PAWS Academy: What makes a pet, a Pet?
May 13, 2020
Written by Madi Cook, PAWS Education Intern
PAWS Academy Is Back Again!
This week, the seventh episode of PAWS Academy is here! This time we explain what a pet is by covering three parts of the definition and why understanding which animals are pets is vital to animal welfare.
Domestic Animals
A domestic animal is an animal that has been tamed by humans for the purpose of living with them. A pet must be a domestic animal. Pet dogs were domesticated from Gray Wolves and pet cats were domesticated from a species of wildcat from ancient Egypt. Domestication is a process where humans select animals for specific traits and temperaments and continue to breed these animals until there is a population of animals with those desired characteristics. Over time, the animals become tamer and more successful companions to humans. Pet cats and dogs are a result of humans choosing what they like about an animal repeatedly over thousands of years. On the other hand, a wild animal is not adapted to live with humans because they were not domesticated by humans.
Companion Animals
A pet is a companion animal which is an animal that lives with you in your home like a dog or cat. Companion animals are a result of domestication. They live with us because they fulfill our needs as well. They can provide us comfort, friendship and responsibility.
Animal Needs
An animal that depends on you for all of their basic needs is a pet. Food, water, shelter, oxygen, space, safety, family, and respect are all basic needs that require human intervention to be taken care of. In animals that are not pets, they do not need humans to take care of them.
Owning A Non-Pet
Being able to distinguish which animals are considered pets and which are not is very essential. Owning an animal that is not domesticated, is not a companion animal and does not depend on humans for their needs can result in undesirable situations. Some examples of what can go wrong include:
- Hurting the animal’s quality of life. These animals do not depend on humans for their needs, so by holding them captive there is no direct benefit to the animal. Often, just the amount of space animals need that are not pets is larger than what most people can accommodate for. A human environment can be vastly different to the environment the animal is accustomed to and not be sufficient. By keeping these animals as pets, you could actually be preventing this animal from fulfilling its needs.
- Risking injury to yourself. In animals that were not tamed, or bred for preferred behavior, how they respond to interacting with humans can be unpredictable and dangerous. The unavoidable lack of social understanding between humans and other animals can lead to natural defensive behavior that results in the owner’s injury or death.
- Risking injury to others. All animals have the ability, if not the desire, to escape and explore a greater area. While this is unsafe for pet cats and dogs, it can be even worse for another animal. A wild animal roaming in an unfamiliar environment could result in the harm or death of another animal, including a human. The outcome of an escape ultimately depends on the nature of the individual animal, but in order to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all animals we should make decisions that do not increase this chance.
- Risking injury to the animal. If the animal resides in an improper space or does not receive other necessary care, like a specialized diet, it could hurt or kill the animal. Additionally, in the case that the animal escapes your home, it could be injured or killed by another animal as well, again including a human.
This Week’s Activities
Follow Bailey’s instructions on this week’s video to make your own puzzle toy for a pet in your life! The materials you will need include treats for your pet, a pair of scissors and either a toilet paper roll, a paper towel roll or an old shoe box.
You can also find connect-the-dot drawings of pets at paws.org/PAWSAcademy.
Share With Us!
We would love to see the toys you create and your pets playing with them! If you want to share, send us a picture to education@paws.org!
If you missed last week’s video on how to help a dog feel safe click here to check it out and learn about dog body language and steps to interact with them. You can also find any of our other videos or activities at paws.org/PAWSAcademy. Tune in next Wednesday at 12 p.m. PT for the eighth PAWS Academy video and blog post on the cost of a pet and continue to explore how you can make a difference in animals’ lives!
If you have any questions or suggestions you can reach us at education@paws.org.