- This topic has 22 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 1 month ago by
.
- Posts
Having been accused of starting posts which cannot be debated, here is one which should generate some debate.
The attached looks ar the “greeness” of pet ownership and it is interesting reading, assuming you accept the calculation methods offered.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ethicalman/2009/11/time_to_eat_the_pets.html
As to the question should we eat pets – my response would be why not – possibly, maybe.
I am a meat eater and as such where should I draw the line? Is it OK to eat anonymously produced meat but not meat that comes from an animal known to you?
With a pet you know what it has eaten, how it has been raised, can most people say the same about what is bought in a supermarket? Is that not a positive?
Most of the meat we eat at home is raised / slaughtered / butchered by a friend who owns a smallholding. I see the animals growing, even stroke them sometimes, and I get to choose which animal eventually ends up on my plate.
So would it then be a big step to eat an animal I had raised myself, even as a pet?
If you compare the amount of food a cat or dog eats in this country compared with what is eaten by a child in the developing world. Can it be morally justified to keep a pet?
I have owned pets in the past and the thought had never crossed my mind. Thinking about it now I find it hard to reconcile feeding a pet good food when there are people starving elsewhere.
Finally if the green impact is accepted should pet ownership not be taxed?
Of course the perceived “negatives” above can be balanced out, even outweighed, by the positives and pet ownership undoubtedly brings benefits.
From the simple nurturing, to companionship for the lonely. Even teaching children valuable lessons about life and death. How can these be measured?
It is a long time an article had made me think so hard about something and I still don’t know what the answer is – if there is one at all.
I don’t class an animal one might stroke once in a while as a ‘pet’.
A ‘pet’, for me, is an animal that you truly love and connect with, so killing it for food is just unthinkable – like killing your own children.
If I had a pet cow that loved as much as my dog, I’d rather die of starvation than eat it.
This is another ‘undebatable’, I would imagine, but the the definition of a ‘pet’ could hold the key.
A ‘pet’, for me, is an animal that you truly love and connect with, so killing it for food is just unthinkable – like killing your own children.
I can’t see how any animal could be compared to a child. I would give my life to protect any child in my family – I certainly wouldn’t for an animal, no matter how attached I was to it.
If I had a pet cow that loved as much as my dog, I’d rather die of starvation than eat it.
You would, I presume, eat a cow you have never connected with. At the end of the day it is still a cow.
OK I admit I am being devils advocate here – but having said that, given the choice I would rather eat meat not from a pet – but if it was a matter of my life, or the life of a member of my family or a friend, then I would have no compunction in eating the pet.
My initial reaction was, I must admit, the same as yours. But like most questions of "morality" is it really that simple.
What disturbed me more though was not the eating of pets (and I agree the definition of a pet is subjective) which is an extreme example but the "morality" of giving food for a pet when there are humans starving in this world. Is it right to put the needs of a pet dog above the needs of a fellow human, albeit one you do not know?
I don’t know the answer, nor do I pretend to, it is just something to think about.
the "morality" of giving food for a pet when there are humans starving in this world. Is it right to put the needs of a pet dog above the needs of a fellow human,
Those parts of animals undesirable to humans such as ox-cheek, tongue, offal, brawn, tripe, hoof and marrow-bone make ideal pet food; as is for dogs and cut up for cats.Dogs being pretty omnivorous can be fed human left overs too. A bit of gravy chucked in and they’ll bolt down virtually anything.
In my experience they actually enjoy the time-consuming business of chewing and tearing at the ‘rough cuts’ more than gobbling down the soft processed tinned stuff. It’s a joy to watch a dog lick clean a femur and then fiddle about trying to extract as much marrow as possible.
And cats shouldn’t be scolded when they catch a mouse or bird; they should be encouraged to kill and eat them. Ditto dogs when catching a rabbit, if you don’t fancy bunny stew yourself of course.
Dogs only became ‘pets’ when they started hanging around human encampments because there was so much rubbish to eat [and when I say rubbish I mean rubbish; eg we all know how excited dogs get at the sight of a cow pat]. I guess people then realised that they also made quite good hot water bottles. As for eating them; well, when I see some of the stuff that my whippet is capable of eating I think I’d rather not [not much meat on her anyway]. Do remember being quite concerned as a child to read in my Observers Book of Dogs that the other name for a Chow Chow was ‘edible dog’. But then, the Chinese aren’t as sentimental about such things as we are. Perhaps the closest we have come to eating a pet was in the days when people kept pigs; must have been quite hard at pig killing time, pigs being quite affable creatures. Used to stay at a cottage in Cornwall that had a pet pig called Salome. [The owners of the establishment used to stress that it was Salome..not Salami]. She sadly died of a heart attack; probably the result of all the biscuits we used to give her.
