Palacios 1

Grislean Palacios
Dr. Lynda Haas
WR 37
March 8, 2015
Domestication of Animals
History is known to repeat itself, especially with the action of segregation of human
groups. Specifically in animal/pet history, society, for example, has segregated domestic pet
cats from wild cats, like bobcats. Size could be an answer for a large cat, like a tiger instead of
a bobcat, but that cannot be true for all since some wild cats are nearly the same size of pet
cats. The key word here is pet. Scholars and researchers in the field of animal studies state that
the idea of a pets was not simply given to an animal instantly but instead society formed the
idea that animals could possibly be more than just wild; Leslie Irvine and Dennis Venema both
agree with the idea that animals became pets over a long period of time, versus instantly,
although some are mistreated, most have been loved and cared for and were chosen due to their
unique characteristics; however, journalists Louise Eccles and Harry Mount, as well as author
Grant Morrison and comic book artist Frank Quitely, believe people still have not fully
embraced the concept of animals as pets and therefore have not treated them fairly, or in
accordance to animal rights.
Researchers in the field of animal studies, history and genetics, Leslie Irvine and Dennis
Venema, both agree that the idea of pets has vastly changed from their start as wild animals
to a step forward into the label of household pets. Assistant Professor of Sociology at the
University of Colorado, Boulder and author of the book If You Tame Me, Leslie Irvine,

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acknowledges the use of only a few certain animals as pets, yet she understands that the term
pet has a complex historical background. Irvine outlines the history of the cat as a pet: they
were first domesticated by the Egyptians as a tool to hunt rodents and protect the grain that held
up their economy (Irvine 16). To the Egyptians, a cat's death led to mourning for the loss of their
cat. Archaeological digs have revealed numerous remains of mummified cats, (Irvine 16)
which was only done to wealthy humans as a mean of preserving their body for the afterlife. Cats
were not just animals to the Egyptians, as Irvine explains, they were another family member.
Similarly, Professor of Biology at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia and
staff writer for the Biologos Forum, Dennis Venema, also analyzes how specific animals were
slowly domesticated into pets, yet Venema focuses on the domestication of dogs, suggesting
that certain breeds were chosen to be domesticated for their unique suite of characteristics not
so much out of love and care for the animal. Although gray wolves and dogs are believed to be
related, their genomes only resemble extremely close relatives. According to Venema, they were
chosen to be pets because they were easier to control than gray wolves. Dogs were used to aid in
hunting; they were not a family member like pets are viewed as in todays society. Even though
pets are valued as a member of a family, in todays society, pets are still also mistreated and
abused against their will in order to benefit humanities needs and desires.
Other scholars, such as Louise Eccles and Harry Mount, have focused their attention onto
the breeding practices and animal treatment that put the lives of many animals at a higher risk.
Pets have changed not only their role in society but also their physical appearance and how they
are perceived by humans. Daily Mail news reporter, Louise Eccles, and English author and
journalist, Harry Mount, investigated the breeding situations dogs are faced with in hope of
having the rarest, most bizarre mixes. Although cross-breeds began as an aid to a friend who

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was allergic to most breeds available to the use of his blind wife, crossbreeds have become a
horror for animals that face ill health and abandonment. Crossbreeds have made dogs an item
more than a pet, putting their health at risk if it means resulting in good looks. This idea is
similar to comic book writer and animal activist, Grant Morrisons, and comic book artist, Frank
Quitelys, weaponized pets in We3. After being lost and ending up in the new robotics project of
the military, the animals are seen as items (weapons, objects, etc.) instead of pets, meant to be
cared for and loved by definition. We3 shows a more extreme side to animal abuse yet its goal is
also to try to warn from the creation of monsters, in this case, to fight in war in place of soldiers
rather than for looks like the issue of breeding. The story is told in the perspective of the animals
to express a message: animals have feelings, thoughts, and emotions as well as the desire to
search for safety and love. Morrison and Quitely aim to prevent projects being attempted by
showing in their comic what would result from scientific experiments on animals for inhumane
motives, if the project was completed; the animals would suffer greatly, like they do with the
current project of crossbreeding.
Leslie Irvine and Dennis Venema both support the idea that animals they have been loved
and cared for and that they were only chosen due to breed differences in characteristics, some
were more willing to be domesticated than others. However, Louise Eccles and Harry Mount,
along with Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, all reject this idea and chose to support the idea
that people treat their pets as items instead of embracing animal rights. Although the word pet
is a simple one syllable word, theres more to the word than one syllable. I agree with Wally
Conron, the creator of cross breeding, when he says pets have become items victimized by
Pandoras Box turning them unwillingly into Frankenstein dogs.

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Works Cited

Eccles, Louise and Mount, Harry. "The Hidden Suffering of the Dogs Bred to Be Cute: Adorable
Looks. Cuddly Names like Labradoodle. But the Trend for Cross-breed Dogs Raises
Disturbing Questions." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 13 Nov. 2014. Web. 29 Jan.
2015.

Irvine, Leslie. If You Tame Me Understanding Our Connection with Animals. Philadelphia:
Temple UP, 2004. Print.

Morrison, Grant, and Frank Quitely. WE3. New York: DC Comics, 2005. Print.

Venema, Dennis. "Evolution Basics: Artificial Selection and the Origins of the Domestic Dog."
BioLogos.org, n.d., Web. 29 Jan. 2015.