Responding to an Argument Essay "Human Conclusion on a Dog Delusion"

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Amy Frazine Professor Lockard English 102/Online October 13, 2012 “Human Conclusion to a Dog Delusion” Is it really a dog eat dog world? Or, is it more like a human eat human world? Why is one so quick to cast judgment upon what another may do, especially concerning their pet? Look all around; the framed photograph on your sister’s wall of her pet pooch wearing sunglasses, the neighbor next door, walking her poodle, dressed in a fluffy pink sweater and a Gucci collar. This is the popular, growing trend of humanizing pets. In "The Dog Delusion," April Pedersen voices her displeasure with society's increasing obsession with how people view their dogs as not pets, but as important parts of the family, workforce, and culture. However, Pedersen fails to emphasize how the personal relationships that people have with their dogs can be very beneficial, even if some go overboard with extra luxuries for Fido. Pedersen finds the latest trend of viewing an animal as a child, alarmingly ridiculous. However, she fails to recognize the ongoing and misunderstood connection involving human beings and their relationships with their pets. Opposing views claim, that "given the close relationship humans have established with animals, it is not surprising that people humanize their pets, particularly if the pets are dogs" (qtd. in Antonacopoulos and Pychl 139). Although this increased anthropomorphism of pets raises questions about the possible effects of such behavior, pets, mainly dogs, play an important role in one's life. Author and human-relationship expert, William J. Fielding, revealed a survey conducted by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, which found that "more than half of all American households had at least one pet, dogs being the most common" (Fielding 351). Nonetheless, the increasing

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