The Difference Between Animal Welfare and Animal Rights

Remember how 51 dogs were seized from Michael Vick's property in 2007? Well, Parade magazine recently wrote a lovely piece on how many of the dogs are doing now. Though Vick's former pit bulls were forced to fight, many of the dogs have found wonderful forever homes where they are able to run free on farms, snuggle next to their humans on the bed, train in agility, and even help educate children. But had it been up to the animal rights group, the Humane Society of the United States, these dogs would have been euthanized.

Ironically the Human Society of the United States asked the public for donations to help Vick's seized pit bulls but just two short weeks later (after they received donations), the Humane Society of the United States released a statement that they had no idea where Vick's dogs even were and worse yet, the Humane Society had no intention of rehabilitating the dogs.

In fact, the Humane Society recommended that all of the dogs be euthanized.

If you're surprised by the actions of the animal rights group then perhaps you have confused animal rights with animal welfare. Unfortunately most of the public believes that animal rights are the same as animal welfare, but they are indeed two very different belief systems. Listed below are just some of the differences between animal welfare and animal rights.

ANIMAL WELFARE

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), animal welfare is a human responsibility that encompasses all aspects of animal well-being -- including proper housing, management, disease prevention and treatment, responsible care, humane handling, and when necessary, humane euthanasia.

The Animal Welfare Council explains that animal welfare proponents seek to improve the well-being and treatment of animals. They believe that animals can interact with humans in areas such as sport, recreation, and entertainment.

To learn more about animal welfare, visit National Animal Interest Alliance, Animal Welfare Council, and Humane Watch.

ANIMAL RIGHTS

Groups like the People of the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Humane Society of the United States are for animal rights, which simply put means they believe animals should have the same rights as humans. Animal Rights proponents believe that humans do not have the right to use animals at all - no leather belts, no horseback riding, and no pet ownership. Could you imagine a world without your dog or cat?

Animal rights proponents believe that violence like arson, assault, and vandalism are valid uses of funding donated to their tax-exempt organizations for the purpose of helping animals. PETA is infamous for these acts. In fact, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has classified the Animal Liberation Front as a terrorist group because they often use criminal activities to spread their message.

According to the co-founder and President of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk, the goal of today's modern animal rights movement is total animal liberation. That means there would be no farms, no petting zoos, and again, no pets. According to the Missouri Federation of Animal Owners (MoFed), the animal rights movement wants to legally elevate animals to the same level as humans. So the question begs, how will animals take care of themselves?

Do you think your dog will drive himself to the vet when he needs an operation or to the groomer to remove mats under his arms? If our pets are to have the same rights as us, that means they will have to be equally responsible for their financial and legal care. It's time to pay your half of the rent Fido and you, too, will have to attend jury duty.

MoFed suggests that animal rights organizations only care about making money for themselves and promoting an extremist agenda that advocates zero interaction between animals and humans.

So are you an animal advocate who believes in animal welfare or someone who thinks animals shouldn't be a part of humans' lives at all?