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AIBU?

To see nothing wrong with eating dogs in principle

87 replies

ReallyTired · 20/09/2013 15:01

I have to admit that I have never eaten dog and I don't fancy the idea. However provided the dogs have a reasonable and are humanely killed, I don't think its any worse to eat a dog than to eat a cow or a sheep or pig.

I feel that rescuing animals which suffer cruety in Thailand like this woman has done

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-23785231

is a poor use of money. She has done nothing to improved the lot of dogs in Thailand.

In the UK there are lots of healthy dogs which get put down every year because no one wants them. Why could she not have given a Scottish dog a home? Sadly there is plenty of animal cruelty in all parts of the British Isles. The costs of paying for animal from Thaliand to fly to the UK and be quantinened would have saved numerous dogs in Scotland.

Rather than trying to stop dogs being eaten surely it would be better to set up farms and humanely kill dogs that are destined for the table just like sheep in the UK. (Ie. with similar hygiene standards to the UK.) Saving one dog by bringing it to England is not going to improve the dog meat trade in Thailand.

OP posts:
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ButterMyArse · 20/09/2013 15:08

I agree. And while I do care about the plight of animals, in a place like Thailand where there is child prostitution and abject poverty I think this money could've been better used elsewhere.

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BrianTheMole · 20/09/2013 15:12

I agree op.

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JCDenton · 20/09/2013 15:14

I also agree. I love my dog but I've kept ducks and chickens in the past and I eat those.

I think that the image of man's best friend will never be shaken in the UK and people will feel uneasy about it. We don't like eating horses, either.

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WafflyVersatile · 20/09/2013 15:15

It's like an elastoplast on a severed jugular but so much charity is the same. It's what gripped her and she did what she could. If she didn't do this she probably wouldn't be saving children. Presumably something she saw inspired her to act in this instance.

Should there not be donkey sanctuaries because Baby P!!?

I agree with the missions of many charities but I only support a few. You can't do anything so do what inspires you, and this inspired her.

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WafflyVersatile · 20/09/2013 15:17

I don't object to eating dogs in principle but I don't like the idea at all. We see them as beloved pets, not food and that's difficult to shake.

In Korea they beat dogs before killing them because they think the fear tenderises the meat so I wouldn't eat dog if I was there.

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Lagoonablue · 20/09/2013 15:18

In some parts of Thailand and Vietnam, dogs have their fur burned off whilst still alive so they are ready to kill and cook. I am not against eating dogs per se I guess but would like all animals treated humanely.

I know she has made minimal impact but it is hard not to be moved by the animals treatment in some countries. That is bad enough. The tolerance of sexual exploitation is a whole other bag which also needs addressing of course.

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MothershipG · 20/09/2013 15:20

I'm a dog lover, have 3 of my own, and would never want to eat them, but I agree that in principle there is no difference in between eating a dog or pig as long as they have suitable standards of welfare.

But as Waffly said the plight of this dog is what galvanised this individual to action and you can't dictate to people how they spend their money.

Incidentally you would hardly be able to make a meal out of my 3 little dogs, a bowl of soup maybe. Wink

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zatyaballerina · 20/09/2013 15:22

yabvvvvu. Dogs are different from cows or pigs, they have been evolving alongside humans for the last 32,000 years, we are connected.

www.livescience.com/31997-dogs-and-humans-evolved-together.html

A cow or a pig won't save you or you're children from a housefire because we are not emotionally connected to them, dogs will because they have empathy and loyalty toward humans. It is very wrong to even think of eating them, they're part of the human family.

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MrsTerryPratchett · 20/09/2013 15:25

Pigs, BTW, are much more intelligent than dogs so they would be first off the list for me. I did stop eating them in Asia when I saw how they were treated. I didn't eat dog in Asia because I am a wuss and it is very expensive. Culturally dogs and horses, although eaten in other countries aren't food for British people.

I do think see must have seen children in prostitution in Thailand and chose to save dogs... but it is OK for people to have different focuses.

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KatyTheCleaningLady · 20/09/2013 15:28

I don't like dogs, but I sort of agree with zaty. Dogs have been bred to empathise with humans and it's natural to return that sentiment. That said, I place dogs above humans and would eat a dog before resorting to cannibalism.

