Who makes the decision what constitutes a "pet"?

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señor_pescados_felices

señor_pescados_felices

Feeder Fish
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May 26, 2006
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The Real Norcal
I know that legally fish do not count as pets.To many this is common knowledge.

You can ,at any point you feel like it,remove a fish from your tank and end it's life in whatever manner you see fit. No one can call animal control on you as you have legally done nothing wrong,as fish are not truly considered pets.

I cannot get pet insurance for my fish,you cannot call animal control on somone with an oscar in a 10g.....they are not classified as pets.

However when asked the other day "who says fish aren't pets?",I could not give an answer.I wanted to say fish and game but that didn't sound right.

That leads us to my question:
who decides what (legally) constitutes a pet?Is it fish and game?animal control?
I guess I'm just flipping the question that was asked of me right over to you guys so I know exactly how to answer when someone asks me next time "who says fish aren't pets?"

thanks in advance,
señor_pescados_felices

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well technically you cant just go and kill a fish anyway you want... like take an oscar out and step on it, or throw it on the ground, some people have been arrested for that and charged with animal cruelty...

but I consider my fish pets and also name them...
 
Bsixxx;1259162; said:
well technically you cant just go and kill a fish anyway you want... like take an oscar out and step on it, or throw it on the ground, some people have been arrested for that and charged with animal cruelty...

but I consider my fish pets and also name them...
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are you positive of this?I have seen many things that show otherwise.We have seen an arowana fed to P's in a clear display of "animal cruelty".Betta fighting is animal cruelty and I know of no laws against it,and they fight to the death.

I have a hard time believing that if you saw someone take an oscar out of a tank and kill it for no reason that anybody would show up if you called any form of animal control.If anybody has been arrested for such it must have been a few isolated cases to set an example.

Anyhow I consider my fish pets as well,but legally they are not considered to be pets and I was just wondering who and where and when that decision came from.

My apologies if laws have been updated and fish now legally fall under official classification as "pets",but last I heard they did not.

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señor_pescados_felices;1259270; said:
someone sent me a PM stating that state laws are what decides what is classified as "pets"?
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I would think the same people who decide what animal cruelty is and that's probably at a state level.. so maybe they're right.

I however don't think it's against the law to kill a fish cruelly and I've never heard of anyone arrested for that. There was that guy in the mid west that stomped an oscar to death but I don't think he was charged with an animal offense.
 
I figure anything you get in serious trouble for putting in a bag and whacking against a wall to kill is a pet
 
I personally have always viewed fish as more of a hobby. I wouldn't stomp a fish to death but I don't name them and think of them as pets. If my Large Mouth were to get big enough I would have considered eating him. I'd never eat a real pet... thats just me though.

Although I know that is going to change as soon as my daughter is old enough to enjoy the fish and pick out her own. At that point I'm sure they will become pets. :D

Real thin line though...... good question.
 
I suggest that animal cruelty laws would apply to ALL animals, wether they be pets, farm livestock or wild animals.

But the standard of cruelty seems a bit lower if you are a fish.

Baiting hooks with lumps of meat and throwing it out in back lawn to catch kittens would get you arrested pretty quick. But do that at the pond with fish and you may need a fishing permit, or maybe not even that.

This is probably a good thing, both for kittens, and us. I like fish, both to keep as pets and to eat :naughty:. I guess it's a rough deal for the fish, but they are neither cute n cuddly or able to vote, so thats just how it is.

Now if you went and did something deliberatly cruel to a fish (like worse than catching it and eating it :WHOA:) then you could be prosecuted for sure.

Cheers

Ian
 
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