Caring for Animals

After a recent conversation with a consumer, I thought this post might be a good reminder for all. Animal rights, animal welfare, animal well-being, animal care, animal suffering, whatever the terms that are being thrown around int he media are - I wanted to give you my take on a few of the most important ones!

These definitions are taken from the dictionary of a person involved in animal care on a daily basis:

Animal Welfare - the physical well-being of an animal

Animal Rights - the idea that animals deserve similar unalienable rights that humans are afforded

Animal Abuse - infliction of pain on animals for reasons other than self defense

With those three definitions, I'd like to think these might be better working definitions for consumers to relate to:

Animal Welfare - doing the chores, putting your boots on every morning to insure that animals are well taken care. Animal welfare is taken into consideration every day at a farm, ranch, dairy, hog barn, zoo, research farm, feedyard and multitude of other entities that raise and care for animals. People who depend on animals as his or her livelihood, hold animal welfare standards in high regard.

Animal Rights - you won't find this definition in my working dictionary, it doesn't exist.

Animal Abuse - inexcusable, undefended and unlawful behavior that warrants prosecution by designated law enforcement agencies.

What are your thoughts as a consumer?