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crescentmoon · 20/09/2013 15:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SanityClause · 20/09/2013 15:34

When I was in Taiwan, some years ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to stay with some people on their farm, for a few days. The father's attitude was that he couldn't eat beef, because his oxen was his friend. In just the same way we would choose not to eat our "friends" the horse or the dog.

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PeppiNephrine · 20/09/2013 15:35

We might have evolved together, that doesn't mean we are emotionally connected. I personally couldn't be less connected to dogs and would eat dog without batting an eyelash. Probably have already.

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TheRunawayTrain · 20/09/2013 15:38

YANBU. I love my dog. But in principle, fine. Pigs are a whole lot more intelligent and worth saving imo. But I wouldn't happily eat one as it's not my culture and I equate dog with my pet and walks in the park, not food. Nothing wrong with it whatsoever.

In the country where I live now, guinea pigs are still eaten in resteraunts. I didn't actually eat them as we have our own, but I don't actually see anything wrong with it, just couldn't make the mental leap between cute furry wheeking pet to tasty meat?

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domesticvoyager · 20/09/2013 15:42

Dogs eat meat, that's why we don't eat them. We don't eat any carnivores, do we?

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OrmirianResurgam · 20/09/2013 15:45

In principle I agree with you. But I love my dog and anyone approaching him with a frying pan and a big knife is going to get sharp shrift!! Angry

But I struggle to understand this 'Rather than trying to stop dogs being eaten surely it would be better to set up farms and humanely kill dogs that are destined for the table just like sheep in the UK'. Why? It's a big step from 'it's not that bad to eat dogs' to 'lets farm them and kill them for the table' Hmm In the UK we don't eat dogs by and large because we see them in a different light - they are relatively intelligent and affectionate animals and we enjoy them as companions. Why would we farm them?

And they are consumers of meat - doesn't that make a difference? Don't people tend usually to eat herbivores? Taste? Toxins? Something like that....

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OrmirianResurgam · 20/09/2013 15:46

A few years ago we stayed in a house in Cornwall on holiday. The owner had a 'pet' chicken that she loved like a child (honestly!). Didn't stop her buying chicken for dinner.

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garlicbaguette · 20/09/2013 15:50

Another YANBU. I have loads of objections to animal cruelty, but none at all to eating them. I do understand why some people can't face the thought of eating certain animals, for religious or emotional reasons, but, as long as the creature was healthy, not an endangered species, and was humanely killed, I'm not fussed.

The women in the OP are just good old eccentrics, though, aren't they? Cute picture!

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KatyTheCleaningLady · 20/09/2013 15:51

Herbivores are cheaper to raise for food, but lots of cultures eat dogs, so it's obviously a natural thing for humans to do.

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PeppiNephrine · 20/09/2013 15:53

Humans eat plenty of carnivores. Snakes, alligator, crocodile, shark etc. WE also eat omnivores like pigs, bear and so on. So that one doesn't really stand up.

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garlicbaguette · 20/09/2013 15:54

Orm, my immediate thought, too, was "How would I feel about dog farms?" I feel a revulsion to the idea - I perceive dogs as too intelligent & self-aware, assuming they would suffer if farmed.

But, as Runaway points out, pigs are also intelligent and self-aware. I have my bugbears about pig farming, but am grateful enough for their abundant meat.

So maybe I'm a hypocrite.
Pigs are omnivores, too.

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garlicbaguette · 20/09/2013 15:55

Herbivores are cheaper to raise for food - Are they? I thought they were really expensive!

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domesticvoyager · 20/09/2013 15:55

Eating carnivores over a period of time is bad for you.

I lived in China and although there were lots of rumours of dog-eating, it was never on any menu I saw, and we went in pretty deep. In markets, they used to skin the legs of rabbits to prove they weren't cats.

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JesusInTheCabbageVan · 20/09/2013 15:57

A cow or a pig won't save you or you're children from a housefire because we are not emotionally connected to them, dogs will because they have empathy and loyalty toward humans.

My dog wouldn't save us from a house fire. He'd climb over us to get the hell out of there, bless his craven little soul Grin

Pigs are social animals, just like dogs, and will form a bond with people given the chance. The reason most pigs aren't emotionally connected to us is because they aren't treated as pets, for the most part. If a pig were raised as a family pet, it would behave much the same as a dog. Just a bit cleverer and more oinky.

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PeppiNephrine · 20/09/2013 15:58

Bad for you how? Evidence for that bold assertion please.

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