58% of pet owners in Africa consider their pet “part of the family”, according to a recent study. In urban societies, the trend is toward having fewer children and more pets, as one author writes:
No one in our time looks askance at a woman living alone with five cats. Our politics and economics seem aimed at producing old women with cats. And whole great sections of society, formal and informal, public and private, look askance at a happily married woman with five children, who devotes her day to making a lively home for them.
I know of a professing Christian couple who divorced over the sleeping arrangement for the dogs. I know of another couple with a strong calling to missions who just couldn’t leave because of pet health issues. Or what about a church leader who agonised for an entire church camp weekend over her separation from her kenneled dog? Or a Christian employee who is emotionally disabled and unable to work due to loss of a treasured pet?
One writer warned a decade ago:
Pet adoption in America happens over twenty-three times the rate of human adoption; there are more than twice as many cats and dogs in America than children; and we spend over $61 billion each year on our pets—enough to feed, clothe and educate more than 135 million children in poverty-stricken countries.
Pets vs. People
I once posed the following question to 185 Christian veterinary professionals: ‘There is a building burning. Inside is one of your pets and a stranger. You only have time for one trip in. Who do you save?’ Of our participants, 11% would save the pet, not the person. Other surveys have shown that as high as 80% of the pet-owning population would save their pet over the life of a fellow human and image-bearer of the Almighty with an eternal soul!
In the last 25 years we have seen ‘Fido’ move from the backyard, into the bedroom, and onto the bed. You need to ‘get with the program’ if you are still confining Fido to the yard. In fact, there are many pet adoption facilities that would consider you an unfit “parent”. My Christian friends, we are seeing the deadly outcome of a Darwinian, atheistic worldview where humans are just another animal species, with no sacred dignity, no longer “crowned with glory and honour” (Psalm 8:5).
Is this a call to banish pets from Christian homes? Of course not. We have a God-given responsibility to care for God’s creation in a responsible way (Prov. 12:10), and they are God’s gifts for our good, to rule and steward wisely (Gen. 1:26). For all the years that my kids were growing up, our family enjoyed Ashleigh, our schnauzer, who provided us lots of memories together. Remember that the very founder of the SPCA was renowned Christian reformer (who ended the Transatlantic slave trade), William Wilberforce, who confronted the animal cruelty of his day.
Anthropomorphism
In her book, Pack of Two, Caroline Knapp explains how dogs possess a quality that’s rare among humans: the ability to make you feel valued just by being you. This is why she argues that dogs often make better family members than humans, because of their ‘acceptance’ and ‘unconditional love’, their consistency and loyalty, which is lacking in other people.
There is a name for this kind of exaltation of animals: It’s called “anthropomorphism”, when you ascribe human form or attributes to something that is not human. More than ever, people view their dogs as family, with all the inherent rights of the dominant species without tails. The anthropomorphising of four-legged creatures has come to city halls, courtrooms and state legislatures around the world. Much of this has been fuelled by Hollywood movies where pets have been talking to humans for the past 50 years or more – the ‘Bambi-fication’ of society.
Hairy People?
The Bible is true and makes it clear that humans are created differently and have “eternity in our hearts” (Eccl. 3:11). We who hold to the biblical doctrine of man’s uniqueness are accused of “speciesism”, assuming human superiority over our four-legged friends. Yet that truth was not our idea, but the Creator’s own design, as plainly taught in Genesis 1-2, where Adam was assigned a unique place in creation, naming and managing the animals, which were entrusted to his care. Pets are not just ‘hairy people’, as many say today; they are subject to human dominion and stewardship.
Pet-Centred Budget?
I know of a wise pastor whose premarital counselling includes cautioning engaged couples not to get a pet for the first three years. His observations: (a) the first pet quickly becomes the child, instead of obeying God’s command to “be fruitful and multiply”; (b) top quality pet care is sought and more economical options get overlooked; (c) unwise credit charges ensue, leading to marital discord. As Jesus taught, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matt. 6:21).
How many Christians give more toward their pets than they do toward missions? If so, does our Lord’s rebuke to Jonah not ring out again, if we are more concerned about plants or animals than about eternal souls (Jonah 4:9-11)? To learn more, read this brief warning from Randy Alcorn and John Piper about prioritising pets over people.
We hear of a pensioner on a fixed income who insists on buying her 7-year-old dog a top-line, senior pet food that helps with joint disease. She affirms to the dog food salesman, “I’d go hungry before I would take him off of that food.” Again, we see our backwards, upside-down, Romans 1, idolatrous society putting pets before people, animal dignity before human dignity. Thankfully, a few brave voices are starting to sound the alarm about this anti-human trend.
Childcare vs. Petcare
No doubt, childbearing is a costly obstacle to self-centred personal fulfilment. Pets are far more affordable and convenient. A recent study showed that in the city of Seattle there are 45 per cent more dogs being raised than children. Ever heard any couples over fifty bemoaning their lack of grandchildren? Yet nowadays the reply is, ‘But at least we have three grand-dogs.’
But think about the problems ‘grand-dogs’ can bring into the family. My very own aged mother used to worry about having an active little pet. But to leave them at home, or to leave them outside, ‘Mercy, no’?! Another friend recently was dealing with duelling adult children at their house over the need to have the pets inside in spite of the allergy issues.
Certainly, we are all tasked with caring for God’s creatures to the best of our abilities. Here is a talk my son once did on “What’s So Wrong With Animal Rights?” Some say this could be the next major civil rights movement in the developed world. Christians must stand up for the majesty of God in human uniqueness (Psalm 8) and for the inferior status of animals, while still upholding responsible care for pets, and wise conservation and stewardship of creation. But we must never forget: Jesus did not die for animal-kind; He died for mankind!
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