When I want to know how others perceive animals, I need look no further than Pinterest.
When I explore the Animals section, I feel sad.
There are tons of pics of cute puppies and kittens, many of which include comments like, “OMG! WANT!” It’s the same comment I see on the pics of shoes and cute outfits.
There are the dog cookie recipes. The funny memes.
And then there are the breeder posts.
I ran across one this week from a breeder of foxes. The post stated that these animals are like having a lap cat.
Such posts infuriate me. First of all, I don’t get how it is in 2013 we still allow this practice to be legal ANYWHERE in the US. And yet, despite the massacre of exotics in Ohio in 2011, we continue to allow all manner of animals who are not domesticated to be bred and sold with impunity.
You can buy a fox, a racoon, a skunk, big cat, or even a wolf. If you want to see what’s available where you live, simply Google it. I Googled exotic animals for sale in Florida and just about any animal you could name can be bought.
Ironic, isn’t it? We won’t lift a finger to save the natural habitat for these animals, but we’ll drop big bucks to an unethical breeder of these animals to “own” one.
.
.
Won’t you join my Animal Welfare Blogger Challenge? Is it so much to ask that you make a small change in your life to facilitate a big change in ours?
Dogpaddling Through Life 
That’s crazy!
And yet it is very much a reality.
A breeder of foxes? That’s gross. In the Uk, I’ve heard, hedgehogs are pets too. In The States likewise, I presume. Here in Holland: not done.
Sadly I think we in the US have this idea that we should be able to do whatever we want without paying any consequences for our actions.
Horrifying.
Wild animals should be kept wild period!
I think foxes are cute, but I would never try to keep one in my house. If it happens by accident, that a fox baby gets lost and someone raises it, that’s something different. But foxes from a breeder? That should be illegal.
Interesting! Things happen. Different people perceive animals differently. I wonder who is right? Well, the good part is that animals still have advocates that will fight for their rights, even if they can’t fight for themselves! 🙂
It is very sad that humans will get animals without understanding what that animal needs.
Well said Rumpy…It is (or at least it certainly should be) criminal to breed and sell these exotics…Here in Florida we’ve seen our native Panther become pracitcally extinct due to destruction of their natural habitat…manatees fare no better with all the inconsiderate boaters out there…we almost wiped out our ‘gators…and by turning so much of our state into housing developments the Florida bluebird is close to gone…and yet we allow the breeding and sale of animals that should never be kept as “pets”…You have to wonder how we set our priorities
Breeder posts on Pinterest? Isn’t it bad enough that they’re everywhere on Facebook? 😦
How sad the reality is…..It is human’s ego to have those exotic animals as a pet….. 😦
Wild animals need to stay in the wild; it’s where they are designed to live and thrive, not in close quarters with Humans. I definitely agree that some people see owning an exotic pet as grounds for bragging rights. But wild/exotic animals are better left alone. Bad things have happened when people try to keep wild animals as pets, both to the animal and to the “owner.” There are plenty of dogs and cats in local shelters that need good homes, why not start there with a pet search? I’d pick a Corgi over a crocodile any day! 😀
I have a huge problem with owning wild animals as pets, especially wild animals as dangerous and sizable as tigers and other big cats. In my opinion, it is cruelty. Yes, they are gorgeous, yes they are worthy of study, but we need to respect them as much as we love them by protecting their natural habitats. If you want to help wildlife, there are many worthy organizations doing amazing things. Why not volunteer?
I have just as big a problem with wolf-dog hybrids that some people own in more rural parts of my country. My biggest question for these people is, what happens to the animal if something happens to you? They aren’t normal pets and probably cannot live with anyone else nor can they survive completely on their own. If their owner dies, they will likely be euthanized. Is that really fair?
Great topic. I don’t know why we humans feel the need to own everything we see that we think we like. Ownership is not the same thing as care.
I am afraid to do that Google search Rumpy. It is too sad. Thank you for making us remember what humans do to animals.
It would seem like there SHOULD be some regulations about breeding, not just for domestic animals but for wild/exotic animals as well.
