Responding to the hard stuff with more hard stuff :)
*nod* Good point - I don't think I could have eaten any of the specific rabbits or dogs we had growing up, but it hasn't stopped me from eating rabbits in general. But as you said, it was part of the caregiving process, and picking an animal specifically to be a companion causes a different sort of attachment that for me, couldn't extend to eating that particular animal.
I'm curious about your thoughts - how you would feel about an animal whom you had as a companion animal. When that animal comes to the end of their natural lifespan (or their quality of life deteriorates sufficiently, though euthanasia might cause consumption issues I'm unaware of as Not A Vet or similar specialist), then would it be acceptable for somebody else to consume that animal? I'm not sure that I could, but I've also learned that my "nevers" get challenged a lot more often than I think they should. >_>
Things I could think of that might affect my own decision - we bury companion animals in a similar manner to humans (though maybe not at quite the same "status-by-location"), so are we dishonoring them more by not permitting their bodies to be put to potential uses after their death? (Are there research labs nearby that could learn from their bodies?) How much of a stranger would a potential consumer have to be before I didn't have to think about a specific person eating my former pet? Would it make a difference if the consumer was another animal, vs. a human?
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syntheid
Re: (this one talks about hard stuff; the sensitive may want to scroll down.)
Date: 2010-12-06 04:44 (UTC)*nod* Good point - I don't think I could have eaten any of the specific rabbits or dogs we had growing up, but it hasn't stopped me from eating rabbits in general. But as you said, it was part of the caregiving process, and picking an animal specifically to be a companion causes a different sort of attachment that for me, couldn't extend to eating that particular animal.
I'm curious about your thoughts - how you would feel about an animal whom you had as a companion animal. When that animal comes to the end of their natural lifespan (or their quality of life deteriorates sufficiently, though euthanasia might cause consumption issues I'm unaware of as Not A Vet or similar specialist), then would it be acceptable for somebody else to consume that animal? I'm not sure that I could, but I've also learned that my "nevers" get challenged a lot more often than I think they should. >_>
Things I could think of that might affect my own decision - we bury companion animals in a similar manner to humans (though maybe not at quite the same "status-by-location"), so are we dishonoring them more by not permitting their bodies to be put to potential uses after their death? (Are there research labs nearby that could learn from their bodies?) How much of a stranger would a potential consumer have to be before I didn't have to think about a specific person eating my former pet? Would it make a difference if the consumer was another animal, vs. a human?