People consider pets to be a part of the family. When the family goes away, it can be hard to part with four-legged friends.
According to an article in the Baltimore Sun, pet owners have been finding alternatives to leaving their cats and dogs at home.
Luxury pet hotels Stay Pet Resort in Hanover, Maryland is modeled after a hotel. It offers amenities like king-sized beds, flat-screen TVs, a garden area, and webcams so that owners can see their pets while they’re away.
Some people are even reluctant to leave their pets at a luxury pet hotel. “A recent survey by Petplan pet insurance found that 80 percent of respondents planned to travel with their pets this year — up from 10 percent from 2012.”
Many hotels for humans now include accommodations for dogs. The Hotel Monaco in Baltimore, MD is pet-friendly. They provide plush pet beds, treats at check-in, and a concierge list of pet-friendly restaurants and attractions in the area.
You can read the full article here.
Is this a necessary part of caring for a pet? Is this the modern way to observe the mitzvah of Tza’ar Ba’alei Chayim? Is the alternative, leaving a pet at home or in a kennel, cruel?
You can introduce your students to the kind of exploration and critical thinking needed to consider their relationship with animals. Behrman House introduces Our Place in the Universe: Judaism and the Environment, an investigation and journaling experience for 6th-8th grade. In chapter 3, students can debate the comforts and challenges of sharing our lives with animals and whether or not Noah should have saved the insects during the flood.