Perhaps the closest we have come to eating a pet was in the days when people kept pigs; must have been quite hard at pig killing time, pigs being quite affable creatures.
the only thing wasted was the squeal
RESPECT
Then, of course there are the ‘rural myths’ of tramps that have decided to sleep the night in a pig barn, with only a few bones found the next morning…sweet revenge indeed….
http://www.sherv.net/cm/page/hidden/yahoo/hidden-04.gif
A dog is for life, not just with egg and chips….
As when reading your post I thought there was not a chance you’ve ever actually owned a pet I was pleasantly surprised to read the above. How long ago was it by the way?
A long time ago Marble – mainly because my wife is allergic to most animals – including horses – which is a real pain when it comes to racing – she has to stand upwind of the parade ring when we go
When I did have pets I have to admit it wasn’t planned – more a moment of weakness on my part. A friend found eight kittens dumped in a sack and muggins here took on two of them. It was a time of my life when I had to watch the pennies and in truth I couldn’t really afford to take them on – but when I saw the poor things I couldn’t resist. They did become great, albeit expensive companions, especially when one of them managed to break a leg and the vets bills were not cheap – the hard way to learn the value of pet insurance.
The downside it is they do tie you down – spontaneous trips away were almost out of the question unless I could persuade a neighbour to look after them. Plus the “presents” they bring home – the worse being they managed to drag a sodding seagull through the cat flap before deciding to rip it to pieces in the living room.
Having said that they were great company – they used to fight for space on me when I was on the settee and I was distraught when one of them was run over and I found her beside the road.
On the subject of dogs for protection, there is a worrying trend in this area for everyone to have some sort of Staffie/Pit Bull cross; supposedly now people aren’t allowed to carry knives they have dangerous dogs instead..there have been cases of small children being attacked, toddlers and babies/toddlers in pushchairs being particularly vulnerable..also cases of dog fighting are increasing. It’s one thing having a dog on your property for protection, but when those dogs are taken out onto the streets and people can’t or won’t control them it’s very frightening. Not fair on Staffies, either, who are great little dogs that make wonderful family pets when correctly treated. Seem to be living in a society that is becoming increasingly more feral.
Same with Dobermanns; when they were having a bad press years ago I bought a cat from a lady who bred Burmese and Siamese cats, but who owned Dobermanns..when I asked her why she said they were the most cat like of dogs..and there was me thinking they were murderous beasties. As for Staffies, we had our pony in a field next to a house lived in by Doreen the Dog, the main danger from her being that she got so excited when she saw you she would try to leap into your arms, thereby knocking you over; not only the happiest dog but the happiest creature on the planet. But anyone who owns a dog needs to have complete control of that dog mentally, because you can never control it physically.
….or other peoples; did anyone ever see that amazing Rik Burns documentary ‘Death of a Wagon Train’ where a load of people got stuck in the Sierra Nevada in winter and only survived by eating each other?. None of us really know what we’d do to survive if push came to shove.
….or other peoples; did anyone ever see that amazing Rik Burns documentary ‘Death of a Wagon Train’ where a load of people got stuck in the Sierra Nevada in winter and only survived by eating each other?. None of us really know what we’d do to survive if push came to shove.
More recently is the Andes plane crash in 1972 (ironically taking off on Friday 13th October), where it was two months before the survivors were found on 22nd December.
They admitted eating human flesh in order to survive.
In those circumstances fully understandable – if some of the fellow travellers had died then why not eat them?
Not that I would know about it because I was already dead, but it wouldn’t worry me if I was eaten after I died – putting it bluntly when I die I will be nothing more than a slab of meat anyway – although I suspect I would be more like mutton than a spring lamb, so would need plenty of slow cooking.
(lest anyone here decides to deliberately misconstrue what I am saying – I am not for one moment advocating the opening of gourmet eateries serving human flesh – what I am suggesting is in extreme circumstances, where it is a matter of saving ones own life then it could be acceptable to eat human flesh if it is available – by which I mean there is an already dead body – I would not advocate killing a person just to eat them.)
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne … beast.html
I hate seeing things like this and the story is shocking, as is the CCTV footage.
The behaviour of the Pull Bull is absolutely awful, attacking a guide dog, yet the owner of the Pit Bull then comes and starts hammering away at it to try and get it off.
Why not restrain it properly in the first place.
Leaves the guide dog needing emergency vetinary care, and an elderly blind woman with not a clue of whats going on.
I dont know what some owners think sometimes.
Absolutely horrific – some people should not be allowed to keep animals is the knee-jerk reaction.
Quite how it would be enforced is another matter though.
I hope the guide dog makes a full recovery and that his owner is OK.
What makes it even worse is it appears the chap did not bother to see if the woman was OK either – what a lowlife?
Fortunately the CCTV of him arriving at the station is very clear – so he will hopefully be identified quickly. The sad thing is once caught he will probably just get away with a "slapped wrist".
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.