Animals...of course!

That's me...I was maybe 3 years old, talking to a kangaroo! It seems I've always bonded with animals more than humans. :)
Anyway...Melbourne Cup today. I was at work. It was rather amusing the way everyone stopped in the mall to watch, but other than that, I'm not too interested in seeing which animal can get from point a to point b the fastest. My animals would get distracted by a shiny object after 5 steps, so it's probably a good thing I'm not competitive!
Tonight I watched RSPCA Animal Rescue. It's one of only a few shows I watch. It kind of makes me mad though (ask my Mum, she doesn't want to watch in the same room as me anymore because I yell at the Tv too much!) I don't understand how or why people can mistreat animals. :( The other thing that bugs me, though, is the way the RSPCA itself acts. Who are they to decide that an animal is better off dead than with a less than perfect owner? Of course it's bad when an owner isn't able to provide proper medical treatment for an animal, or struggles to keep up with cleaning and feeding- but isn't an animal better off alive with someone who cares about it, than not alive at all? I'm pretty much against euthanasia. If an animal is old, in pain, and has no chance of recovering, maybe there's a reason- but just because it can't find a home...when it already had a home, but they took it from that home because it was "cruel" to keep an animal in those conditions? Well I think euthanizing the animal is more cruel. Humans love to play God, huh? But even without that... there are kids dying in Africa due to lack of medical care and food- nobody wants to euthanize them! Why are animals so different? What if God created all creatures equal? Sure, humans are a more intellegent species, but why do humans assume that this means we are "better"? Or that it makes it ok to eat animals, or kill them in the name of "kindness"? Why do people think of them as less than we are? To me it just shows a disrespect for life. I know my views on this are probably unpopular, but any other way doesn't make sense to me.
*Sending love to all* from me (Jacqui) and Missy. oxoxo