To think we could ban pets and use these instead

[Freinddilemma]

No, its not the exact same thing as owning a pet. But...
I absolutely love animals amd totally understand the value of having them but am increasingly feeling like theres something wrong about actually "owning" an animal. I also hate how anyone can just go out and buy a life like that.
What if the AI on these things got super advanced and we just made living pet ownership illegal?

Ah, so because some people are irresponsible or cruel, nobody should have the opportunity to develop the symbiotic relationship with an animal.

Let me see now...because some people steal or sell female children into sexual slavery, nobody should be allowed to have girl children. Because some people abuse and neglect their children, nobody should be allowed to have children at all.

The point is we cannot ban people from having children as it infringes on the right to reproduce

See above

I don’t know why people are using the children comparison.

Children are our own offspring that we produce. Yes some are treated badly and I wish we could ban those people who have children who do that.

Pets are not our offspring, they are bought and discarded, especially rabbits and small furries etc. Dogs are bred to have unhealthy features.
Animal shelters are packed to the rafters in the uk with unwanted pets.
Cats roam the streets, with disease and suffering, multiplying because no one cared about them. Kittens die cold and in pain every day.

You buy a life every time you get a chicken from the supermarket. Would you think it was more ethical if I killed my dog and cooked him?

Is it any good at ratting?

I know, its such a weird comparison and so many people use it!
We can't ban reproduction. We can ban the purchase of animals. Its a very silly analogy

What? 🫪

Is that for me?

Anyway, yes he is a good ratter.

Probably cause your dog is more free range than some of the poor chickens from the supermarket.

Whilst I believe that there should be more in place to prevent poor care, I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with keeping a pet.

Most of the species we keep are domesticated, they have developed to want and need human companionship. Also, we have kept pets for so long that I see it as part of the human condition... no more'wrong' than an orca killing a seal or a parasite attaching itself to a host... humans keeping domesticated animals is just something that occurs in nature. I think the morality comes in when we look at how individuals treat their pets, and the ethics of keeping wild animals.

What are you confused about. A chicken would have been a living thing before you bought it. No one would kill them if they couldn't be sold for profit to be eaten. So you are buying a life when you purchase one. You just paid for someone to end it before you took possession.

What about service dogs?

Arguably its more ethical to take an animals life for food as part of an omnivorous diet than it is to enslave an animal for over a decade purely for entertainment purposes

It was for the OP.
I can think of many, many reasons for why it is wrong to have pets but they're good ratters.

I would allow (proper) service dogs. Unlike pets they are not a strain on the world’s resources.

Yes, it's bloomin' shocking how the pets have enslaved me.

To answer the original question... Yes I can absolutely see robotic pets being a thing in the future and I think they'd be nothing but positive as they'd provide the owner (older people/kids/people who don't have the life capacity for a real pet) with the feel good feelz you get from companionship and without the ethical/mess/cost/emotional strain real animals give.

It'll be a while before I give up my real life pussycat though 🙂

I also hate how anyone can just go out and buy a life like that.

I'm responding specifically to this sentence and pointing out when you eat meat you are buying a life. I'm not the one claiming "buying a life" is unethical.

My dog hasn't been enslaved for entertainment, he was rescued and I don't think I could get him to make a brave bid for freedom even if I left the door open and lined the drive with steak. He's quite attached to me and enjoys a very nice life. I feel very responsible for making sure that continues.

Define a proper service dog please.

One that has been trained by a recognised institution. Not an emotional support dog.
The ones that uk airlines recognise.

As long as you comply with Lucy's Law.

Why should I not be allowed to pay a fee to rescue my cats?

I wonder how many people that think this could replace a dog have ever had a dog?

Rage bait post if I ever read one, but I'll bite anyway.

How can you state "I absolutely love animals amd totally understand the value of having them" and in the next breath say they should be banned. No animal lover would support a ban on pets.

I'm all for tighter regulations on animal 'ownership' and I'm not going to tie myself in knots over the use of the word 'ownership' - particularly when it applies to 'cat ownership' - I don't own the cat, she owns me, she owns my DH and she owns the house despite not paying the mortgage!