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Are you a pet owner or animal guardian? (6/14/2002) Massachusetts- A Massachusetts town
recently joined the ranks with six other cities in recognizing the
concept of "animal guardianship." Amherst,
Massachusetts amended it's municipal code to allow people to choose
whether to legally refer to themselves as "owners" or
"guardians" of their pets. It joins cities including Boulder,
Colorado; West Hollywood and Berkeley, California; Sherwood, Arkansas;
Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin; and the state of Rhode Island in approving
this rule. Batya
Bauman, an animal rights advocate, claims the inclusion of the word
‘guardian’ is a step towards changing the perception of human-animal
relationships. In
Defense of Animals, a national animal rights organization, has initiated
a new policy regarding pet ownership: "It
is the policy of In Defense of Animals to no longer use language that
accepts the current concept of animals as property, commodities and/or
things. Rather than refer to ourselves or others as "owners"
of animals we share our lives with, we now refer to ourselves and others
as "guardians" of our animal friends and to animals as
"he" or "she" rather than "it." Guardians
do not buy or sell animals; instead they rescue and adopt. We urge you
to do the same." This ‘animal guardian’ trend continues to spread. Cathy Guisewite, the creator of the Cathy comic strip pledged her support for the Guardian Campaign and drew a cartoon to represent her feelings. It shows Cathy sitting on the sofa with her dog proclaiming, "‘Owner,’ Never; ‘Guardian,’ Forever." CopyrightÓ U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance- www.ussportsmen.org
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