Environment – Making dogs citizens

Professor Kevin Stafford is a vet who studies animal behaviour, including conflicts between animal and human endeavours. He has particular expertise in the welfare of dogs. He poses the question, what does a dog want? Despite living with humans for around 15,000 years, dogs are still wolves at heart. They are pack animals, loose with “morals” and toilet habits. They like to bark loudly, roam widely, breed freely; to predate and fight.

We have relatively high levels of dog ownership in New Zealand compared with the rest of the world. And we “own” dogs for a range of reasons – for company, security, status, fun, for the kids, for recreation and exercise. After all, dogs are man’s best friend. But Professor Stafford also asks, are we dogs’ best friend in return? He concludes that we are better off getting a virtual dog, or a guinea pig, rather than subjecting dogs to live with us.

Stafford says a mix of mistaken expectations, urbanisation and modern lifestyles make dogs inappropriate as pets. We expect them to sit at home quietly – not barking – waiting for us when we get home from school or work, and research has shown pet dogs seldom get the exercise they need. Their diets can be inadequate or excessive. They sometimes bite and frighten people. They sometimes kill other animals, wildlife, other dogs and even their owners. They cost a lot of money. People can seldom give them the time and attention that matches their social needs as pack animals. Every year dogs are abandoned, lost, impounded and euthanised. People are biased in favour of certain breeds and stigmatise others. Selective breeding for socially preferred traits leave dogs with painful conditions. Poor training by humans gives dogs a bad rap when they get into trouble for breaking the (human) rules.

In the book Zoopolis, Canadian philosophers Will Kymlicka and Sue Donaldson argue one solution to this dilemma – other than getting a guinea pig or a virtual pooch – is to grant dogs and other animals increased citizenship status.  

They dedicate part of their book to the case for companion animals-as-citizens, given the special history, relationships, and domestication of cats and dogs, for example, and the degree to which they are dependent on us and are a part of human society.

Citizenship for dogs would mean they had increased recognition, freedoms, and responsibilities. We wouldn’t just assume that they were a commodity or a living prop to meet our needs, but distinct individuals with needs, interests and desires all of their own.

People could say that dogs shouldn’t be citizens because they can’t vote. But any dog will tell you, if you listen properly, that they vote to go to the park, run off leash, sniff other dogs’ butts, and have the freedom of the city. Auckland Transport’s decision to allow them to travel on some public transport might be the first step.

Christine Rose
christine.rose25@gmail.com