After getting fish and seeing them in captivity first hand I've decided that I don't think it's ethical to keep fish in captivity in general. As good a home as I try to give them, they're still wild animals in a little box. I think no matter the size of my aquarium or the effort I put into water maintenance, providing suitable rocks, etc, all of my effort and good intentions will never compare to the home they are meant to have in the wild. I just feel bad for them and bad about myself for contributing to an industry that puts animals in these kinds of conditions.
I worry about a lot of things, including but not limited to the expression of all the instinctive behaviours that a fish would have in its natural habitat that living in a glass box prevents (no matter how enriching we try to make the captive environment). I could write a lot about this, but I've dwelled on it enough as it is. Suffice to say I have just decided on a personal level after keeping fish that I do not think they are a suitable species for "ethical" captivity in the home.
First I'd like to iterate that I am not trying to convince anyone to share or understand my views on this, I'm only posting this because you asked the question. I have some conflicting and sometimes contradictory feelings on animals in captivity in general and tend to lean against captivity in the majority of cases.
Personally I feel better about keeping dogs in captivity than fish. Dogs are domesticated and want to be around us. Not only that but they can be around us fully, as opposed to sitting in a box for their entire life. They love and care for us in their own way, are very in tune with our emotions (and we with theirs), and have evolved to live alongside us (if one chooses the appropriate kind of dog for them). Where I live the laws on keeping dogs are more strict than some countries, and dogs enjoy a lot of access with their owners. They can't be left alone for more than a few hours at a time, so if a person is to keep a dog they either take it (almost) everywhere with them or sign up for dog daycare where the dog gets to spend the work day playing with other dogs and humans. I think dogs are in tune with us enough to be legitimately happy, and life alongside humans has become the "natural habitat" for many types of dogs (again assuming one chooses the appropriate dog).
I'm curious, do you consume animal products? I appreciate you answering these personal questions, no stress if you're not interested in continuing the barrage of questions. :~)
I'm ashamed to say yes. I cut meat out years ago but do still consume dairy and eggs. More recently the vegan alternatives at local grocery stores seem to be getting better and better, so I'm starting to consume less of those as well. Hopefully in the near future I will be able to honestly answer "no" to this question :)
As a newish vegan, I think I’m having an inflection point where being a vegan seems much easier than I thought. Low sodium canned beans really made this last week at work easier, for instance.
> Where I live the laws on keeping dogs are more strict than some countries, and dogs enjoy a lot of access with their owners.
This sounds amazing! Where is this if I may ask? My experience in Australia is that there are a lot of dogs and dog owners, but overall it is not very dog friendly at all. For example you can't take pets on trains and it is uncommon to take them to work.
I've also noticed more workplaces allowing pets to be brought in occasionally, and a significant number of cafes and shops allowing pets in and even supplying water bowls and an area for them to tie up and rest while you shop/eat.
not op, but the laws he describes sounds a lot like what we have in Sweden. I'm not sure as to what number of hours a dog are allowed to be left alone though, but I think it's less than a normal working day, I have a bunch of colleagues who occasionally works from home due to their dogsitter being sick or otherwise unavailable.
