Hello dear friends, wherever you are in the world!
The Christmas season has already begun, which is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a time of joy, sharing, traditions and strengthening ties with family and friends; and one of the ways to do this is through gifts, as a way to express love, appreciation and gratitude.
However, giving a gift should not be an impulsive act or to comply with a convention, but rather it should be a conscious gesture, carefully analyzing what that person likes. We make this reflection, because there are times when Christmas gifts are not the most appropriate for those who receive them, because perhaps they will not like them or simply, in a very short time, they will lose appreciation and interest in that gift; we specifically mean giving animals (dogs, cats, turtles, fish, birds, etc.) at Christmas.
When someone receives an animal as a gift, whether at Christmas, birthday or any other occasion, perhaps at first, it is a product of the emotionality of the moment and the euphoria; whoever receives it will say that it is the best gift they have ever been given; but sadly those feelings soon dissolve and give way to disinterest, indifference, and even rejection, with terrible consequences for that living being that has been given as a gift, as if it were a thing or an object, which is why from the vegan community, we want make a call and say that the animals: THEY ARE NOT A TOY
Regardless of whether you are vegan or not, we believe that you can have empathy and respect for animals, that you would not want to cause them pain, suffering and abandonment due to irresponsibility. The animals are intelligent, sentient beings, with physical and emotional needs, among others. We can say that they are NON-HUMAN PERSONS. For example, for a dog or a cat, the human being or the human group with which it lives is its family, its world, its everything; then, when they are mistreated or abandoned by those they fully trust, their pain will be even greater.
Therefore, when you give an animal as a gift, you do not have absolute certainty that this animal will be respected and loved for its entire life, which can be very long. For example, dogs and cats can live 15 or 20 years, or even longer. Adopting or incorporating a companion animal into anyone's life implies a deep commitment, since that animal will be absolutely dependent on that person, since it is not a wild animal, nor does it have the capacity to meet its needs on its own; therefore, when you give an animal, it is an imposed commitment, which will hardly be fulfilled by the person who receives the animal.
We do not want to extend this reflection any further, and as we already said, we just want to make a call for attention, a call to reflect on a topic that is often downplayed. Understand, an animal is not a thing, a toy, it is a living being with feelings, needs and a life of its own, so do not give animals as gifts, not even at Christmas, they are not toys.
If you want to know more about Animal Rights worldwide, we invite you to investigate the following documents:
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Universal Declaration of Animal Rights.
Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare.
Cambridge Declaration on the Consciousness of Non-Human Animals
Feline Manifesto.
We also invite you to read the following posts: