# What is the purpose of having a pet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 1, 2004, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005 "2004-02-01T05:25:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/61 "2004-02-02T04:23:42Z")
> [@Captain Amazing](#): > > Or it could be that it’s cold, the owner wants to watch the game, and that’s the 70th tree the dog has sniffed. I mean, I don’t check out all the urinals before I do my business. 🙂 Yeah, I was thinking something along these lines too. Or the dog has a propensity for finding something disgusting to roll in, and the owner doesn’t want to ride back home with an animal that reeks of something dead and decaying. Or the animal (my cousin’s hound dog comes to mind), who merely uses THAT tree as an allegedly sneaky (as in he thinks the owner isn’t watching), springboard from which to get farther away, and running off. And so on and so forth. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/62 "2004-02-02T04:30:19Z")
> [@escapol](#): > > The fact that my post has been met with such fierce outrage says something. And I’ve yet to see a satisfactory answer to the question, “What makes a human wake up and say, ‘I want to have an animal running around my house so I feel warm and fuzzy inside’?” > > I’m not saying having pets should be illegal or anything like it. I just really don’t get it. And the, “But my dog loves me!” arguement doesn’t make sense. > > That my questions provoke such outrageous reactions from some of you pet owners makes me think you have a bit of guilt in the back of your mind about it. You’ll deny it, but from a disinterested third party, it’s obvious. Fierce outrage? Laughing here. I’ve not seen a single post with outrage at all, let alone “fierce”. Are you fairly new to the internet? Maybe you’re just not used to the “matter of fact” way that things can come across in type. The replies here are mild answers to what you asked. Most posts have given you step by step answers to not only your OP, but your subsequent replies as well. As to your “I want to have an animal running around so that I can feel warm and fuzzy” argument. YOU are adding the “so I can feel warm and fuzzy” to the end of that answer. Each person here has given you both personal anecdotal, and more universal reasons why people want to have a pet. You’d likely get farther in having your questions answered, and maybe in understanding the whole thing, if you addressed specifically what about their answers that was confusing you. Aside from that issue, is it that you aren’t understanding the IMPETUS for an individual to go and choose a pet, and not that you don’t understand the loving and caring for an animal part? ---
**Author:** ![SanguineSpider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SanguineSpider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanguineSpider)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/63 "2004-02-02T04:41:33Z")
He does have issues. Maybe this fellow is angry that he has no one to love him unconditionally or maybe he is about to start killing animals because his mommy didn’t hug him enough and you all are making him jealous. He’s not going to understand because his mind is made up that pets are slaves. We are evil and bad for loving animals, for taking care of them, for making sure they get medicine when ill. Shame on us… SHAME! How dare we spend money on these animals who share our home, how dare we pet them and bathe them and make sure they have enough water and food. How dare we play games with them and brush their teeth and even buy them their own toys to exercize with. Am I the only one who thinks he needs to lighten up? He is saying he doesn’t think owning pets should be illegal. Well, I don’t think him NOT owning a pet should be illegal either, just stop with the extreme attitude when you’re claiming to “just be curious”. You’re looking for a fight, I say. This is not the forum for it. Go pass out PETA propaganda somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![malkavia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malkavia/32/5621_2.png) [@malkavia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malkavia)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/64 "2004-02-02T05:46:53Z")
> [@escapol](#): > > Slaves make me feel good, too. > > Oh, wait, this isn’t 1860. Oh my goodness, did you produce that “Holocaust on your Plate” campaign too? Why -shouldn’t- people have pets? What’s wrong with taking care of an animal rather than letting it fend on the streets and end up run over by some jerk on his cell phone? I personally have cats because I love them. They both found me and I took them in because I had the resources to take care of them and I wanted them both to be happy, healthy little boogers. I’ve never regretted this decision (with the exception of the random head pouncing 45 minutes before my alarm clock goes off in the morning) If you can’t understand being compassionate towards other living creatures, I don’t think there is a forum in the world large enough to fix that for you. My condolences. ---
**Author:** ![malkavia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malkavia/32/5621_2.png) [@malkavia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malkavia)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/65 "2004-02-02T05:52:45Z")
> [@escapol](#): > > You’ll deny it, but from a disinterested third party, it’s obvious. Possibly. Where is our disinterested third party? Shouldn’t we -find- a disinterested third party before we run off talking about what he/she observes? ---
**Author:** ![Teelo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@Teelo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teelo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/66 "2004-02-02T06:01:44Z")
I think this thread should be closed now. ---
