All Creatures Great and Small

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
Mohandas Ghandi said that, and I, animal-lover to the core, believe it whole-heartedly. I do, after all, have four dogs, and I truly believe my life is better for having them in it. Except when they poop in areas not designated as pooping areas. Like, in my closet for example. Ugh.

If I could, I would have goats, horses, a chicken or two and maybe a peacock to round it all out. Cats--well, they need love too and I have owned many in my lifetime, but I could probably go the rest of my life and not own another one. But, I find them exquisite to watch.

Now, in some cases, makes me a hypocrite because despite my aforementioned affinity for creatures of the four-legged variety, I am NOT a vegetarian. Barbecued chicken or steaks on the grill are way too good for me to pass up, and I NEVER met a burger I didn't like. However, I have been known to start fights with strangers at the dog park because of what I believed to be unnecessarily harsh treatment of their dogs, and I also think the punishments for animal cruelty should be higher than what they are currently. By a lot. Don't even get me started on Michael Vick. I lock my dogs in a safe place the second #7 jumps onscreen. Eww.

Now, onward and upward.
Do you have a pet?
What kind? What is his/her name?
How did you choose that name?
Do you believe that you can communicate with your pet or with animals in general?
Can they communicate with you? How do you know?
What is your take on the activists that spend hours campaigning for the rights of animals? Are they wasting their time frivolously when they could be helping human beings out there in the world?
Do animals even HAVE rights? Should they? Should there be a limit to what people do for them? If so, what is it? If not, where do you draw a line? (400 words/50pts)