KillerKingBakudan

The title doesn't change much. Yeah, you wouldn't "own" her by some dumbassed jurisdiction, but beyond that, she's still a freeloader.

What's hilarious is no one's calling out Hasbro for the franchise's name.

Alright, that settles everything then. The thread title's been changed. I'm still going to maintain that whatever the law says doesn't amount to jack though.

I legally own my dog, but I tried selling her because it's a better alternative to leaving her stranded outdoors with no sense of direction, and every possibility of being abused or run over by a car. Regardless, I wouldn't do that if she was sentient. If she was self-reliant, and she had the vocal ability to flat out tell me she didn't want to live with me anymore, I'd let her walk out. It'd tear me up to see her go, but it's the only conscionable thing I could do. So no, I don't advocate slavery. Now again, if she was sentient, what if the reverse were true and she told me she wanted to stay? How is it possible to make a slave out of somebody when you're keeping the door wide open for them to leave? I've yet to hear anyone explain the logic in that.

Of course there is. I'll have you know that I planned to give my dog up for adoption once. The only reason I still have her is because the person I sold her to told me she wouldn't stop yelping. She didn't want to leave, so I finally caved in and got myself a better job so I could take care of her. You can say I "own" my dog, but the fact is, I didn't force her to stay. Would it really be that different if she was actually sentient? If she could talk and say she doesn't want to go, who would I be to say it's wrong to keep her around and throw her out? She apologized to Twilight, but she didn't make it up to the rest of the Mane Six or anyone else in Ponyville. I doubt she'd completely change and stop being full of herself just because she realized what she did was wrong.

Well, you sure as hell can't enslave somebody if you give them the choice to leave. That doesn't make a lick of sense.

A "pet" is already considered an "animal friend". They're interchangeable. That's why people have pets in the first place. They want them for their companionship, not to treat them like crap. I don't understand why some of you are making that conclusion. The only reason we treat animals differently is because of their inability to communicate. It still doesn't change the fact that some animals are smarter and respond to humans better than others. You wouldn't value a lizard or an insect the same way you'd value a dog, for instance. Therefore, Trixie's intelligence would warrant her being treated equally and, by definition of her being a pony, still be regarded as a "pet". And not having a romantic relationship with her doesn't make her any less valuable as an individual. Let's be honest. Being smart does not/should not automatically make something sexually desirable. I have a dog. If you could magically make her brain develop like a human brain, give her vocal cords and have her wake up with the same intelligence that we have, that'd be the most awesome thing ever. But that doesn't mean I'd want to marry her. What do slave-owners do? They kidnap people or buy them off a slave trade, keep them chained or locked up in isolation, threaten them, beat them, deny them medical attention, put them through physical labor, and feed them just enough to ensure said labor is finished. That's not what's being denoted here. Let's say I'm a pony from Equestria. If a family of humans offered to support me for the rest of my life, and respect my freedom to make my own decisions and do what I wanted, why would I care if they said they regarded me as a pet? I'd laugh it off for sure, but still, I'd be living like a celebrity for having literally done nothing. Most people would kill to live that kind of life.

Exactly. And while we're on that subject, the breezies are intelligent enough to run their own society like the ponies are. If they had no place to go, Fluttershy would most certainly take them in and nurture them like any other animal. Why isn't anyone calling her a slave owner?

No, because for one, I'm not even talking about my own species. And "pet" is not a derogatory term, let alone a racial slur. It's something you care for. If my dog suddenly became sentient, why would I no longer consider it a pet?

Fair enough. But I can't see another species being integrated into human society that easily, no matter how intelligent they are. A lot of us still can't even accept different minorities as human. If I had an Equestrian pony staying over, I'd be worried sick every time she went out. Trixie in particular would get herself into all kinds of trouble.

Only if you treat them like dogs. It doesn't necessarily have to be that way. In the end, they're still animals. You can give them the same freedoms that you have, but if you're giving them food, a roof over their head, and plenty of love, I'd like to think that still qualifies them as pets.

Hasbro doesn't seem to think so. They did name the franchise "MY Little Pony." But in all serious, if any ponies from the show lived with me, I'd give them the freedom to do whatever they wanted as long as they weren't being dicks toward me. I'm not sure that's actually worse than being the only blue-skinned human on earth. Lol.

Which would you rather have? And yes, they're still assholes. EDIT: Changed topic title.