**Author:** ![Teelo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@Teelo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teelo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/67 "2004-02-02T06:00:54Z")
I think this thread should be closed now. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/68 "2004-02-02T13:22:43Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Guinastasia_ > Besides, dogs can be useful-seeing eye dogs, hello? IIRC, folks who look at animals as slaves to humans _hate_ guide dogs, because in that case, it truly is an animal _working for and subservient to_ a human (insert outraged realization here :dubious: ). Perhaps folks like our friendly OP believe that _humans_ should be owned by _animals_. Of course, if said OP had ever owned a cat, he’d realize that we cat owners _are_ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/69 "2004-02-02T13:38:51Z")
> [@escapol](#): > > The fact that my post has been met with such fierce outrage says something. a big fat WTF. At first people answered you politely. They gave you reasons for having pets. You persisted and asked for better reasons. You insulted those who had replied by saying you have yet to see a valid reason. I think the outrage is being caused by your attitude. > [@](#): > > I’m not saying having pets should be illegal or anything like it. I just really don’t get it. And the, “But my dog loves me!” arguement doesn’t make sense. Love is very difficult to explain. Even very light-hearted love such as that for a pet. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/70 "2004-02-02T13:49:39Z")
> [@Jojo](#): > > In defence of the OP (seeing as how no one else will support him and an argument needs 2 opposing views) I think that _some_ dog owners strike me as vaguely fascist. The way they needlessly order their dog around eg the dog may be harmlessly sniffing at a tree or something and they shout at it: > > OI COME 'ERE Not that I condone the ‘barking’ of orders to the dogs, In my experience as a dog walker (I don’t own a dog and probably wouldn’t if I had the choice) the dog will sniff everything, and I mean _everything_ that’s upright. On a long walk this can get pretty frustrating. ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/71 "2004-02-02T14:11:27Z")
> [@escapol](#): > > And I’ve yet to see a satisfactory answer to the question, “What makes a human wake up and say, ‘I want to have an animal running around my house so I feel warm and fuzzy inside’?” Never did I wake up one day and decide to have a dog. But my girlfriend’s parents had a dog, the nicest and gentlest and most beautiful dog I’d ever met, with whom I got along splendidly. When the time came that this dog needed a new home, I jumped at the chance. Is this egotistical or bad? If she and I are really good buddies, am I doing something foolish by keeping it that way? A cat came to my door, once, years ago. Since nobody else was doing it I took her in and fed her, and she gave me affection for it. What’s wrong with that? Later on I adopted another cat, because there’re a lot of cats running around without homes and I know that I, personally, get along really well with cats. Caring for the cats and dog aren’t my purpose in life, and I don’t get my kicks from ordering them around (they don’t listen when I try). You can pull from your ass the hypothesis that their dependence on me thrills me and makes me feel important, but it doesn’t seem that way, and it’s not a hypothesis that explains very much in any case. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/72 "2004-02-02T14:36:04Z")
> [@escapol](#): > > If it’s purely for security reasons, I can understand that. I don’t agree with it. Much like I’d disagree with buying a human clone and training him to guard my house. I don’t follow that line of reasoning. A dog does provide an excellent level of security. The last dog we had would bark at anyone who wasn’t family until one of us greeted the intruder and the dog saw we were OK with the guest. This was an excellent adjunct to an alarm system, especially, since an alarm system protects the house; the dog protects the house when at home and the person walking the dog while on a walk. My mom’s dog let her walk around at night without any concern that anyone would bother her, and in fact was an excellent impetus for exercise - my mom continued to walk nightly because “the dog needed a walk.” So I’d argue that there’s a utility argument to be made for owning a dog. Your objection to this approach is unclear to me. - Rick ---
**Author:** ![CrazyMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee59a6/32.png) [@CrazyMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyMonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/73 "2004-02-02T16:09:34Z")
\*\*escapol: \*\*What color is the sky? \*\*Teeming Millions: \*\*Blue. \*\*escapol: \*\*Ah, I see, but what color is the sky? \*\*Teeming Millions: \*\*escapol, the sky is blue. \*\*escapol: \*\*Why can noone answer my question? I simply asked “what color is the sky?” \*\*Teeming Millions: \*\*DAMMIT, ESCAPOL, THE FRIGGIN’ SKY IS BLUE!!! \*\*escapol: \*\*Apparantly nobody has a good answer to “what color is the sky?” The fact that my post is met with such fierce outrage obviously means the sky is red. \*\*Teeming Millions: \*\*:mad: Here’s what really burns my toast – escapol believes that the sky is red. He would like to start a debate, and claim that the sky is red, and back up his claim with solid arguments. Unfortunately, he has no solid arguments to back his claim, so he takes the coward’s way out – he asks “What color is the sky?” as if he has no opinion in the matter, but refuses to listen to any other answer besides “red”. He attacks anyone giving a valid answer, claiming that they are simply blowing hot air, and waits for everyone to throw up their hands in frustration and walk away, at which point he can claim, “Aha, I’ve won! The sky is red and nobody here cares to claim otherwise!” Ahh, the time honored “Nanny-nanny-boo-boo, I can’t hear you!” argument – a favorite among morons for ages. escapol, feel free to prove me wrong. There’s a great big Internet out there – surely you can find a cite that humans own pets as part of a power-trip. Or maybe a cite that counters one of the many valid answers the posters here have provided? ---
