In an article “The Last Meow” published in The New Yorker in 2003 the author Burkhard Bilger states “Americans now spend $19 billion a year on veterinary care for their pets, up from $11 billion just seven years ago. Add to that the cost of pet food and other supplies, and the number rises to $47 billion, nearly three times as much as the federal government spends on welfare grants” (Bilger, part 7, paragraph 48) Bilger claims “clearly our love affair with animals has gotten out of control”(Bilger, part 8, paragraph 49). It is a sad state of affairs that Americans spend 15 billion on welfare in this country, and some squabble over money spent on helpless loving animals owned by hard working loving Americans.. America is the land of opportunity …show more content…
An animal can be the best thing to happen to a person. As the old saying goes: a dog is a man's’ best friend. People share their homes with their furry friends and gain relationships that are remembered until, perhaps, the rest of their days- just like an old friend. In Bilger’s article, he mentions the relationship between Lady, the sick cat, and her owners, Karen and Shawn Levering, and why the couple was so willing to give up so much for her. “If they were willing to go this far for a cat, it was partly out of a sense of misfortune. But mostly it was a matter of love” (Bilger, part 1, paragraph …show more content…
“In the early nineteen-seventies, for instance, the biologist Erika Friedmann, of Brooklyn College, studied how heart-attack patients respond to social support. Patients who had a dog or cat, she found, were more than four times as likely to survive a year after a heart attack than those who didn’t have a pet” (Bilger, part 3, paragraph 21). If the research is done, it is easy to see that humans generally live longer if they own a pet. Caring for a pet can be emotional also. Sharing a living space with another living being will allow you to get attached to them and build relationships you probably had never thought you’d have before. In the article, The Last Meow, it explains how Karen had suffered injuries in an accident and found later that she could not get pregnant. Knowing that she could not start a family and living in pain everyday was taking a toll on her mentally and emotionally. However, when they had started caring for their cats, she found a way to fill her depression. “Karen had studied enough psychology to suspect that her feelings for Lady were party misplaced mothering instincts, but she also knew that relationships like theirs could have a particular intensity” (Bilger, part 3, paragraph 21). Owning the cats made her happy. It is obvious why she would go through debt just to save the
My last reason to why I agree with the author is that I believe that getting over attached to a pet, thinking it’s your child is unhealthy. I understand that she can’t have kids, so she’s lonely, but they’re other options like adopting an actual child. Thousands of kids that need a home, why not just kill two birds with one stone and make a kid happy while filling the void. A child would actually feel
Bilger states that in America, we spend way too much on our pets. His argument is that procedures for animals cost three times the amount our government spends on welfare grants. Also people not only spend a bunch of money on procedures but they also spend a significant amount on unnecessary things. The unnecessary spending comes from special diets, cashmere sweaters and day care for their beloved pets. Now Bilger believes pet owners are getting out of hand and I agree to a certain extent. I agree that nearly spending 47 billion dollars a year on your pet is ridiculous and I also believe that the unnecessary spending could be minimized a whole lot. I as a pet owner, I would definitely say spending the necessary money on my dog and my hamster is worth it. If it’s going to make them get better or keep them from becoming sick I am all for it. You can not talk me out of it if my Kingsley needed some procedure to keep him by my side I would do it without hesitation. Just as I did with my pet hamster (Stinky).
In the story “The Last Meow” it talks about a cat that is very ill and could barely live in it’s own. It gets prepared for surgery to cure her illness in her kidney. The author Burkhard Bilger, includes some hints and examples on how the average American will pay whatever it costs for their beloved pet. He explains how Americans now spend nineteen-billion dollars a year in veterinary care plus the cost of pet food makes it forty seven-billion dollars. He states out “clearly, our love affair with our pets has gotten out of control”. I disagree with his position.
While humans and animals are commonly seen to think apart and generate thoughts differently than each other, the truth is that since the beginning, humans and animals have had many ways in which they found each other to be compatible with the opposite, because they had come to a realization that they needed each other physically, emotionally, and mentally. And of course though pets may not be suitable to someone’s capricious persona, studies over time have shown that, spending quality time with a pet boosts happiness and helps your immune system.
