Companion animals have always been sort of a controversial area for vegans. If animals are sentient than people can't own them. Often I have heard vegans use the concept of a partnership. The dog and his companion enter a partnership. Not formal. Not ever verbal. but still and understanding. I will take care of you in exchange for ______. Probably writing up the agreement between a cat and his human would be challenging or could be humorous. I will take care of you in exchange for you bringing me small dead rodents. Or shedding on any garment I leave on my bed. or not suffocating me in my sleep.
Anyway, courts of law have sometimes found themselves in the situation of trying to decide who owns an animal when that animal's ownership is called into question. sometimes the judge decides the best route is just to ask the animal.
For entertainment purposes here are two examples of that.
The first is an article I ran into recently. It does explore a little bit of the history, philosophy and sociology of the concept of pet ownership. It also describes in detail one of the earliest documented incidences of a dog deciding who its owner is.
You can read the full article here.
https://narratively.com/the-dog-who-took-the-witness-stand/
The second story is from an episode of Judge Judy.
Anyway, courts of law have sometimes found themselves in the situation of trying to decide who owns an animal when that animal's ownership is called into question. sometimes the judge decides the best route is just to ask the animal.
For entertainment purposes here are two examples of that.
The first is an article I ran into recently. It does explore a little bit of the history, philosophy and sociology of the concept of pet ownership. It also describes in detail one of the earliest documented incidences of a dog deciding who its owner is.
You can read the full article here.
https://narratively.com/the-dog-who-took-the-witness-stand/
The second story is from an episode of Judge Judy.