Keeping a pet: vegan or non-vegan?
- Thread starter PlantEater
- Start date
FredVegrox
Forum Legend
Rescues are valid reason to have animal at home being cared for, but the rescue is all the reason I see valid as a vegan. Getting an animal otherwise is contributing in the demand that keeps breeding animals going. Again I will say in any case plant-based food for dogs and for cats with the nutrients they need are available, they may be found online. Any way should be found to not contribute to the breeding of animals, and slaughter of animals that goes with so much of that, even for food for other animals being cared for. Why buy nonvegan food for friends or family who are not vegan... even if they ask you to buy such for them?
Gonna come back to this one.
And it's one of the reasons I don't label myself vegan on this site.
To re-interate, I don't eat or wear or use animal products if I can avoid it.
But I also think that one thing that helped veganism gain a foothold is the fact we have animals around us.
We see that they have personalities, wants, needs and can give love and affection.
Let's say we ban breeding...pets, service animals etc etc.
Only use (sterilised) rescues until they die out.
Then what?
We are left with a society of only humans.
Wild animals make up less than 5% of biomass (mammals).
I personally have no issue with responsible breeding, especially for service animals who are IMO irreplaceable just now...
Dogs for blind people, for deaf people, for certain other disabilities.
Dogs for sniffing...bombs, drugs etc.
Police dogs
Police horses
And why shouldn't we have house animals? (Assuming they are looked after properly, with laws to match). Cats are a tough one, but dogs can thrive on plant-based food.
Even (and maybe especially) rabbits, guinea pigs etc...Children learn responsibility, caring and that animals are not objects, they are thinking, feeling, sentient creatures.
I am FAR more concerned about how animals are treated than any catch-all "exploitation" term.
i.e. No killing after their usefulness is deemed over or dropped into a river in a bag to drown...all these things would and should involve heavy punishments.
But I never want a society where I don't see animals around.
Hey @g0rph
Much of what you said is something that I can agree with you on…
One exception is police horses - whenever I see scenes where they are used it sickens me… I grew up riding horses - although I am not an advocate for doing that now… They are my Favourite animals and I have experience with just How sensitive they are…
As for boob sniffers - hopefully AI will come up with a better solution Soon!
Service animals is something that I have mixed feelings about - I’ll just leave it at that for the moment…
Another exception is breeding dogs and cats - my feeling is that there should be Much less of pedigree and non pedigree breeding - And that Many breeds should be discontinued Altogether! Breeds which have Health issues and breeds which are Often dangerous…
The issues with “pet shops” selling animals is also Questionable regarding Any animals - particularly fishes, rabbits etc… It may be “nice” for children to have a companion, but at What cost to the poor creature?!?
Indeed - a world without Animals is Unimaginable!
I hope you don't mind, but I got such a chuckle out of this!
I had to go back and read g0rph's post to see that it's supposed to be bomb sniffer lol. 
I knew dogs like to sniff butts but the boob thing really threw me off lol
Hope I'm not offending anyone...it's been a long night with lack of sleep.
100% agree on unhealthy breeds.
But I do not want to see the end of good, healthy breeds either...
Jack Russels, Border Collies, Labs, Retrievers, Staffordshire bull-terriers (not those crazy Bully XL breeds).
I'd be devastated if these disappeared.
And it will be a while before we replace sniffers...maybe never. I was at a conference a while back. Sniffers at the entrance checking for explosives.
I trust a dog way more than I would a robot.
I also don't agree with "pet shops".
I wasn't vegan when we bought our pedigree...A Danish Swedish Farmdog. Healthy, friendly and well-loved.
We bought from a "crazy dog woman" who obviously loved her animals.
Yes, I think people should adopt rescues first, but it doesn't go well with young families...much better to know what you're getting.
As for police horses, yes, it's a grey area for me too, but I see them sometimes and they do provide a type of protection that police alone, or on motorbikes simply can't recreate any other way.
In fact the whole horses thing is a grey area. I live slap in the middle of horse stable country. They are everywhere, and whilst I agree, the whole "breaking in thing" and possibly the riding, could be cruel, they all seem incredibly well looked after.
I wouldn't ride one myself, but again, how would you feel if horses simply disappeared?
I'm so upset about the NYC carriage rides and the recent horse death which apparently was caused by him eating a toxic plant...Japanese Yew. Then an 18 year old tourist died when a horse drawn carriage took off and the young man jumped and hit his head. 
How did my filthy mind miss that!I hope you don't mind, but I got such a chuckle out of this!
I knew dogs like to sniff butts but the boob thing really threw me off lol
Hope I'm not offending anyone...it's been a long night with lack of sleep.
Glad that I was able give you a good Chuckle @KLS52 !I hope you don't mind, but I got such a chuckle out of this!
I knew dogs like to sniff butts but the boob thing really threw me off lol
Hope I'm not offending anyone...it's been a long night with lack of sleep.
I am Usually very careful about checking what I have typed - in this case I think that I prefer the error! I imagine that Most people knew that I meant Bombs! No matter - a Good chuckle is always Priceless!!
As for you @g0rph - I guess your mind isn’t quite as Naughty as you thought! Or, perhaps you don’t pay as close attention to what you read? Hmm???
It was Such a Senseless tragedy!I'm so upset about the NYC carriage rides and the recent horse death which apparently was caused by him eating a toxic plant...Japanese Yew. Then an 18 year old tourist died when a horse drawn carriage took off and the young man jumped and hit his head.
What really Shocked me was that the carriage driver got out of the carriage to take their photo!
I can’t imagine leaving a horse and carriage unattended even for a moment!
Today for the first time in Ireland I saw a Pedicab! It was in a little town north of me called Dungarvan… It’s a lovely spot on the coast…
This Pedicab had a cover over both passengers and the driver… It was really cool!
Lou
Forum Legend
This is a great converstion... but
has gone off track.
The question was about pets. Not service animals, or dogs with jobs, or riding horses.
But I think we all almost immediately agree that rescue animals are pretty vegan. buying a pedigree animal from a breeder or shop is less vegan but in some cases excusable.
has gone off track.
The question was about pets. Not service animals, or dogs with jobs, or riding horses.
But I think we all almost immediately agree that rescue animals are pretty vegan. buying a pedigree animal from a breeder or shop is less vegan but in some cases excusable.
