I have just finished reading a biography of Queen Elizabeth I of England, who reigned from 1558 to 1603. Among her people, she was widely regarded as a generally tolerant sovereign except to traitors, and capable of showing much kindness to her close friends and loyal subjects.

However, as I learnt from the biography, this great queen whose impressive intellect, artistic talent and political savvy I greatly admire had no love for animals. Unlike the present British monarch, Elizabeth II, whose love of dogs and horses is universally known, the first Elizabeth did not care whether animals suffered or not.

She loved hunting for the thrill of it and once permitted a stag to go free only after cutting off its ears; enjoyed watching a cruel sport where chained bears were forced to fight dogs; and was guest-of-honour at a party where the original plan had to been to shoot live dogs and cats up into the air along with the fireworks – the plan was not executed, but there is no indication that the queen would have objected to it!

Her attitude was not necessarily a product of the times, for her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, loved dogs and disliked cruelty and violence.

Learning about that aspect of Elizabeth I’s character has reminded me that some otherwise admirable people may not naturally be kind to non-humans. Fortunately, most of us no longer live subject to powerful monarchs whose whims are law, but rather in societies with laws against cruelty to animals – and people who are intelligent and admirable enough will obey those laws.

We cannot expect everyone to love animals, but in this age, we do expect everyone to treat animals with respect, and to pay the price of breaking the law if they don’t.

Respect non-animal-lovers’ feelings too

Distressing stories about cruelty to animals have been in the news of late, and for such evil acts, there is no excuse – even if the perpetrators felt provoked. However, at the same time, there were also other, unrelated stories coming to light about inconsiderate people who let their pets make the environment unpleasant for others.

One case, highlighted by a reader’s letter to a newspaper, involved a family which allowed their dog to urinate at and lick the exercise stations in a public park. Even the most ardent dog lover would not want to use equipment with dog saliva and urine on it, much less someone who objects to dogs! So if you must take your dog to an open fitness corner, please leash it to a tree or post away from people trying to exercise.

Another case exposed a couple who took a dog onto an MRT train, breaking SMRT’s rule barring animals other than guide dogs for the visually impaired from its trains. If you are a non-driver who must transport an animal, call a taxi company and ask for a driver willing to transport a pet housed in a carrier (please don’t let your pet scamper loose all over the taxi seats), or contact a pet-taxi service.

Other complaints involved pets in cafes, sitting on the chairs and eating off the crockery meant for humans. We can surely understand how awful such scenarios must be to health-conscious folk, so please take your pets only to eateries that welcome them and are licensed by the National Environment Agency to admit pets.

In sum, keep your pet away from people who may be offended by or afraid of it; obey the rules of transport, shop and F&B operators; and clean up after your pet if it makes a mess in a public place. Please don’t be thoughtless and ruin things for everyone else.

Live and let live – but protect what’s yours

In school, my friends and I used to play with a lovable cat who visited us almost daily. A schoolmate, however, screamed whenever the cat went near her, because she had hated cats ever since one ate her goldfish.

One school holiday, the cat disappeared, and we were told by the caretaker upon our return that it had been attacked and killed by a dog. We were tremendously upset – not at the dog, but at the person who had allowed the dog to roam and kill that sweet-natured kitty.

Unlike the schoolmate who transferred her hatred for the loss of her pet fish onto all cats, some of us understood that animals will be animals, but more is expected of the people responsible for them.

It is cruel and misguided to vent one’s anger on animals that have apparently damaged or harmed one’s property and pets – the animals don’t know any better; it is the people who have abandoned them or let them stray who should be taken to task.

Wherever we can, let us adopt a live-and-let-live attitude. Strays cannot spread diseases to you unless you allow them access to your person, food, drink or pets, so keep them off your property by installing grilles they can’t easily get over or through.

Most strays do less damage than human litterbugs or vandals. However, one exception is when stray dogs congregate in large enough numbers to form a pack mentality and attack people and pets entering their territory. Ideally, such dogs should be rehomed or separated and sterilised so they cannot reproduce. It seems sad to routinely shoot or trap them if they do not actually do harm.

We share this planet with other living creatures; just because we can have power over them, it does not mean we should throw our weight around at every opportunity.