The Simplest Thing You Can Do To Help Animals

<p>Soggydan Benenovitch / <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/38518750@N00/465878311" target="_blank">Flickr</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" target="_blank">CC BY 2.0</a>)</p>
<p>Soggydan Benenovitch / <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/38518750@N00/465878311" target="_blank">Flickr</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" target="_blank">CC BY 2.0</a>)</p>

To anthropomorphize is, by definition, to give the characteristics of humans to animals. These characteristics include emotions.

Why wouldn't animals have emotions? Anyone who has ever known an animal knows they can feel fear, loss, joy, longing and love.

Photo: Liv Unni Sødem / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Once, in vet school, I was accused of anthropomorphizing a dog when I said that I thought she felt sad that her puppies were all taken away one afternoon. "Anthropomorphize" is considered a dirty word by many who work with animals, especially veterinarians. We are not supposed to imbue them with any of our feelings. Why would a dog feel anything, much less sad, that her babies were gone and that she would never see them again?

I was intimidated then. I am different now. Now I know the arrogance of the accusers and that their deprecating word, anthropomorphize, was a way that they attempted to demean empathy. They don't have it, so they mock it.

Many people have compassion. We use the word to denote caring and considerate treatment of animals. I don't doubt that. But you can needlessly kill an animal and say it was done compassionately. You can wrongfully imprison an animal and believe that their care is administered compassionately.You can declaw a cat or test chemicals in a rabbit's eyes and say it is with compassion.

Photo: JoshuaDavisPhotography / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

The problem is that compassion allows a wide berth. I'd like to see our crusade led entirely by empathy and no longer pay any credence to the highly subjective interpretation of what is "compassionate treatment." Empathy has a much narrower and righteous focus. We all know how we would like to be treated. How could anyone be guided by empathy, the ability to feel another's pain or frustration, and be willing to cut the vocal cords to debark a dog who barks only because of intolerable loneliness? The golden rule should guide us. Do unto animals as we would have done unto ourselves.

Photo: Zonderkidz