Regarding Grant Piper's Feb. 20 letter, "Unrequited love for pet owners": I know that we don't understand how pets such as dogs and cats really think, feel or trust. In this respect, I agree with Piper. Also, I sometimes come across animals that are treated too much like humans. In addition to dogs wearing clothes, some dogs even eat birthday cakes! That's anthropomorphizing gone overboard.

On the other hand, there's no question that I feel sad for abandoned pets. This is a problem caused by humans' lack of love for them or lack of foresight. When I weigh both examples of human egocentricity, I believe that too much love for pets — even though it is a deformed love — is way better than letting pets die for nothing.

yoji shiobara