Owning and Caring For a Pet is Unethical

The source my opponent cite is well worth the read. And fully supports what I have said for some time. People are treating their pets better than their kids. Or that many people are not treating their animals in a manner socially healthy for themselves or the pet in question. It's not doubt that some pet owners see pet's almost as toys or as a wagging tale to see when they come home. Some pet owners use their pets as place holders for a child. There is an over population because people are obsessed with owning a cute puppy to love and cherish like a child, instead of the reality. [1][2]But the Resolution is if "Owning and Caring for a Pet is Unethical". My opponent is making the case that any money spent on any pet is better spent on human life. This all or nothing premise I have strong contentions with. If we take an applied ethical stance on the resolution we can assert that there is a situation in which the ownership and care of a pet s ethical maybe even morally required. My arguments proceed as such from a variety of different moral grounds. Religious GroundsBecause we are talking about Ethics and religion is one driving force in the systematic application of moral rules, some reader will find find religious ground pertinent to the resolution. Though I cite from the Judeo-Christian Bible there are equivalent verses in many other holy scripture to justify the same conclusion. I merely cite the Bible now as it is a source I am familiar with. Genesis 1:26 "Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth. "Mankind has a responsibility to take care of the animals of the earth. Luke 14:5 Jesus says, "If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out"Jesus is stating that it is permissible to work on the Sabbath if it is to save life. He equates the life of an animal to that of a child. Proverbs 12:10 says, "Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel. "Clearly against animal cruelty and for the care and well fare of beasts employed by man. Luke 12:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before GodNo Creature big or smalls suffering or death is forgotten by God. Morally based on religion we would have an obligation to care for the animals, to care for the environment, and to care for pets we employ. Symbiotic RelationshipAnimals do not have an ethical system. They react and think in natural terms. I think the stance of a symbiotic relationship is the healthiest perspective to have on the care of animals. I'll use a personal example of this but I want the reader to know that is common among my neighbors and friends to see animals in this same light. I have a cat. I don't even like cats. I would say I am apathetic to cats. But I have a cat named Sassy. I should call her Athena because I can not express how bad arse this cat is. She is an outside cat, who is neutered and gets regular shots. She is friendly and non-feral to people she gets introduced to by me. She knows where her home is and what her job is. I feed her one small cup of food a day. She protects the house from rats and snakes. Both which are health hazards to people and hazards to my property. I am not imbuing human characteristics on to my cat. I can read her body language and I know she sees me as dominate. She does not bring me dead stuff because she sees me as an adult. A bag of cat food for 2 months is around 12 dollars. To protect against rats I could buy poison. Which is harmful to people, can reside in the soil and parts of the house for years with out degrading it's hazard to human health. A rat can become immune to poison and require harsher chemicals to repel and kill them. Harm to other natural animal life, like mountain lions, deer, water supplies, and more have all been attributed directly to rat poison usage. Cost of rat poison anywhere between 30 to 100 dollars for a 1 month supply. I could purchase traps and fill the land fills with carcasses of dead rats. These techniques are only for the rats and not for the snakes. Those are a whole new set of problems. My cat Sassy, pound for pound, and buck for buck is the most effective, human safe, natural killing machine and disposal processing plant for such pests. This is only cat but I know many people that accomplish their jobs with the aid of animals know what I am talking about. It is not even that different then you waking up in the morning and having to go to work. Most people have a boss they listen to. Some bosses are good some bad. The pet gets their needs met, are happy and satisfied with working. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement. [1]. http://dogcare.dailypuppy.com...[2]http://www.dogbreedinfo.com...