by Mary Knetter

Created on: February 26, 2008   Last Updated: November 27, 2010

Growing up on a dairy farm I have been exposed to many animals. Our farm had dogs, cats, cows, a horse and countless wild birds, rabbits and deer. I have hands-on experience feeding, caring for and working with animals. I know what animals need to survive and what they need to be happy and healthy.

Animals have rights. They have the right to live comfortably, to be happy and to have good food. But where does one draw the line? Here are my thoughts on three issues people think of in regards to animal rights.

1. PETA and the Freedom of Animals

When I think of animal rights, I think of PETA-People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Here is an organization that makes claims about abused animals but has little concrete supporting evidence that backs it up. One look at their website and you'll see pictures that don't really reveal anything, information that is contorted to suit a statement and the exhaustion of single sources.

I took several journalism courses in college. The first thing they taught us was ethics. Ethics by telling the truth, getting both sides and being objective. Empty pictures, single sources and cut and paste quotations are three signs of something shady and unethical.

I am against the mistreatment of animals by any means. But I don't think that domestic animals should run free or zoos shouldn't cage wild animals for people to see like PETA does.

Zoos-most of them anyway-work hard to create the most natural environment for their animals while protecting them from people and vice versa. They also work to improve the genetic pool of endangered or near extinct animals. Third, they educate people about animals to keep people and animals safe and create a passion to protect endangered animals.

Domestic animals have been bred to be in contact with humans. Moreover, they have been bred to depend on humans for food, water and shelter. Setting domestic animals free to roam doesn't make their lives better.

While animals do retain much of the instincts of their wild relatives, they don't retain all of them. Animals like horses may still have most of their "fight or flight" instinct, but when it comes to looking for food and water they are lost. Feral and wild horses spend their entire lives learning how to find water, grass and shelter from the elements. Humans provided those things to horses for centuries. Horses raised around people and depend on people only know to look to people for those needs.

2. Puppy Mill Dogs

I am against puppy mills. The demand

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