Christy: It is true that we have an obligation "to be good to the animals that we take care of" but the obligation is directed toward ourselves. This is the point that animal rights activists fail to understand. It is in our rational self interest to take good care of our pets and even our food animals, because the result will be a better pet or a healthier food source. As Ken Stuart pointed out, animals do not have rights merely because they exist. Rights are moral concepts and, as such, can apply only to conceptual creatures--humans. Unfortunately, many today place feelings above thinking, never identifying the origin of their emotions. This results in them demanding that something IS just because they WANT it to be. Therein lies the danger of your last sentence, "I want every animal to have a good life before it ends on my plate." That is all it would take to convince many people that it is all right to pass laws forcing us to guarantee a good life for all animals (of course the term "good" would be left open to interpretation by the gang in power at the time). Happy eating, Hank "An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come." --Victor Hugo