Should you own a pet? Should anyone?

In today’s Big Story podcast, there are about 28 million pets in Canada. And on any given day, most of them are trapped inside with nothing to do. This doesn’t mean their owners don’t love them, or provide for them, or even try to exercise and stimulate them regularly. It just means that they are animals, mostly or totally confined. So, they’re bored.

Kenny Torrella is a staff writer at Vox, focusing on animal welfare. He doesn’t think we shouldn’t own pets, but he does say we could do a better job at taking care of them.

“It might seem a little silly on the surface. But boredom is a really, really frustrating emotion. And I think for humans, we’re lucky enough that we don’t really have to experience it as much,” says Torella. “But for cats and dogs and other animals, they are completely dependent on us for their basic needs.”

So what do we know about what domesticated animals need, compared to what they get? And how can you identify signs your pet might be bored or depressed?

You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.

You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.