The Arbitrary Rules of What's Cruel.

Daniel and I were talking this morning about a case of animal cruelty that's on the front page of the Oakland Animal Services website.  Animal control found a stray mother dog who had recently given birth and was producing lots of milk, but had no puppies with her.  When her owner came to claim her, OAS found out she was being used as a breeder (without a license) and informed the owner that she would have to be spayed before she could be claimed. The animal control officers told the owner that the puppies needed to be brought in in the meantime so the mother could feed them.  In the end, they had to confiscate the puppies and the mom, and the owner just surrendered them altogether because I'm guessing he/she wasn't really interested in them unless they were making him/her some money.  And the sad thing is that all the puppies' tails had been docked with scissors, which is horrible. The owner is now facing criminal animal cruelty charges.

But here's the rub.  EVERY DAY baby piglets get their testicles sheared off with a hot knife, without any form of anesthetic. Their tails get docked with pruning shears, their ears get notched with a knife.  Chickens and turkeys have their beaks sliced off while they are fully conscious. Animals used for fur are beaten to death or skinned alive.  Cattle get burned or electrocuted regularly, and often are conscious when slaughter begins. NINETY NINE percent of our livestock is treated this way.

This person, who was raising and selling these puppies, was doing cruel things to them, yes.  But what makes some animals superior to others? I bet you there are plenty of meat eaters who would readily burn someone at the stake for cutting off a puppy's tail with scissors.  But pigs and cows and chickens are just as smart and just as capable of emotion as a dog, and it's considered totally okay to support the practice of torturing animals that are bred for consumption.

I get that I used to eat meat, and be part of the problem.  You can criticize me for that, I don't give a shit.  But I know better now and I'm trying my hardest to do a better job of being responsible for what I eat.  Because you can be extremely healthy and vegan, and the only reason*, the ONLY REASON to eat meat is because it tastes good. Which is pretty weak, if you ask me.

*maybe there are some rare medical conditions that might possibly make it harder to be vegan and healthy, but that's not an excuse for most people, so don't argue it unless you have it.