Animal Rights by MacLane Key Animals make good companions, provide an endless source of entertainment, and make excellent research test subjects. They're cute, cuddly, and often quite tasty. While one can truthfully say many wonderful things about animals, one can not truthfully say that animals have rights.
Animals are property to be possessed, cultivated, or disposed of as their human owners see fit.
Rights do not come from being cute, or fuzzy, or particularly likeable in any way. To claim that they are, it is necessary to say that a fish's right to life is violated whenever one fish eats another. It's also necessary to say that a dog's right to property is violated whenever one dog grabs a bone from another or whenever a person gives a dog a bone and later takes it away. When considering this, it's self-evident that the notion of animals having rights is absurd. The overwhelming majority are well intentioned, good natured individuals.