Humans have a lot to answer for!!
I am eternally horrified by the number of people who want to keep wild animals as pets.
As beautiful as I think tigers, wolves, and foxes are, I definitely would not want to own one. Thanks for the info, Rumpy!
I’ve somehow managed to avoid all of the breeder posts and that’s probably a good thing… I hate to see wild animals being sold as pets, it’s not right.
You are so right and I’m so sorry that you are. I’ve been fighting this battle since the 1960s and it doesn’t seem to me that there has been any substantial improvement. We have laws, but they aren’t enforced. All we can do it keep trying. I applaud your perseverence and wish it weren’t necessary. It shouldn’t be. We should have improved at least a little bit by now.
So very tragic, it should not be allowed and I wish these people would stop treating animals as trophies, fashion accessories and status symbols. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
Agree – completely unethical. Mad!!!
Thnx for raising awareness on this subject. I wish more people were responsible pet-owners like you. I have friends who switch pets all the time, when after a while they realize they aren’t what they had expected. Not even so much exotic pets (guinea pigs, cats, bunnies), but just the principle. I really don’t understand why people would want to own exotic pets either. If you love an animal SO much, donate to it’s preservation instead…
Could you tell me more about your challenge? I can’t seem to find out what it entails… thnx!
à mon sens j’pense que les humains perçoivent les animaux comme des animaux de compagnie mais aussi parfois comme des jouets pour enfants…! d’autres prennent un chien, un chat comme on peut prendre une nouvelle pair de chaussures en magasin et d’autres plus cruels sont là pour prendre un animal pour se défouler sur eux !
bises rumpydog
Do you have the info on the breeder of foxes? I’m happy to write a letter to whatever local press is near them and contact animal welfare in the event it might by some stroke of sanity be illegal. Paulette
I’ve met foxes, they aren’t pets. Sigh. Worst right now for me is what I’ve just learned about the treatment of hybrid cats like Bengals and Savannahs. I had no idea. So I might be accepting your blog challenge in a way – Irish people don’t pay for cats as a rule (they are classed as vermin due to the irresponsible actions of humans) but I’m going to start looking out for Bengals in need in my country, as they are innocent of their breeding and “normal” pet owners have no idea what they might be getting.
People bump all wildlife away when they move in, unless it’s on their terms. I hadn’t seen little green lizards for many years (in Florida) and then I saw one sitting in an aquarium at freaking Petco.
Anoles?!? I’ve seen them for sale in Ireland. I used to feed them to my snakes. SC still has a ton of them. But the last time I was in FL (1998) there were geckos outside – a brand new creature for NW Fl. and I think I last saw a horned toad there in the 70’s.
So that’s where they went 😉
I’m in south FL, so the geckos are everywhere, even in the house. My dog loves petrified gecko eggs that we find during cleaning time. They look like little pearls. I have never seen a horned toad, so maybe they’re still making their way down south.
I would love to enter a post in your challenge, just finding time at the moment. But, I agree completely with your efforts to ensure welfare for all animals x.
Alrighty, my dear, I’ve put up a little post in your honor. Ramble on over to read, if you like! http://kiwsparks.wordpress.com/2013/02/06/animal-rescue/ xoxo, Kathryn
This is why we now have a problem with pythons and boa constrictors in the Everglades and elsewhere in Florida. They are now wiping out some of our native wildlife.. No doubt, some of these were originally pets that were discarded when they got so huge. Just crazy.
Just so you know, I’ve been struggling with how to do this in fiction for days! The one that keeps pushing at me is how the wild animals “feed” on our waste. The discarded food scraps or the littered wrappers full of complicated esters and indigestible sugars. It just hasn’t hit me yet…
I did hint at how I killed my goldfish feeding it cookies. I’m trying. ♥
Enormously ironic what you wrote there, YES Rumpy. There is nothing so horrible – and I know, I respect all the animals – but as a wild animal taken for a pet. FOUL HUMAN EGO BEHAVIOUR.
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Great article. I will be facing a few of these issues as well..