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Humans with a deep concern about the mistreatment that animals receive at the hand of man are well on their way to operating in the Service-to-Others orientation, a fact that would not surprise either them or those who know them. Horrific mistreatment occurs in the handling of animals destined for slaughter, in crowded conditions in which they stand and lie in their own waste and are pumped full of chemicals that soften their meat but add nothing but the pain of injections to their lives. The pain that laboratory animals are subjected to is even more horrific, in surgery and post-surgical care with the comfort of the animal the least consideration to deliberate chemical poisoning. None of this mistreatment is necessary in the least, but is defended as a business necessity or to further human health - all lies. The real reason for the mistreatment is the insensitivity of control oriented barons who run these businesses, who cannot be bothered to consider the pain they are causing if it takes a minute out of their day or a penny from their pocket.
However, those concerned for animal rights are not necessarily operating fully in the Service-to-Others, where they think of others at least as often as they think of themselves. The true test of orientation comes when the entity must make a choice between themselves and another. Under conditions where caring for another is not truly a sacrifice, but perhaps merely an inconvenience or even a pleasure, a true test has not occurred. Caring for pets is almost never a true test, as they are kept for the fun factor, not because they are a burden. They romp with or otherwise amuse their owners, are an extension of their owners egos, and build a sense of power in the pet owner due to the master-slave relationship. Caring for pets is a safe Service-to-Other practice, one where the human holds all the cards, and thus not a true test of the decision to care for others on an equal basis with caring for the self.