Beyond Humans: Dog Utopia or Dog Dystopia?

In his recent post, How Will Dogs Reshape Nature Without Humans to Control Them?, Marc Bekoff imagines a world in which humans have suddenly disappeared and dogs are now living on their own. He engages in a kind of evolutionary biology thought experiment: what kinds of natural selection would act upon dogs, and how would dogs interact with and alter their natural environment (especially when their natural environment is no longer the human home). His biology thought experiment got me thinking about a parallel ethics thought experiment, which delves into the nature of pet-keeping, the human-animal bond, and the state of dogs in our current cultural landscape.

Taking just one corner of this ethics thought experiment: Would dogs be better off without humans? What are some of the things that dogs might gain and lose if humans were to disappear? Here is an initial list of things dogs might lose or gain. (Feel free to suggest other additions to the two categories, in the comments section.)

Ruby begging. In a post-human world, there would be no begging for treats!

Source: Ildar Sagdejev/Wikimedia Commons

What would dogs lose?

Dogs would lose the best of our care, including a steady supply of nutritious food, fresh clean water, shelter from the elements, soft bedding, veterinary care for vaccinations, diseases and pain management, shelter from the elements, and tick and flea control. They would also lose a significant source of social attachment and would never again experience the bonds of human-canine friendship and partnership. They wouldn’t have frisbees, balls, or homemade peanut-butter biscuits.

What would dogs gain?

Dogs would no longer be prey to human cruelty and exploitation; dogs would no longer be experimented on in laboratory research facilities, and female dogs would no longer be forced into role of breeding machines. Dogs also would be free from human sexual abuse, free from having to participate in “sports” such as fighting and racing and would no longer have to endure the extreme forms of emotional and physical cruelty often inflicted on pet dogs by humans. They would be freed from the shelter-industrial complex and from mass euthanization. They would also be freed from the many daily constraints imposed by pet owners: leashes, other tethers, fences, and shock collars. They would gain independence, autonomy, control over decision-making, and reproductive freedom.

I’m not sure how these columns balance out, but you’ll notice right away that the “what dogs have to gain” column is longer than the “what dogs have to lose” column.

For me, this thought experiment goes way beyond science fiction. It has practical value for us right now, in thinking about how we live with dogs. Perhaps by imaging what dogs would gain, were we to disappear, we can see some of the ways in which dogs’ well-being is compromised by their close relationship with humans and learn some valuable lessons about what dogs need from us now. Imagining a world in which dogs are free and “wild” raises a range of questions about contemporary pet keeping practices and about the costs of captivity for dogs. Likewise, looking at what dogs might gain were humans to disappear can help crystallize some ways in which we could help dogs experience greater independence and freedom right now. People living with dogs can look for ways to increase the range of freedoms and find ways to allow dogs to engage their full behavioral repertoire.