Pet Relationship

Pet Relationship

I have had pets in my house since before I can remember. We have had multiple cats and dogs, two hamsters, a guinea pig, and two rabbits all in the span of years from when I was about two years old until now (being almost twenty-one years old). For the past 3 years, my house in home to two Applehead Chihuahuas, one named Milo and the other named Kobe. Milo and Kobe are brothers: Milo is three years old and Kobe is two years old. Milo and Kobe are treated as children in our family; spoiled rotten children. My mother and stepfather treat both of the Chihuahuas like kings. I must admit that I do spoil them as well, but not quite to my parents’ extent. I feel that both Milo and Kobe are equal beings with myself and the other members of my family. My mother and stepfather even took wedding photographs with Milo and Kobe, as seen in the picture to the right. Ever since we welcomed these two baby Chihuahuas into our home, we have loved them and cared for them just as we would a baby human. I worry about the health of my dogs just as I do my own sister, brother, parents, grandparents, etc. In Animal Ethics and Theology, one student brought up the question of whether or not animals have souls. This student claimed that if someone believes that people have souls, then it is hard for them NOT to believe that animals have souls as well; it would seem hypocritical. This statement really made me think about what my true beliefs are about animals having souls. I do believe that human beings have souls, but I have never really thought about the idea of animals having souls. I treat my dogs the same, if not better, than human members of my family, so why wouldn’t I believe that they have souls. In my Philosophy of Human Nature class, we discussed the several different philosophers’ thoughts concerning whether or not human beings have souls, which is where I first grasped the concept of “soul.” According to the Webster’s Dictionary, soul is “the principle of life,...