[That Foreign Guy]

[ QUOTE ]
Morally, I'm 100% with you. The guys that did this are total scum. But I don't think animals have rights per se; I think they are property -- and the rights violation here is to the property of the animal's owner.


[/ QUOTE ]

So if these guys had bought the dog from a pet store and therefore had full property rights to the dog and then done this you would be OK with that?

I'm not particularly animal-righty, but I think that forbidding cruelty to animals is perhaps a necessary fence at the top of a slippery slope.

If it's OK to set fire to a dog, why not a baby? They have less cognitive function than a dog. If you allow potential value to say that a baby is more valuable of protection than a dog, what about a mentally handicapped person?

Also, if someone can have unrestricted rights over a dog, why not a person?

I may sound like I'm trying to browbeat you with argumentative questions but I am genuinely curious to hear your answers as you seem more intelligent and well adjusted than most people who espouse these views.