Early westerns often included stampede scenes with horses who were caused to stumble with trip wires and very often injured so badly had to be put down.
In the early days, people didn't always regard animals as feeling creatures. They worked alongside their human counterparts such as dogs herding sheep or cattle, cats who kept barns and fields free of mice and horses used for everything from basic transportation to plowing fields. They were expendable if there was enough money to replace them.
The concept of an animal as a "pet" was nearly unheard of prior to the 1930s. But with modernization also brought on an ease of living where animals, once used for work, were now rendered almost useless in that regard.
As people relocated from the rugged outdoors to the cities, they occasionally brought their animals with them. For the first time, dogs and cats were invited inside homes as companions instead of co-workers.
Instead of hunting for meat, people went to the local butcher. Instead of plowing fields, people went to their neighborhood grocery store.
People began bonding with the animals in a completely different way, raising awareness that they are feeling creatures who can can experience both joy and pain, fear and happiness and, as nearly every owner of a companion pet can attest, a devotion than can be unparalleled anywhere.
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