The last dog by Katherine Paterson is about a young boy named brock who goes outside of his dome into an unusual place that he has never seen before. As Brock leaves the dome he hears a really strange sound in the distance of where he is. Brock finds out that there is a puppy sitting next to its dead mother. Brock chooses to take the dog in the dome and names her Brog, scientist takes Brock and Brog into the lab to be examined and researched on. Brock suddenly finds out that Blog is actually the last dog on earth, and scientist’s tries to clone Brog so that the dog could have future generations. When Brock overhears the conversations from the scientist in the laboratory he tries to make brog act like he was sick, but that didn’t work. Later that day Brock crept to the nearest terminal in the lab, he figured out that scientist had done research on Canis familiaris and learned that Canis familiaris have a common canine disease. Scientist had discovered that the disease name was Rabies. Brock was thinking about how to make Brog bite him so that the scientist would think
As the veterinarian checks a small dog for fleas and dermatitis, she runs her hands lovingly over the dachshund’s back keeping it calm until she can return it to the owner’s anxious hands. Many people own pets and love them as one of their family; therefore, they want a vet who will love their animals and give them the best of care. One such veterinarian, Dr. Maria Ehme, had a passion for animals and helping them out even as a little girl. She grew up loving animals, and now she helps others’ pets to live through disease and injury. However, since her last pet died, Maria refuses to own another pet. How can she love animals so much and not own a pet? Her kids plead for a new cat, but she will not allow it although she knows how much love a
Most people who own a pet of some sort know that they have a very strong emotional connection to their animals. Man’s best friend. When they read the title they think of their pets and begin to realize all of the great lengths they would go to protect their animals. In some cases pets are more important to the owners than the owner themselves. As you begin to read
Say “animal” to any American, and there is a decent chance that the first image brought to mind will be a cat or a dog. Domesticated animals such as these permeate American culture, from the Puppy Bowl to the ongoing dog vs cat debate on Facebook posts and Internet forums. But although pets seem to be everywhere, millions of them every year slip through the cracks, winding up on the streets or vying for limited space in an animal shelter. This overpopulation makes animal homelessness in America a problem that needs to be addressed.
In the United States, individuals frequently say that they cherish creatures and that they view their pets as a component of the family, however many adhere to a meaningful boundary at every living creature 's common sense entitlement. Is it safe to say that it isn 't sufficient that we treat them others consciously? Why ought to creatures have rights? What rights ought to creatures have? How those are rights not quite the same as human rights? The truth is that since the U.S. Division of Agriculture issued the 1966 Animal Welfare Act, even creatures utilized as a part of business cultivating are qualified for a specific base-level of treatment. In any case, that contrasts from the needs of every living creature 's common sense entitlement dissident gatherings like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) or the more extraordinary British direct-activity amass known as the Animal Liberation Front. The creature welfare see, which is discernable from the every living creature 's common sense entitlement view, is that people can utilize and misuse creatures the length of the creatures are dealt with compassionately and the utilization is not very silly. To every living creature 's common sense entitlement activists, the principle issue with this view is that people don 't have the privilege to utilize and misuse creatures, regardless of how well the creatures are dealt with.
For many there is a sense of pride around your pet, and it is pointed out in Helen Brooks in her study. She points out that pet’s support a lifestyle approach to managing mental health. That may improve the well-being of the owners, and improve the owner’s mental health. (Brooks 10) this seems to be the case with Kathryn Oda.
McConnell, Brown, Shoda, Stayton & Martin, (2011) did research that showed that psychological health, well-being, and happiness is higher in people who have a pet compared to people who do not have a pet. Owning a pet can provide owners with many direct, material benefits, e.g., scaring away prospective burglars, reducing vermin. There is also evidence that pets can have positive psychological implications, though, the majority of these studies are correlational and involve populations facing considerable life challenges (Wood et al, 2015).
While the concept of animals as companions to humans is ancient, it is only during the past thirty years or so that researchers have began to study the question of why humans keep pets. The term human-animal bond has come to represent endeavors in this area. The human-animal bond is defined by the American Veterinary Medical Association as a “mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and other animals that is influenced by behaviors that are essential to the health and well-being of both.” It has been proven that animals make a positive difference in people's lives. In fact, there are some individuals whom rely on
Approximately four million animals are euthanized in animal shelters each year in the United States alone. People often cite excuses and burdens related to being a pet parent. If more people understood the benefits of pet ownership, perhaps these animals would find a loving home. Animals are very important to humans for many reasons including: teaching children responsibility, providing companionship, and seem to provide health benefits.
Millions of pets start off living their lives this way by being homeless and strays... Facebook has all kinds of visual aids about what is happening across the world. Beloved family pets are STOLEN, LOST, or alongside strays who are EVEN KILLED BY CARS DAILY! By NOT spaying or neutering our pets severe consequences like this occur which is very wrong to ignore! Non-profit organizations throughout the United States of America include special prices or offer free sterilizations to the public for their furry loved ones. Yet, again no one chooses to do so otherwise, either to breed their pets for money to make profits or want puppies of their own to keep… Breeders who breed specific types of dogs, I.e. Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, etc. for additional law enforcement and disability services do have good qualities. Although, many of the billion excellent candidates in shelters are euthanized with no options to be trained for these government services. Shockingly, most neglected dogs are the BEST suitable ones for training, since they have had the worst already handed to them. Dogs can sense positive behavior outcomes from training with professionals. They feel a one-way ticket to freedom and happiness at a fresh new start in life! Monique L. Voelker, explains the number of animals who enter the shelter is between 8-12 million, while 5-9 million dogs and
Lednicer starts the article by giving descriptive details of Laurice Ghougasian’s everyday duties she maintains in order for her several cats to be taken care of on a daily basis. Readers are informed that Laurice neuters all of her cats to stop the reproducing of cats which helps reduce cat numbers but not fast enough allowing her to explain how emotionally and financially exhausting the cats can be. Laurice says “I spend all my money and time relocating cats,” while others bless Laurice for her troubles “she asks them to bless the cats instead” (Lednicer). This beginning adds to a very personal appeal towards cats for