Name: Cylder Lim (49512061)
Instructor Yi-Ming Shi
English Composition II 2020
Date: 23th June 2008 (Argumentative Essay)
(Revised) Does keeping a pet reflect the kindness of pet owners?

The Humanity of Pet Owners

Nowadays, keeping a pet has become a social trend in every household. A recent survey in America shows that more than half of the pet owners want a family pet instead of another person with them if deserted on an island. However, does keeping a pet reflect the kindness of pet owners? Are pet owners taking the full responsibility while taking care of their pets? In my opinion, keeping a pet doesn’t reflect the kindness of pet owners. To illustrate, the unfolding news from BBC news has revealed the cruelty and neglect of pet owners and what has happened on the pets.

Generally, pets’ obesity needs all pet owners’ attention because obesity would eventually lead to health problems. An example from BBC news is terrifying that a podgy dog couldn’t move after a full English breakfast and needed to be carried to hospital thereafter. The owner was then “banned from keeping pets for life”, and accused of neglecting his pet’s health. Pets’ life are as fragile as human’s. They can be sick for reasons like humans. Therefore, pet owners should be aware of the danger of pet obesity. Seriously, pet obesity can cause arthritis, high blood pressure, poor liver function and diabetes, just as human obesity. For instance, some of my friends who are pet owners do not really concern about their pets’ weight. They feed whenever their pets ask for more beyond feeding hours. As a consequence, some of the pet dogs are overweight. According to Dr. Brinson, the most frequent cause of obesity in pets is owner indulgence. Owners do not realize that they are killing pets with kindness.
The BBC news headline “Pet owner jailed for pet cruelty” implies the inhuman act of the convicted pet owner. Mr. Jones was found guilty under the sentence of letting his pet dog starve to death for three weeks. The visage of the dead dog is horrible, and the veterinarian diagnosed that it was suffering through an agonizing period before it died. The wall has left some scratched marks, indicating the dog deprived of food and drinks was once struggling for escape. This is not news just on conscience, but also on morality. Mr. Jones was found guilty and he confessed that he was scared to be charged the moment he locked his dog accidentally. However, he was still considered irresponsible for not rescuing his dog. As is known to all, dog abuse is not a new issue. Today, we can even find that some websites established on the Internet for the purpose of animal protection. Hence, pet abuse mainly happened because of a pet owner’s cruelty instead of kindness.

Nonetheless, a global survey also defines that there are still a large number of pet owners willing to spend their time and effort on their pets. For example, pet owners tend to bring their pets for shampooing, brushing, and glooming. They patronize pet shops to buy some new products, such as more comfortable baskets, cages and leads, as well as toys for entertainment. Moreover, some pet owners put their pets at pet shops while going away for vacation or some errands. According to Euromonitor research, the increased expenditure spent on pets has simultaneously shown how much care the pet owners give out. In my opinion, despite the merchandises in pet market have increased and more pet owners are willing to spend money on their pets, not all owners keep pets out of kindness. Some people keep pets in order to prove their wealth; thus, spending money on their pets is necessary to show off their financial ability. Furthermore, keeping a pet is just a personal entertainment. As a consequence, no matter how much it costs a pet owner to keep a pet, it is not equal to a pet owner’s kindness.

A household pet is a loyal companion for pet owners; but when a pet owner neglects his pet for health and care, he or she is not loyal to his companion. Likewise, taking care of a pet needs time and effort, so make sure you are not the one who is lazy to feed and take care of your pet.