#fivefreedoms

[geodelart]

More prints available where this came from. #firstamendment #constitution #usconstitution #fivefreedoms #freedomofspeech #freedomofpress #geodelart #freedomofexpression #freedomofassembly #freedomofreligion (at Rehoboth, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/CibM3SIs_sL/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[geodelart]

Fight back! #fightback #defend #firstamendment #5freedoms #fivefreedoms #usconstitution #freedomofspeech #freedomofpress #freedomofreligion #freedomtoassemble #freedomtopetition #homedecor #businessdecor #printlover #printbuyer #usaposter #american (at Rehoboth, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/COZPBL8lZyI/?igshid=msfzoh9o80hm

[geodelart]

Five Freedoms...we’ve got to defend, protect, revere... #firstamendment #firstamendmentposter #fivefreedoms #usa #usaposter #constitution #constitutionart #fivefreedomsprint #printlovers #graphicprint #foundingdocuments #americanhistory #nonprofits #homedecor #graphicinteriors #interiors #coolposter #ushistory #foundingfathers #standup #usaprints (at Rehoboth, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/CISCic_HOYf/?igshid=ra839fbnqruj

[lcruz5252]

Animal Welfare

According to the Journal titled The Veterinary Clinics of North America, Sarah Heath explains that she sees enrichment involving “the goals of enrichment are to enhance mental and physical development in young animals through the provision of a complex environment, and to ensure good welfare in adult animals by providing them with a complex environment that meets all their behavioral needs.” She continues by clarifying that what enrichment does is enhance the animal’s quality of life by making it more rewarding and meaningful especially since these captive animals no longer have their free choice of going out into the wild and making their own choices. Captive animals are under our care so we are responsible for how they feel, act, and their overall life. Heath goes on to explain that when an animal that is under our care, we should meet their 5 freedom requirements: Freedom from hunger and thirst, discomfort, from pain, injury, or disease, to express normal behavior, and from fear and distress. These 5 categories are otherwise known as being able to maintain proper welfare for the animals. This does not stop here though, there is what is called Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. An entry by Chivalric Ethology illustrates what this is by using a tree and a pyramid as an example where each ascending layer is able to provide a more meaningful life and better welfare for the animal (See figure above). The 5 freedoms provide basic animal enrichment and welfare but there are 3 more steps in the pyramid where if these are provided, the animal is considered to be flourishing. These are social needs, mental stimulation, and choice.

Heath implied that without being able to provide proper animal welfare, many captive animals would be considered to be suffering. Seeing an animal suffer is what many people don’t want to see in captivity but the term “captive” relates to being controlled and confined by something or someone else; in other words, being under our care, both in zoos and our homes. Since these animals are under our care, we must meet these requirements. If you go to a zoo and observe for yourself like I have, zoos do an outstanding job at this especially since many zoological parks offer their animals those elements at the top of the pyramid which exceed basic animal welfare. 

If we wish to see animals flourish we need to know how to properly take care of our animals by looking at Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. As long as we can meet basic welfare care by applying the 5 freedoms, we should be okay but why should we stop there? As owners of any animal, whether in homes or zoos, I like to affirm that we should be aiming for the peak of the pyramid; to provide all other forms of welfare, especially choice so we don't need to force animals to do anything. The way that I see it, people shouldn’t bash at zoos or aquariums when in reality many of them do an exceptional job at providing care for their animals. Animal welfare is applied to all captive animals, including those in our homes so before we judge zoological parks we should ask ourselves, “am I providing better welfare for my animal than my local zoo?” 

Citations:

Heath, Sarah. "Canine And Feline Enrichment In The Home And Kennel: A Guide For Practitioners". Veterinary Clinics Of North America. Small Animal Practice, vol 44, no. 3, 2014, pp. 427-449., Accessed 3 Nov 2019. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195561614000047?via%3Dihub 

Heirarchy of Needs. (2019). CHIVALRIC ETHOLOGY. Retrieved 4 November 2019, from http://pennywood.weebly.com/heirarchy-of-needs.html 

[companionanimalhouse]

The Five Freedoms is a paradigm of animal welfare that many pet owners could benefit from reflecting on. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• The freedom from hunger and thirst seems like a straightforward one - achieved by providing access to fresh water and diet to maintain heath and vigor. But as with all Five Freedoms, I think it deserves a consideration by pet owners to ensure it is being achieved and...well, not wasting your money. Many pet owners will know that there is a wide variety of quality in pet foods. In the US, pet food and treat manufacturing is regulated by FDA policies, and many pet foods achieve nutritional adequacy standards defined by the AAFCO (and will feature their logo on their packaging). There are definitely quality issues an informed and resourced owner should pay attention to - nutritional adequacy and quality ingredients, namely. Unfortunately (in my opinion), owners may be swayed by marketing tactics that imply certain (expensive) foods and food types are more “biologically appropriate” or in some other mystical way not evidenced by science, “better” for pets. That really grinds my gears because all owners have some limit on their resources to help their pets (and other pets, if they are generous). Wasting that time and money on food that will neither help and may actually hurt, in the case of food-borne illness risk for raw diets, is unethical. Furthermore, there are areas owners can spend their money on slightly unnecessary but nice-to-have diet items! Feeding pets in puzzle toys (DM me for a SURPLUS of options) is a wonderful way to increase the pet’s mental and even physical enrichment. Offering a water fountain to cats can be a very helpful step to increasing a cat’s water intake. Cats don’t naturally gravitate to drinking still water, as they typically would imbibe most of their hydration through, say, eating a nice squishy mouse. Running water can entice a cat to drink more, which may help stave off nutritional imbalances and organ issues. #bekindtoyourpet #trainyourdog #trainyourcat #fivefreedoms #animalwelfare #petwelfare #dogwelfare #catwelfate #cat #dog #cats #dogs #dogsofinstagram #catsofinstagram #adopt #adopte https://www.instagram.com/p/BxLwEEznXo_/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=15kzpkyvtdn9j

