Palacios 1

Grislean Palacios
Dr. Lynda Haas
WR 37
January 20, 2015
Domestication of Animals
Although animals are all animals, society, for example, has segregated domestic pet
cats from wild cats, like bobcats. Size could be an answer for a large cat, like a tiger instead of
a bobcat, but that cannot be true since some wild cats are nearly the same size of pet cats.
The key word here is pet. Scholars in the fields of animal studies state that the idea of a pets
was not simply given to an animal instantly but instead people grew to understand the idea that
animals could possiblyle be more than just wild; Leslie Irvine and Dennis Venema both agree
with the idea that animals over time have become pets, although some are mistreated, for the
most part they have been loved and cared for and were chosen due to their unique characteristics;
however, Louise Eccles and Harry Mount, as well as Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, do not
believe people have fully embraced the concept of animals rights for their pets. this idea of
animal as pets and animal rights.
The idea of pets has changed vastly from centuries ago when only the elite could
afford to own them, versus the general population like today. Assistant Professor of Sociology at
the University of Colorado, Boulder and author of the book If You Tame Me, Leslie Irvine,
acknowledgesalso questions the use of only a few certain animals as pets, yet she understands
that the term pet has a complexquite some historical background. Irvine outlines the history of
the cat as a pet; theygoes quite into depth with felines, who were first domesticated by the

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Egyptians as a tool to hunt rodents and protect the grain that held up their economy (16). To the
Egyptians, a cat's death lead to mourning for the loss of their cat. Archaeological digs have
revealed numerous remains of mummified cats,(16) which were only done to wealthy humans
as a mean of preserving their body for the afterlife. Cats were not just animals to the Egyptians,
as Irvine explains, they were another family member. Similarly, Professor of Biology at Trinity
Western University in Langley, British Columbia and staff writer for the Biologos Forum, Dennis
Venema, also analyzes how specificsupports the idea that animals were slowly domesticated into
pets. Venema focusesd on the domestication of dogs, suggestingwhere he determined that
certain breeds were chosen to be domesticated in the early domestication process for their
unique suite of characteristics. Although gray wolves and dogs are believed to be related, their
genomes only resemble extremely close relatives.<<this last sentence doesnt seem connected to
the rest of the point. So this first subpoint is about the historical analysis that some scholars have
done on the domestication of dogs and cats? You should make that plain in the topic sentence
Pets have changed not only their role in society but also physical appearance and how
they are perceived by humans. <<make this topic sentence signal that its another literature
review paragraph---something like: Other authorities have focused on the breeding practices that
are currently popular and the risks associated with breeding and cross-breeding.<<<notice how
this sentence announces that youre going to be reviewing what authorities say about the
point>>> Daily Mail news reporter, Louise Eccles, and english author and journalist, Harry
Mount, investigated the breeding situations dogs are faced with in hope of having the rarest,
most bizarre mixes. Although cross-breeds began as an aid to a friend, who was allergic to most
breeds available to the use of his blind wife, crossbreeds have become a horror for animals who
face ill health and abandonment. Crossbreeds have made dogs an item more than a pet, putting

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their health at risk if it means resulting in good looks. This idea is similar to comic book writer
and animal activist, Grant Morrisons, and comic book artist, Frank Quitelys, weaponized pets
in We3. The animals are seen as items (weapons, objects, etc.) instead ofpets, meant to be
cared for and loved by definition. <<well, they were loved pets, and then they were taken by the
military...likely they got lost and ended up in a shelter where the military took them>>> We3
shows a more extreme side to animal abuse and tries to warn from the creation of monsters,
<<there is some parallel here in this theme to the crossbreeds and breeding--- in both cases,
humans tinker with the animals genetics or natural state in order to creating something that the
humans want>> in this case, to fight in war in place of soldiers. The story is told in the
perspective of the animals to express a message: animals have feelings, thoughts, and emotions
as well as the desire to search for safety and love. Morrison and Quitely aim to prevent projects
being attempted, with scientific experiments on animals for inhumane motives, by showing in
their comic what would happen if the project was completed; the animals would suffer greatly,
like they do with the current project of crossbreeding.
Although the word pet is a simple one syllable word, theres more to the word than one
syllable. Leslie Irvine and Dennis Venema both support the idea that animals they have been
loved and cared for and that they were only chosen due to breed differences in characteristics,
some were more willing to be domesticated than others. However, Louise Eccles and Harry
Mount, along with Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, all reject this idea and chose to support the
idea that people treat their pets as items instead of embracing animal rights. I agree with Wally
Conron, the creator of cross breeding, when he says pets have become items victimized by
pandoras box turning them unwillingly into frankenstein dogs.

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Good start, Grislean--I think your focus for revision should be to revise the structural parts
(controlling idea, topic sentences, transitions) to make sure they signal that you are doing a
review of what authorities say about this topic. I also think that you should go back and carefully
re-read your two development subpoints and make sure that your introduction is focused on
setting up these points ets up these p

Works Cited
Eccles, Louise and Mount, Harry. "The Hidden Suffering of the Dogs Bred to Be Cute: Adorable
Looks. Cuddly Names like Labradoodle. But the Trend for Cross-breed Dogs Raises Disturbing
Questions." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 13 Nov. 2014. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

Irvine, Leslie. If You Tame Me Understanding Our Connection with Animals. Philadelphia:
Temple UP, 2004. Print.

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Morrison, Grant, and Frank Quitely. WE3. New York: DC Comics, 2005. Print.

Venema, Dennis. "Evolution Basics: Artificial Selection and the Origins of the Domestic Dog."
BioLogos.org, n.d., Web. 29 Jan. 2015.