Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love: love of a spouse or significant other, love of a parent or child, love of friends. There are all kinds of love.
There are few among us who haven’t loved an animal. Maybe it was a dog or a cat a rabbit or a bird, and no doubt you believed your animal companion loved you, too. But do animals really love?
Of course they do. It’s a scientific fact – go ahead, look it up. When it comes to the ability to feel emotion, non-human animals are no different than human animals. We all experience happiness, sadness, fear, loneliness, grief, anger, and the bonds of companionship otherwise known as love. It is arrogance to suggest that human love is different, or better, or more “real,” than the love animals feel. Whether you’re a human, a monkey, a whale, or a penguin, love is love.
I’ve had many animal companions and I loved them all. They demonstrated love for me in return. Never could I have eaten or hurt or exploited them in any way. How, then, could I eat, hurt, or exploit other animals who share the same feelings and emotions I do? That’s why I am vegan. I cannot be complicit in the suffering, torture and abuse of non-human animals. It’s a matter of compassion, and of love.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Peace to ALL the animals with whom we share this planet.
