Comments for Pampered Pets

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Produced by Sue Shepherd

Other pieces by 800 lb. Productions

Summary: the new relationship between people and their pets
 

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Review of Pampered Pets

I liked this piece for the way it melds a playful spirit with some fairly serious questions.

This story’s about pets and how our treatment of them has changed in modern culture. You will be delighted to laugh at the more ‘extreme’ pet owners (those who would pay for a custody battle over a dog), and prodded to think as dogs are declared to be the most successful social parasites known to man.

The story poses some pretty strong questions about our willingness to attribute the full range of human emotions to our pets. It warns that this trend is harming our pets because it makes owners less likely to train their furry friends and makes us more tolerant of bad behavior. The new trend may also be bad for humans. As we attribute a full range of human emotion to our pets, some are beginning to suggest that more and more rights be conferred on our animals. The resulting legal complications could be a nightmare.