Why are some animals seen as acceptable to keep as a pet but not others?

Question

I've had quite a chilled Sunday and was watching videos on YouTube of a woman's pet fox playing with her dogs. All her pets looked healthy and looked after, yet there were comments talking about how cruel it is to keep a wild animal (referring to the fox) as a pet, but NO comments about how it's cruel to keep a dog. 
(I would name the youtuber but I forgot her name - sorry!)
What are your thoughts? Do you think keeping a 'wild animal' such as a fox is different to keeping a dog? Also share your thoughts on keeping other uncommon pets, such as what animals are acceptable as pets and what ones are not.

Answer

because a dog isn't wild. 
they use to be thousands of years ago but due to breeding, the dogs we have nowadays need humans. 
foxes on the other hand still have a wild instinct more powerful than a dogs.

Answer

Their dna and brain has not been manipulated and domesticated like a dog has. It is cruel to keep a naturally wild animal locked up beyond their true life.

Answer

Because pet dogs are domesticated. 
I don't believe in taking wild animals in as pets unless it was abandoned/orphaned and obviously would have died otherwise.

Answer

I disagree with keeping exotic animals as pets. I want to see them thrive in their natural habitat. “Fatal Attractions” covers a lot of stories about these things. 
However...
In general I think so many people are under the misconception that “domesticated” animals will always 100% listen to us and be loyal to us versus exotic animals but in reality every single animal on earth is not 100% predictable in their behavior just because they were raised by their master versus the wild. Obviously a tiger is going to be more unpredictable than a yorkie, but I still think it’s fascinating how many people exercise complete trust over dogs like huskies playing with their newborns yet feel extremely threatened by foxes simply hanging out in the brush miles away from their house. 
Something I think about a lot from working in a shelter is how some of these domesticated animals— cats specifically— kill simply because they can. I had a cat roll over, expose it’s belly to me, and let me pet it for about 10 seconds. Suddenly, it attempted to bite a chunk out of my hand. There was a lot of blood and gore and I learned at that second that I was an idiot for simply believing that because it was a cute white former housecat that it wouldn’t hurt me. But even worse than that, I began to imagine how that would’ve been if it had been my pet tiger, for example. So even if domesticated pets can be crazy I’d still say that their damage is typically less than that of an exotic. 
Cat got tested, totally normal results came back. It is the same principle with dogs— some dogs just have this look in their eyes that I’ve most commonly seen in the chow breed that just tell you that they are not simply a house pet. I have seen some friendlier wild animals than some of these cats and dogs, but I still would never own a wild animal or buy an exotic pet.

Answer

Dogs are domesticated. Wild animals aren't meant to be kept in a house. If I threw my dog outside that spoiled little brat wouldn't survive for a day.

Answer

Because people see foxes as "wild" and dogs as "domesticated"
A lady I know has 3 foxes. They rescues from a fur farm. They are also much more well behaved then a good chunk of dogs in the area I live in. 
Foxes can make good pets as long as you know what you are doing and have the exotic pet licence.

Answer

I don't believe in keeping wild animals captive for entertainment or whatever... wild animals should be in the wild and we should stop encroaching and ruining their habitat. Having a domesticated animal like a horse or dog is not the same... in fact if I let my dog loose int he wild and left him there that would be cruel

Answer

The response is usually "dogs and cats aren't wild", but I don't think that's a valid argument. They were wild at some point so the question still remains the same. Doesn't matter if we spent thousands of years domesticating them. I don't see the issue as long as the animals are taken care of properly. We take in rabbits, dogs, rodents, ferrets, etc. It's no different than bats, foxes, monkeys, etc.

Answer

It’s not necessarily cruel... but it’s not for everyone. Research needs to be done beforehand as many states require special permits to keep “exotic” pets. Then there is a big difference in care as well. Dogs and cats have been domesticated for thousands of years... many breeds could not survive without human care. Exotic pets need special care and enrichment to remain happy and healthy, unlike a dog or cat who are happy to chill on the couch with you and maybe go for a walk around the neighborhood.

Answer

So are you okay with the 5000 tigers being kept as pets in backyards around the US? A fox and a dog are completely different stories the same way a cat and a lion are completely different. You can raise a lion from birth but chances are it’s still going to bite a little too hard anyway. Dogs have been bred for hindered sod years for the sole purpose of keeping them as pets. Most foxes are skittish and wild. They belong in the woods and wherever else they live. The same way a tiger belongs in the jungle, not in someone’s yard even if it’s being well looked after.

Why are some animals seen as acceptable to keep as a pet but not others?

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