Dr. Peter Martin loves animals.  

They have been a big part of his life since he was a child playing with his family’s cocker spaniel, Noel.  

Throughout his childhood, Martin said, he was designated to be the caregiver for all of family pets. So whether he was treating the dogs’ hot spots or feeding one of the many cats, it was Martin’s responsibility to take care of the pets and to provide them with love.

As a teen, he was fortunate enough to be given a part-time job as a kennel assistant by a veterinarian, Dr. Billy Weeks. Weeks inspired Martin’s career choice.

“He fueled my desire to become a veterinarian through his caring concern for his patients and their owners, a trait that I think I developed and share,” Martin said.

Martin attended veterinarian college at the University of Georgia, where he met his wife, Cathy. After he graduated, he and Cathy had four children, and they eventually ended up returning to the area his parents called home.  

Now residing in Flemington, he is the senior veterinarian at Flemington Veterinarian Hospital.

As a veterinarian, Martin deals with many people who regard their pets as family members. He and his wife currently have a 10-year-old Weimaraner and a 3-year-old American Staffordshire terrier. He said these two dogs, Rudy and Penelope, are rescue animals, and they, too, are part of his family. So he understands the connection that many people have with their pets.

Martin, who is a Christian, said he has observed a growing debate on the nature of animals and how humans should relate to them. He said that with this debate, questions have arisen such as: Are animals moral equals to man and have souls like people, or are they here on Earth with a designated role assigned to them by God?

Martin said that in recent years, he has seen a growing trend in the veterinarian field that is pushing the view of naturalism, which advocates that animals and humans are equal in all ways. He said this debate was the catalyst for him to write his book “Kind Provision: A Fresh Perspective on Animals, Humans, and Animal Rights.”

Martin believes animals are created by God and do have purposes, but he does not believe they are equal to humans or have souls.

“People have souls, according to the Bible, but there is no mention of animals having a soul anywhere in the Bible,” Martin said. “And though animals are to be valued and loved, there is a difference when an animal dies and a human dies.”

“When a man is murdered, the Bible speaks of there being a penalty for this, but there is no mention of an animal’s life having this same value,” he said. “The Bible even says just the opposite in designating in the Old Testament that animals are provided and to be used for sacrifices.”

Martin said another distortion that is being pushed in his field is the idea the theory of evolution is factual. He said the reality is that when you examine many of the “facts” of evolution, it takes more faith to accept it than it does to believe that there is one supreme being responsible for creating everything.

“One of the reasons that Christians allow themselves to be intimidated and bullied on the subject of evolution and naturalism is that they don’t see the full picture,” Martin said. “This can affect their entire approach to their faith and their interactions with others.”

“Animals have an immense value, and I know this,” he said. “Praise God that he did put animals on this Earth to be a part of man’s life.”