

It's almost as if as soon as an animal gets to around a foot in size, it becomes socially unacceptable to torture it, but anything smaller is okay to kill for no reason.

Whales don't invade your kitchen and climb all over you food.

Had an ant problem in my house recently and they are a pain in the arse. It's not like you can take every ant outside and set it free. Killing the little bastards is the only solution to getting rid of them..

 

[Teffy]

Whales don't invade your kitchen and climb all over you food.

Had an ant problem in my house recently and they are a pain in the arse. It's not like you can take every ant outside and set it free. Killing the little bastards is the only solution to getting rid of them..

Agree.

They're tough muthas.

 

[Thrawn]

Dan, are we talking about killing or torturing? Because the distinction is important here - anyone who tortures an animal capable of feeling pain, IMO, are sub-human filth. That said though, people who feel the need to torture insects and whatnot are pretty stupid, what's the point really?

Now, is that cruel or were we putting it out of its misery after the dog mauled it?

Of course it's cruel... it was beaten to death with a broom. But you were being cruel to be kind, since it's better to kill something humanely than let it suffer/linger. The lesser of two evils, if you can put it that way. I'd say killing anything has that level of inherent cruelty involved but I think the degree of cruelty is dependant on one's intentions, the severity of the action and the person's attitude towards it.

 

[Plugger35]

Bees are about the only insect I wouldn't kill, mainly because they produce something useful in honey.

Kind of ironic since they have probably caused me more harm than any other insects due to bee stings. I hate spiders and will normally kill them straight away even though I've never been harmed by one.