I was given a couple of Banton baby birds by the same guy I bought my girl dog, Kesha, from. I paid 250 euros for Kesha. Buying a dog goes against my principles, but Kesha was living in such terrible conditions, that I could not bear to hear her cries and see her any longer chained up and starved. A vision I had to endure every morning on my way to my daughter’s school. It was impossible to put her out of my mind.

I asked Kesha’s owner, whom I shall call “Pepe” here, if he would give me the dog as he clearly did not want her. He said, well she looks after the goats (tied up to a chain???) and she is a pure breed Spanish Mastiff, plus I paid 100 for her and now she is trained to guard the goats and the sheep (she didn’t guard anything, she would not even bark, she was and she is the gentlest dog ever). He said you can have it for 250. Lots of things went through my mind, but certainly not buying the dog from this “entrepreneur”.

I would go to the police and file a complaint. We should comply with the law.  So, I  sort of complied with the law, after all I am a lawyer (I could have just stolen her, but I did not.  I have to say my honesty was for reasons not linked to a Kantian sense of morality).  Legally, “Pepe” could have not sold the dog, besides it was not chipped or vaccinated and I could also demonstrate that she was starved, riddle with fleas, ear infections, dermatitis, etc. I had a vet’s report. “Pepe” was alerted about the denunciations that had been made, as other people had also filed complaints, and Kesha subsequently “disappeared”. My time was running out, Kesha was no longer in full view. All I cared about was saving Kesha from the dark side of humanity.

Perhaps in another village or in any other country or in another time denouncing animal abuse will be the right thing to do, but not here, not in this village, not in this country and not at this time. After many sleepless nights, and few cold sores in my lips due to anxiety, I followed my intuition. Buying a dog from this sort of person is not a reasonable thing to do but I decided to surrender to my emotions. To follow my intuition. And I suppose my intuition was backed up by my experience from my legal battle I had against the animal shelter in Benidorm.  There was not a light at the end of the legal tunnel, I bought Kesha.

I still talk to “Pepe”, I do not think he is “evil”, he is not a malicious person, for him animals are just that, animals, they are personal chattel, they enjoy the same legal status as a microwave. They can be bought and sold as any other personal property.  And his business is to profit out of exploiting animals. He is no different from the animal industry that oppresses, enslaves, exploits and kills animals. All legal, of course.  The egg, dairy, “meat” or leather industry are just some examples. There is suffering and there is killing, all for profit and ALL unnecessary.

As I was saying he gave me this beautiful Banton cocks, as they were of no monetary value to him. I found them a place in a farm, where I knew they were not going to be eaten or caged. “Antonio”, the farmer, only eats rabbits, I gave him the Banton birds, and ended up bringing home Lola, a rabbit that was going to be stewed next day.  “Antonio” is a nice guy, he eats rabbits, his wife doesn’t anymore, she says she cries when he kills them. She eats pigs and cows. She doesn’t see their slaughter, unlike with the poor rabbits. Most people eat other animals, I did too, and I am compassionate and nice, but never even thought about their suffering, never really thought about anything in reality, same as starving children or wars, they just happen, it is life.

“Antonio” and his wife seem really nice, compassionate people. He saved a donkey that used to be terribly beaten with a metal stick, he cured the deep cuts in his face and cares for him now. For the first time in my life, I heard a donkey crying and sobbing like a child when “Antonio” forgot that he had a metal pole in his hand and went to stroke him. He wasn’t braying, he was actually trembling and weeping. I listened to the story of the donkey. If his beatings throughout the years had been taken on a human being, those actions would account for torture. But torture is a term reserved for the human species. The donkey was just abused, and no one did anything about it. Except for “Antonio”.

“Antonio” saved the donkey, yet he kills the rabbits, and eats pigs and cows. Most of us are compassionate individuals, we care for our cats and dogs, but somehow ignore the suffering of other equally emotional animals. The ones we transform into “meat”, or use as producers of food. Are we not contradictory and counter-intuitive in the way we treat animals?

Humans may be possessors of intelligence and autonomy, but so are we possessors of emotions and intuitions. Infliction of harm on an individual who appears vulnerable, and certainly in a disadvantageous position is a serious enough intuition that tells us that our actions are not right, regardless of the legality of them.

The right not to be tortured or inhumanely treated has nothing to do with the capacity to reason or to have a language to communicate. Mistreating babies or humans with mental disabilities is not permissible. Suffering has to do with sentience. Torture, abuse, exploitation and slavery of animals is wrong because it causes suffering, it promotes violence and it is not necessary for our survival.

ANA MARIA CASADIEGO

Freelance Animal Law Consultant