[Blanchard]

Why do black and Asian people never/rarely keep dogs and cats as pets?

User Detail :  

Name : Blanchard, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 33, City : London, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : Senior Manager, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Lisa22809]

I've never noticed your 'observation;' therefore I won't waste our time with some psuedo-logical reason as to why blacks and Asians rarely keep domesticated animals as pets. Having a pet is a matter of personal preference and choice. Most of the people I know don't have pets because of one of four reasons: A) They don't like pets B) They don't have time for a pet C) They're allergic to pets D) They can't accommodate a pet Race has nothing to do it. By the way, since I was four my family has always had a dog. There was one period in my life when we didn't have a dog due to us living in an apartment, but when we moved out, guess what we got? Yep. You guessed it - a dog. And I one day hope to have 10 of them (I'm exaggerating). My uncles have dogs (two each), and my aunt has a 12-year-old cat. It's nothing complex and/or scientific.

User Detail :  

Name : Lisa22809, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, City : Gaithersburg, State : MD Country : United States, 

[Jennifer]

In tribal and ancient Africa, animals were viewed not as pets or 'things' that could be owned, but as beings in the universe, like people. Pet ownership is slavery. 'The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans anymore than blacks were made for whites or women for men.' - Alice Walker

At least, that's why I don't own an animal.

User Detail :  

Name : Jennifer, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 26, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Writer and Activist, 

[Crystal]

I live in a very diverse city in the United States and can tell you that when I shop at my local pet food emporium, I see people of all races buying dog and cat food and supplies. Ditto at my veterinarian's - when I'm there with my cats, I see blacks, Asians, Latinos and whites all sitting in the waiting room. One of the vets there is Latina, and the veterinarian who writes a column for my local newspaper is Asian. I can see perhaps two reasons why a black or Asian person might be less likely to own a pet: 1) Renters are not always allowed to have pets. To the extent that people of color are renters rather than homeowners, this may affect pet owning. As Lisa in the previous post pointed out: many renters would like to have pets but cannot. Many times when a renter moves up to owning her own home, she then acquires a pet. 2) Asthma is very common amongst poor blacks and Latinos. If a person is asthmatic or has an asthmatic child they usually can't have pets, because the pet acts as an 'allergy trigger.'

User Detail :  

Name : Crystal, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 30's, City : Oakland, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Office Manager, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[J. L.]

I can't speak for African Americans, but lots of Asians don't keep dogs because in Asian cultures (like with many cultures around the world), animals are not valued as companions. They're used for work - cattle pull the plow, mules pull carts, cats catch mice, dogs guard houses. In the United States, dogs and cats are not necessary because they don't serve a utilitarian function. I am Chinese American and have noticed this among Chinese people. When I was living in Cameroon (Central Africa), I also noticed the same attitudes among Cameroonian people. Most people in developing countries are too poor to think of animals as 'pets.' Thinking of animals as 'pets' is actually a luxury of the wealthy.

User Detail :  

Name : J. L., Gender : F, Race : Asian, Age : 26, City : Jersey City, State : NJ Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Ike]

Jennifer, have you ever lived in Africa? Can you really speak for African people? Do you know how many ethnic groups exist within just Cameroon itself? It's more than 250. I've lived in Africa, and you cannot imagine the cultural diversity and differences in attitudes within just one country in Central Africa, much less the rest of Africa. Alice Walker may have been right about animals being viewed in Africa as sentient beings, but Africa does not exist in a timeless vacuum. Neither is it one social unit. Contemporary, post-colonial African societies do not all abide by the ancient wisdom mentioned by Alice Walker. I believe that dogs are not kept as pets by many African immigrants because they are simply not seen as 'pets.' The concept of a pet didn't even exist in my village in Gabon, where I served in the Peace Corps.

User Detail :  

Name : Ike, Gender : F, Race : Asian, Age : 26, City : Jersey City, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

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