Animal welfare refers to the physical and social well-being of animals or rather the concern for animals. Animal welfare movement is a movement that began in the mid 19th century with a primary goal of protecting and improving the treatment of animals that are used by human beings. Just like humans, animals feel pain, hunger, loneliness, fear, and anxiety. They, therefore, have a right to live without being harmed, abused, or exploited.
Black Beauty is a novel written by Anna Sewell with the intention of promoting better treatment of horses. In modern society, the government and unions have come up with mandatory animal welfare standards to offer protection to animals against exploitation by their owners. This essay is a short explanation on to why animals should be treated with kindness and respect. I think that animals should be treated well because they are living creatures and thus also deserve proper treatment.
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Discussion
Everywhere around the world, people use animal products, including meat, eggs, milk, among others. Also, animals are used in the entertainment sector, for instance, horse racing, to entertain people. In some of these sports, for instance, bull fighting as practiced in Mexico, animals are exposed to great dangers. The fact that animals have feelings and emotions is a good reason to allow these animals to live normally without subjecting them to brutal conditions.
I am advocating for better treatment of animals. Animals should be treated well without subjecting them to the harsh conditions that they are often subjected to. Animals serve us with a lot of respect and loyalty. Animals always obey instructions from their master without question. Also, once you own an animal, it will be your possession forever.
Unique care for these animals calls for providing for them good shelter, good food, and treating them well in general. Ensuring stable growth and good health of animals should be a major concern as this is the only way we can reward them for their continued support in our lives (Anderson 1).
There is a need to understand the characters of horses and treat them well. Due to different experiences and situations that horses are subjected to, each has different characters. In Black Beauty, chapter twenty-three, Beauty says that if the mistreatment lasted much longer, then his health or temper would have paved its way.
This explains why some horses have a temper and why they behave the way they do, and therefore, it is upon the owner to understand his or her horse. According to Duchess, Colts ought not to work like horses. He understands that they are yet to mature, and therefore, they can not be assigned to hard tasks (Fraser 3).
Animals belong to God. In the Bible, God created all animals and instructed man to take good care of these animals, as seen in Genesis 1:20 (The Bible 1). Since human beings are meant to take care of the animals on behalf of God, it is prudent that we do not abuse animals. Christians, therefore, have the responsibility of looking after animals irrespective of their take when it comes to animal welfare and rights.
In the bible in Matthew 6:25, we see God taking good care of the animals when he says that he feeds birds in the air (The Bible 673). Also, it is illegal to mistreat an animal. This means that one should abide by the law which prohibits any individual from mistreating animals.
Animals are our social companions. Duchess’ master used to talk to horses in a kind manner. Though animals do not talk, they are happy when they are treated well. Duchess was always happy to see his master. He jumped up with joy and trot up to him. Sometimes he accompanied his master for a walk. This means that Duchess was a social companion of his master. Animals, especially dogs, provide security to man when needs arise.
Animals feed us; they give us products like eggs, milk, and honey. People who keep animals for these purposes need to ensure good health for such animals in the interest of both the animals and themselves. By so doing, they obey the command from God and also benefit fully from these animals. The fact that these animals are a source of food means that we should treat them the same way we treat other sources of food. To be precise, many people value their jobs because it is from these jobs that they get income, which helps them to purchase food.
Teachings of Duchess in Black Beauty are very significant in our everyday life. Duchess advised Beauty to have good manners. To be precise, she urged Beauty to be good and gentle, to do good things, and do the best that she could.
This does not only apply to horses but human beings as well. In many walks of life, there are different people, people with different beliefs and attitudes. Some people will treat you in a good way, while others will treat you in a bad way. I think that Sewell was trying to bring across the fact that good people or people with good moral values will always treat animals in a good way.
Sewell advocated for moral concern for others, which will lead to moral concern for animals. Duchess advised Beauty to have manners and to have a good heart. She urged beauty to be good and gentle, do good things, and do the best that she could. When we have moral concern for others, it means we will also have moral concern for animals. One should try to put himself/herself in the shoes of animals and feel how it feels like to be treated harshly. This can make it possible for one to treat animals with respect.
Conclusion
It is high time we stop treating animals like animals; rather, we should treat them like living creatures that need to be treated with kindness and respect. Abuse of animals is on the rise. It is, therefore, the duty of every individual, to treat every living creature with kindness and respect.
The government should also try to educate the public on the need to treat animals well by holding campaigns, educational programs, and seminars on animal rights. Laws should also be formulated to protect animals that are exploited, and legal action should be taken on anyone who does not respect the rights of these animals. This way, we will be able to build a generation that fosters kindness and respect for all animals.
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