High Emotions

Animal welfare and protection-related issues always appear to be simple and self-explanatory. We have strictly determined opinions about what we should do, and how we should do it. Anyone stating his or her point of view sounds as if they are so strong-minded, it’s like they have found the philosophers’ stone. But if we want to have a breakthrough in some serious matter, we need to get rid of this black-or-white thinking and the sentimental self-indulgence that often goes with it.

Emotions, usually the extreme ones, are always present in discussions about animal welfare and protection. Anyone who loves animals and feels responsible for their wellbeing, cannot really react or behave apathetically when faced with either cruel injustice or joyful success.
Animals are highly dependent on us. They are vulnerable to the cruelty of humanity, cannot stand up for their rights on their own, and when we cause them trouble, they cannot find their escape route.
Anyone who has developed empathy for the vulnerable automatically responds with heated feelings when an animal gets exploited, abused, or mistreated.
However, all the basic life-management books state in the very first chapter: making decisions only works properly with a rational mind. Neither rage nor a virtual emotional eruption is a good advisor. A good decision which solves or fixes problems demands unruffled thought-processes.

Besides the deceptive nature of emotionally-driven decisions, it is well known we create categories to better understand the world around us. We have our own ideas about what is right or wrong, what is shameful or what is socially unacceptable. These categories differ with each of us, according to our background, preferences, and how our personality has been shaped by our experiences or education.
Categorising the world around us helps us to create important signposts for the world, it’s important for our own behaviour and for our everyday interactions.
Though strictly speaking, set-in-stone ideas which we never question or doubt can easily lead to a superficial way of thinking.

Animal welfare and protection is entirely full of both emotions and predetermined categories. Whatever the situation is, we react with an automatic, emotional response.
We see all animals as purely good, and this is unquestionably true regarding anyone doing anything to benefit them. As a parallel, when a human does anything unacceptable, even seemingly or even if they are only suspected, and there is no actual evidence to prove they are wrongdoer, then that person is obliged to go to hell at once, without further hesitation.
We pick up simplistic and emotionally extremist point of views, reactions, and judgements. In the scope of animal welfare and protection, something is either extremely good or extremely bad; there is no gradation.

When we see a dog going through a negative experience for 20 seconds, we immediately cry animal abuse loudly and harshly; however we often remain unaware of those circumstances where the wellbeing and health of a dog is jeopardised indirectly, or goes unnoticed, or delayed. The most common examples are all the obese dogs developing serious health issues as a consequence of a sedentary lifestyle, or dogs who suffer locomotor disorders for the same reason.

Shelters face accusations of being heartless and not caring about dogs at all when they close their gates because they have no room: taking dogs under their wings is the duty of a shelter, for sure, regardless of the practical demands.
But we rarely consider what it takes to run a shelter properly with a limited physical capacity. A shelter needs enough staff, food, health-care and most of all money, to properly and responsibly care for dogs.
A shelter is usually a tough place. Most of the dogs have behavioural problems due to the trauma they’ve been through, thus they need attention and proper care to ensure they don’t suffer further harm. Serious injuries can also happen due to dominance fights, and the ever-present threat of an epidemic.

The regular and popular slogan stating that someone who cares about animals must be a good person is completely biased foolishness. Human nature, with all its hidden motivations, is much more shaded than this.
Many countries have faced scandals when swindlers have exploited the goodwill of animal lovers and succeeded in amassing huge fortunes, just because we all follow this simplistic pattern and automatically judge extremely positively and undoubtedly someone claims himself or herself to be caring about the animals.

Just as not everyone taking care of animals is necessarily a good person, the same is true when someone claims to be totally right as he or she wants to act on behalf of animals.
There are some really hair-raising ideas to solve problems that pop up from time to time, and some mastermind claims the unconditional approval of everyone, reasoning if something is for the greater good and for the sake of animals, it is absolutely certain to be just right. And in the end, it often happens that these so-called good intentions cause even more harm due to the ignorance or lack of good sense, than if nothing had been done at all.

Emotionally-driven decision-making precludes rational actions and additionally it teams up with superficial thinking. These two together make us unable to handle or even resolve the problems we face and need to tackle.
Think of all those fierce, and mostly pointless, debates popping up every day on theoretical animal welfare issues or even particular cases.

Nothing is either black or white. It is a basic coping-mechanism that we humans simplify the world around us. We order everything into easy categories, put a label on each of them, and anytime we need to make a decision or solve a problem, we just take the one we need off the shelf.
But if we strictly stick to this and never challenge ourselves with logic or different point of views, it will make us blind.
Life is far more complex than we really understand it to be. It is full of unknown traps, hidden patterns, and unpredictable correlations. If we don’t succeed in thinking profoundly, and look beneath the surface of what we perceive, questioning others and ourselves in the process, then only one thing remains: failure due to making no progress in life.
We all have deep, strong feelings toward animals, but it does not mean that we should lead with these aroused emotions in our decision-making.

Image: Dreamstime