[companionanimalhouse]

The Five Freedoms is a paradigm of animal welfare that many pet owners could benefit from reflecting on. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• The freedom from discomfort concerns an animal having an appropriate environment, including shelter and resting place. Assessing the appropriateness of an environment for a pet is another area where umwelt must be considered. That is, the animal’s genetic dispositions AND it’s individual life experiences. The environments of domestic cats and dogs in the US can generally be categorized as “indoor” (the animal is kept predominantly inside a home) or “outdoor” (similarly, the animal spends the majority of its time outside). Which is more appropriate? Outdoor cats may have a territory that covers up to 8 acres, with all the hunting, defense, and miscellaneous other activities that maintaining that territory entails. How could an indoor-only environment be appropriate for such an active animal? On the other hand, outdoor environments as full of cats, predators, humans, diseases, and poisons that pose fatal threats to an unwise or unlucky pet. Furthermore, free-roaming and under-socialized domestic animals pose seriously safety threats to humans as well as local wildlife. Many fatal dog bite incidents involved a dog that was kept outside with little friendly human interaction, for example. Providing an appropriate environment for a pet is not black and white, but it’s very attainable! #bekindtoyourpet #trainyourdog #trainyourcat #fivefreedoms #animalwelfare #petwelfare #dogwelfare #catwelfate #cat #dog #cats #dogs #dogsofinstagram #catsofinstagram #adopt #adoptdontshop #dogbehavior #catbehavior #catstagram #dogtraining #cattraining https://www.instagram.com/p/BwkwDamndjK/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=qvw494lu7b3v

[companionanimalhouse]

The Five Freedoms is a paradigm of animal welfare that many pet owners could benefit from reflecting on. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• The freedom from pain, injury, and disease involves prevention (eg. a safe living environment and regular vet care) and rapid diagnosis and treatment of ailments. Unfortunately for our pets, causing pain has become an acceptable way to change behavior. Aversive training and management strategies like prong or pinch collars, auditory blasts or shocking tools, sticky mats...the sad litany of the ways pet product manufacturers sell are seemingly endless. Some may argue that these tools aren’t painful - they are: that’s the only way they can work. Even if they only caused mental suffering, I’d refer you to my last post. Consider your training and management of your pet. What happens if your pet “behaves” - that is, a s according to your expectations and preferences? What happens if your pet doesn’t? It shouldn’t be something unpleasant. Depending on your pet’s resiliency, you should either be removing the reward for the unwanted behavior or, more preferably, redirecting your dog to a palatable behavior. Behaviors like counter surfing and loose leash walking need to be worked on with positive reinforcement and some human intelligence. Causing your pet pain - even if the tools to do so are sold in pet stores and recommended by uninformed pet professionals - and risking injuring your pet is unacceptable as it decreases welfare without necessity. #bekindtoyourpet #trainyourdog #trainyourcat #fivefreedoms #animalwelfare #petwelfare #dogwelfare #catwelfate #cat #dog #cats #dogs #dogsofinstagram #catsofinstagram #adopt #adoptdontshop #dogbehavior #catbehavior #catstagram #dogtraining #cattraining https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvp4_AnHVcd/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ovkar7jnp7yl

[companionanimalhouse]

The Five Freedoms is a paradigm of animal welfare that many pet owners could benefit from reflecting on. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• The freedom from fear and distress concerns mental suffering, which is harder to quantify than many pet owners think. We can’t assess a dog’s distress by projecting our own feelings about a situation or environment on to that dog. You may have heard the term “anthropomorphism”, which is the transference of human attributes to a non-human object. It’s generally an unhelpful, and occasionally dangerous, thing to do with our pets. Just because you enjoy happy hour on the local pub’s patio doesn’t mean you dog does! Just because you looooove snuggling your cat, it doesn’t mean you aren’t causing significant distress to your cat. Ethologists use the term “umwelt” to talk about the world an animal (or etc) lives in as experienced by that animal, which is dependent upon the animal’s genetic dispositions and individual history. It is as complex as it is helpful! Dogs are born loving to sniff and with the mechanisms to do it much better than humans. Their umwelt is full of the dog down the street’s pee-mail on the fire hydrant and every scented laundry detergent, air freshener, and shoe deodorizer brought into your home. Cats are born predators. Spend any time with a four week old kitten and you will see those pweciously widdle killer instincts being honed. If you channel those instincts into a laser pointer hunting session and end the play without giving your cat something to have murdered...your cat is left at hyped up murder mode with no outlet. Mental distress in pets usually gets noticed when it manifests as abnormal behavior. Overgrooming, anxiety, aggression, depression, pica, and excessive vocalization are all signs of mental distress. I encourage pet owners to consider their pet's umwelt to assess distress before it gets to that point! #bekindtoyourpet #trainyourdog #trainyourcat #fivefreedoms #animalwelfare #petwelfare #dogwelfare #catwelfate #cat #dog #cats #dogs #dogsofinstagram #catsofinstagram #adopt #adoptdontshop #dogbehavior #catbehavior #catstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BvZ-8S5HOu3/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=c6umuvdx38gq