Animals are people, too

An article published in The New York Times on Oct. 5, 2013, and titled “Dogs are people, too” looks at the MRI scans of dog brains and compares them to the scans of humans.

The article was written by Gregory Berns, a professor of neuroeconomics at Emory University and the author of “How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain.”

Not surprising, Berns found similarities in the brain scans that may indicate canines have emotions. My guess is, if you could get a brain scan of a horse (currently unlikely), you’d find the same thing.

Berns says the ability of dogs to experience positive emotions, such as love and attachment, would mean that dogs have a level of sentience comparable to that of a human child, and this ability suggests a rethinking of how we treat dogs.

I would argue we should rethink how we treat all species, including horses.

Obviously, they have feelings. They get attached to their buddies. They grieve for those that die. They fiercely protect their young. They scream out of fear. And they nicker out of enthusiasm or curiosity. If it takes brain scans to convince some people, then, by all means, get a brain scan. But the evidence has always been there for us to see.

Berns notes that animals have long been considered property. He says the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 and state laws raised the bar for the treatment of animals, but they also perpetuated the view that animals are things, or objects, which can be disposed of as long as their suffering is minimal.

He says his MRI scans suggest that we can no longer hide from the evidence. Further, if we granted rights of personhood to dogs, then puppy mills, laboratory dogs and dog racing would be banned for violating the basic right of self-determination of a person.

He says the Supreme Court has allowed neuroscience in the courtroom. He hopes that will open the door one day for a case arguing for a dog’s rights based on brain-imaging findings and for society to consider dogs as people.

My guess is it won’t take long for that designation to spread to all animals, bringing an end to this prehistoric era of treating animals with the same respect as trash.