An animal welfare expert says Johnny Depp’s privileged pooches being chauffeured around the world on private jets is evidence of a two-tiered class system in the dog world.
After the world economic crash of 2008, brought about by greedy banks and poor government oversight, the divide between rich and poor has widened. Inequality in society has become a noticeable issue leading to protest from the have nots. We are in a rebellious mood.
The super-wealthy were unaffected by the crash. They found ways to make money out of it, hence the increased polarisation between rich and poor. Plus ça change as the French say.
Where there is a gulf between rich and poor people, there is the same inequality between companion animals and the Johnny Depp story highlights this.
Johnny Depp must have known about the strict Australian rules governing the importation of anything into the country. Australians are incredibly (and admirably) strict on what can be brought into their country. He appears to have decided to ignore the rules and try and get away with it. Now he will fly his dogs back to California, quite possibly in his private jet.
This makes me think of the millions of cats and dogs living with poor and sadly uneducated people who are negligent towards, and sometimes abuse, their companion animals. It is just pure bad luck these cats and dogs ended up where they did.
High profile companion animal caretakers/guardians arguably have a role to play in improving animal welfare. They are in the privileged position, by dint of their talent and effort, or simply via inherited wealth and opportunity, to make a major contribution to animal welfare.
I like Johnny Depp as a performer but he seems to have acted selfishly in riding roughshod over Australian regulations. As he obviously likes dogs a lot and I hope, therefore, animals in general, let’s see him try and make a difference in animal welfare. This is a nice opportunity to get the ball rolling.
There is another aspect to the wealthy companion animal phenomenon, which is dubious. They are often used by wealthy celebrities to enhance their image. This is not the way to improve animal welfare as the animals are being used as an accessory. It devalues animals.
I am 48 yrs old i to was having pommerin baby she died at the age of 13 completed i feel very very bad for animals i love them i need them to take care of them but i am helpless but i do pray for them me and my family
Thanks Arthur for dropping in and commenting.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are highly arrogant to think they are above the law. It is widely known that Australia has very strict biosecurity laws for very good reasons. Depp and Heard have the money and staff to comply with pet imporatation requirements but they chose not to. Do those dogs even have valid passports for entry into any country?
Hats off to Australian Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce who said it was time the dogs ‘buggered off back to the US’. I think the authorities were very fair in allowing them 50 hours to remove both dogs from Australia otherwise they would be euthanised.
Johnny Depp and his partner are the only ones wrong here not the two innocent dogs whose lives were threatened by animal activist hater Barnaby Joyce.He never has anything good to say about animals or the people who help and support the animals.In fact he couldn’t wait to lift the ban on exporting Australian livestock and send the poor animals to a slow and very cruel death.It has been proven the animals exported usually die a horrible death but he could not care less.
He labelled the animal supporters as ‘a few idiots out there’,well over one million ‘idiots’signed the petition so he was very wrong there.As far as I’m concerned he’s the idiot and rules are rules but Johnny Depp and his wife should have to pay the price for not obeying the rules not the innocent animals.Barnaby Joyce is the one who should bugger off.
I think that Joyce represents the voice of the Aussie government in respect of companion animals especially domestic cats and also feral cats. They don’t like them. I agree that these dogs are at the mercy of warring humans. Depp flew them back in a private jet. I believe the dogs were accepted back to California. Shame about the whole thing.
I agree it’s not the dogs’ fault, but if the Australian authorities allowed Depp to buy his way out of this one, it would be just another example of one law for the rich. If Depp and his wife cared so much for their dogs they would never have put them at risk in the first place.
I don’t honestly believe there was ever any real threat the dogs would be euthanised, but the story has raised awareness about the strict entry rules for Australia.
People of wealth and privilege will always be able to get away with bending the rules. Depp obviously wants his dogs to be with him, rather than leave them with a caretaker. But sometimes, once in a great while, some authorities can’t be bought.
Having a private jet makes many things possible that aren’t, on a commercial jet.
My favourite quote from the novel “Animal Farm, “SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL”!The same applies to the “Human world” where ,”Some humans are more equal”.Thats the way this World functions practically.I feel sorry for the numerous pets that are daily euthanized in “First World Country’s” or left abandoned on streets in developing Country’s.
Nice observation, Rudolph. It is the way the way the world functions and it makes a mess of the world.
Depp apparently is flying back to the US with his dogs today! Not sure if this will happen because he has filming commitments in Australia.