Domestic Animals

“Angels walk among us

Sometimes

they are unseen and have wings,

and sometimes

they pant and lick our faces.’’

- Jonathan Brooks -

There is a beautiful saying that sometimes the best medicine a person needs, is unconditional love from your pets. Who are these pets? Pets are domesticated animals that are bred selectively and genetically adapted over generations to live alongside humans. They’re genetically distinct from their wild ancestors or cousins.

Domestic pets are common in most countries. In our country, many families are keen on keeping domestic pets. There are many varieties of domestic animals. Even though there are many kinds of pets, cats and dogs are used abundantly as pets. Birds including parrots, pigeons, sparrows and peacocks represent the category of pets. Cows, rabbits, deer, squirrels, and mongoose are also categorized as domestic pets. But a family keeps a pet of its liking. Domestic animals aren’t only a source of enjoyment, but they act as therapy in some cases.

Domestic animals are so adorable that they make us love them. There are many pros of owning a pet. They will increase opportunities to exercise, get outside, and socialize. Regular walking or twiddling with pets can decrease pressure level, cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels. Pets can help to manage loneliness and depression by giving us companionship. Some people keep domestic pets as a hobby, and some keep them for company. Their upkeep and care aren’t any doubt a costly affair. One will need to devote proper attention towards their rearing otherwise, they will fall sick or die because of malnutrition or disease.

In Sri Lanka, there are thousands of stray animals like dogs and cats wandering around our neighborhood. One of the pros of it is that we will always have our furry friends around us. The stray animals always become the victims of abuse, living in a malnutrition state as they need to search for their food and involving in too many accidents, and at the end of the day, only a few amounts of people care and pay attention to these helpless animals. Although we cannot adopt every stray animal on the street, we can still help them by providing clean water and food outside our house.

It is our duty as humans to ensure the welfare of these domestic animals. Once the German philosopher Immanuel Kant stated that the way a man treats animals mirrors out his heart. It brings forth the fact that cruelty to animals leads to cruelty to humans. Thus, it is in the self-interest of humans to treat animals kindly, at least most of the time.

It elaborates that humans must take positive steps to ensure they care for their animals properly and must provide for the five welfare needs, which are: the need for a suitable environment, need to be housed with, or apart from other animals, need to protect from pain, suffering, injury, and disease. Thus, as humans, it is vital to show our immense love for these animals and ensure their welfare.

- Rtr. Sewmini Assalaratchi -