**Author:** ![Kiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Kiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiger)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/74 "2004-02-02T16:37:29Z")
> [@CrazyMonkey](#): > > surely you can find a cite that humans own pets as part of a power-trip. Or maybe a cite that counters one of the many valid answers the posters here have provided? Sure he can - but it will come from PETA. ---
**Author:** ![Optihut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/edb3f5/32.png) [@Optihut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Optihut)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/75 "2004-02-02T16:56:46Z")
> [@escapol](#): > > That my questions provoke such outrageous reactions from some of you pet owners makes me think you have a bit of guilt in the back of your mind about it. You’ll deny it, but from a disinterested third party, it’s obvious. Heh. People have been nothing but civil, albeit you do your best to try to rile everyone up by refusing to acknowledge points and asking the same repetive (and may I add stupid?) questions. For your next thread, I would like to suggest the title “What is the purpose of being a troll?” Cheers 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/76 "2004-02-02T16:59:58Z")
I think the OP has fled the scene of the crime folks. Or maybe he finally actually read the responses and realized he HAD been answered…in about a hundred different ways. CrazyMonkey…good analogy there. Its what I was groping for with my quantum physics thing. There simply is no one good answer to such a question…especially when the OP already has a preconcieved answer in mind and refuses to acknowledge any other answer. The funny part is the “fierce outrage” thing. Want to see “fierce outrage”, join one of the many Iraq/US threads or peek into the Pit…this was more frustration at someone being so (seemly) dense about his own OP and the myriad answers provided. -XT ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/77 "2004-02-02T17:18:02Z")
> [@escapol](#): > > I’m not saying having pets should be illegal or anything like it. I just really don’t get it. And the, “But my dog loves me!” arguement doesn’t make sense. I keep a large number of non-human organisms in my house. I’ve built a rather expensive artificial habitat for them, and spend considerable time lavishing care on them. I do this because I enjoy staring at their sexual organs. Phrased that way, my infatuation with these organisms sounds bizarre (not to mention kinky). Heck, it IS bizarre. But I suspect you have never stopped to wonder why we find flowers attractive in the first place - and that you don’t question the reasons for houseplant ownership the way you do pet ownership, even though keeping “tame” plants just so we can enjoy their blooms is just as “unnatural” as keeping pets. Humans are biophiles - we enjoy the presence of other life-forms around us. This trait probably had great survival value once, as it drove us to pay close attention to our environment. Some animal and plant species have evolved to take advantage of this human trait of biophilia. Those organisms have prospered. THAT’S why we keep pets and domesticated plants. We’ve evolved in tandem with them; they’ve developed traits that please us, and in return they benefit from the care we offer them. (Oh, and it makes perfect sense to conclude that our dogs love us. As mammals, they share the same basic brain construction as we do, just with less neocortex. They may not reason as well as we do, but since their limbic systems are nearly identical to our own, there’s no reason to believe they can’t feel similar emotions to our own.) ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/78 "2004-02-02T22:54:49Z")
> [@escapol](#): > > the, “But my dog loves me!” arguement doesn’t make sense. escapol. Do you have pointy ears and a perfectly straight fringe? ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/79 "2004-02-02T23:29:32Z")
> [@escapol](#): > > And I’ve yet to see a satisfactory answer to the question, “What makes a human wake up and say, ‘I want to have an animal running around my house so I feel warm and fuzzy inside’?” Isn’t this like asking, “Why be happy?” You indicate you don’t “get it” and that you haven’t seen a satisfactory answer to your question. To help us out, if you’re so interested in knowing, perhaps you could answer similar questions you _do_ have satisfactory answers for. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005/80 "2004-02-02T23:34:33Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > BTW, my daughter put together a web site for our dog. Here it is: [Katie’s Web Site](http://www.dogster.com/dog_page.php?i=1822) What an outstanding dog. Your daughter must love him to pieces. Hey, **escapol** , what do you do for fun? Just list the stuff you do besides working, eating, and sleeping. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-having-a-pet/227005.md?page=5)