Bill would ban eating dogs and cats

[pzarquon]

Hawaii animal lovers want to ban eating pets
Animal lovers in Hawaii have packed a legislative hearing room with poodles and pugs. They're asking lawmakers to ban the practice of eating cats and dogs in Hawaii. The Humane Society of the United States says dog slaughter for human consumption is happening across Hawaii... The Oahu Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says that dogs and cats are family members, and you would not kill or eat your child.

I love animals. As pets and as food. But comparing a pet to a child is ridiculous.

[Amati]

Re: Bill would ban eating dogs and cats

The Oahu Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says that dogs and cats are family members, and you would not kill or eat your child.

Quoted from the Oahu SPCA written [public] testimony:

The average dog has the mental capacity of a three to five year old child, they just lack the ability of speech. They feel the same mental and physical pain as humans. Dogs and Cats are family members! You would not kill and eat your child.

Leading to:

I love animals. As pets and as food. But comparing a pet to a child is ridiculous.

I'm with you on that one. I love my pets, and have extended that affection to include years of loving care, hiring of pet-sitters, high vet bills, etc. BUT, I'd never equate the love of a pet to the love of a child. Such silly comparisons just weaken the argument and logic behind needing to protect pets, not enhance the position.

[helen]

Re: Bill would ban eating dogs and cats

I can't remember the name of a pet food product that has its TV commercial ads that uses the phrase "pet parents".

[Kaonohi]

Re: Bill would ban eating dogs and cats

We are not savages. (I hope)

Eating pets of any kind is savage; birds, cats, dogs, hamsters, etc.

Food animals, i.e., chickens, cattle, fish, are NOT pets, and if they become pets - don't eat them!

Would you eat your friends?

[pzarquon]

Re: Bill would ban eating dogs and cats

Food animals, i.e., chickens, cattle, fish, are NOT pets, and if they become pets - don't eat them!

If a food animal can become a pet, why is it so unthinkable that a pet could become a food animal?

A personal connection to an animal doesn't raise its natural standing. Do farmers develop personal attachments to the animals they raise? Sure. Do they eat them? Yep. Heck, humans have been eaten by animals kept as pets.

Some cultures love beef. Some cultures revere cows as sacred. Some cultures say dogs are a man's best friend. Other cultures say they're an accessible and tasty source of protein. And this mix of cultures can be found in any melting pot like Hawaii.

If you don't want to eat dog, don't. And certainly, I'd have a problem with someone eating someone else's dog, pet or not. But putting certain species in a special legal category seems like a pretty slippery slope.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Bill would ban eating dogs and cats

There was a local politician who had a pig as a pet.

[GregLee]

Re: Bill would ban eating dogs and cats

But putting certain species in a special legal category seems like a pretty slippery slope.

Humans are a species of animal, so it seems you are already on that slope.

[pzarquon]

Re: Bill would ban eating dogs and cats

Meaning? I harbor no illusions about the specialness of my species, except to other members of said species. Laws govern human society but are irrelevant to other creatures. I know I'm just another meal to sharks, tigers, especially ravenous house cats... so I endeavor to stay out of their way!

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: Bill would ban eating dogs and cats

especially ravenous house cats... so I endeavor to stay out of their way!

Good move, most cat owners don't consider this but if your cat thot it could get away with it, it would stalk and eat you.

[Amati]

Re: Bill would ban eating dogs and cats

I know I'm just another meal to sharks, tigers, especially ravenous house cats... so I endeavor to stay out of their way!

That is what separates us "cat lovers" from those who don't like cats (which is just another way of saying "afraid of cats"). Cat lovers know how to handle the situation .... just put down food daily, and all is well.

[Kaonohi]

Re: Bill would ban eating dogs and cats

If a food animal can become a pet, why is it so unthinkable that a pet could become a food animal?

A personal connection to an animal doesn't raise its natural standing. Do farmers develop personal attachments to the animals they raise? Sure. Do they eat them? Yep. Heck, humans have been eaten by animals kept as pets.

Some cultures love beef. Some cultures revere cows as sacred. Some cultures say dogs are a man's best friend. Other cultures say they're an accessible and tasty source of protein. And this mix of cultures can be found in any melting pot like Hawaii.

If you don't want to eat dog, don't. And certainly, I'd have a problem with someone eating someone else's dog, pet or not. But putting certain species in a special legal category seems like a pretty slippery slope.

Good point, Ryan. In my old age I'm becoming culturally biased, I guess.
For some folk, eating a 'former' pet may be a high form of respect, for others it would be like eating a family member.

I suppose where I'm coming from is a matter of trust: I think that befriending a pet animal (of any species) only to kill and butcher and eat it is outside our group cultural norms; it seems to me like betrayal. If a pet food animal dies, that's different.

In the 'Nam, dogs were both/either food and pets for Vietnamese - depending....
I recall our 1Sgt. shooting a dog, and the Viet owners were ready to shoot him.
Emotional bonding makes a difference.

[Kaonohi]

Re: Bill would ban eating dogs and cats

There was a local politician who had a pig as a pet.

Was it a fellow politician? Or HPD?

[Kaonohi]

Re: Bill would ban eating dogs and cats

That is what separates us "cat lovers" from those who don't like cats (which is just another way of saying "afraid of cats"). Cat lovers know how to handle the situation .... just put down food daily, and all is well.

Rules for the Cat

[GregLee]

Re: Bill would ban eating dogs and cats

Meaning?

What's this slippery slope? I interpreted that to mean that once we start banning the eating of some animals on grounds of custom or sentiment then this will lead to banning the eating of more and more animals. So we shouldn't ban the eating of any at all. I was pointing out that in banning eating our children, we've already started along this path -- the slippery slope -- since the children are animals. We don't refuse to eat them because they're not tasty or because they're not nutritious.
The Jains have a principled way to decide what living things may be eaten. We ought to cause a minimum of suffering and therefore should stick to creatures with fewest senses, for instance rice plants. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahimsa_in_Jainism)

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Bill would ban eating dogs and cats

Was it a fellow politician? Or HPD?

I think her name is Connie Chung.