ABSTRACT
Clare Palmer addresses the important topic of killing healthy, unwanted animals in animal shelters. She notes that a utilitarian approach of “humane killing” finds painless killing acceptable. Tom Regan’s rights approach, on the other hand, rejects painless killing as harmful in that the animal experiences the ultimate loss of future satisfaction. Palmer recommends instead a relational approach which both values the duties of care for dependent domesticated animals and respects the independence of feral cats and dogs.
