[Pturner]

Originally Posted by K9-Lovers

Well, most of you will be surprised when I say that I agree with the title of this thread started by Taj44, "Our Society Has Crossed a Line."

According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), $17 billion was spent on pets in 1994 as compared to almost $51 billion in 2010. http://www.americanpetproducts.org/p...strytrends.asp

Also, recent (recent to us oldsters) laws have been passed specifically protecting the rights of animals -- something that would have never been considered in our great grandfathers' times: The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and The Wild Life Protection Act in 1972. Currently, the ASPCA is promoting legislature to control the breeding of dogs and the protection of factory farm animals.

Yes, we have crossed a line. We are moving toward more civility. Our civilization is progressing. Mahatma Gandhi said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated…I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by people from the cruelty of human kind.”

As we cross that line, and another, and another, and yet the next, let us recognize our failings, celebrate our newfound values, and scan the horizon for the next boundary to break.

Great thoughts, K-9. As usual.