Is eating dog any different than pork? Shocking Article that will make you think!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Whoa, I was taken aback when I read this article just now. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, and am sorry if it does, but I just couldn't help but see how others react to this.

 

The author sort of has a point. Why should puppy meat be any different then eating lamb? I have toyed with the idea of vegetarianism in the past but have never thought seriously about it. This article really left me feeling nautious about eating meat. Maybe I should give it a shot? I wonder how many DK members are vegetarian... 

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/puppy-meat-no-di... 

 

Puppy meat no different than pork, celebrity chef argues

dakshana bascaramurty

Globe and Mail Blog

Posted on Wednesday, October 12, 2011 10:22AM EDT

You take a turn past the free-range chicken breast display and organic grass-fed beef ribs and approach the butcher's counter for the cut you're really interested in: succulent, organic canine brisket.

Just think: it would make a great pot roast for tonight and you'd have leftovers for the kids' lunches tomorrow.

Does the thought of puppy sandwiches trigger your gag reflex or bring a sympathetic tear to your eye? Well, British celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall says if you eat other types of meat, you should get a grip. He says he'd have no problems with a "high-welfare organic puppy farm," according to the Guardian.

"You can't object, unless you object to the farming of pigs," he says.

Mr. Fearnsley-Whittingstall wouldn't eat dog steak himself (he's recently become a vegetarian) but took the controversial stance to point out the hypocrisy among meat eaters who are happy to eat animals traditionally raised as livestock but are vehemently opposed to eating those raised as pets.

Our culture's opposition to eating puppies is based on a shaky foundation, he argues. At some point, we decided dogs would make great household companions and pigs (and cows and chickens) would be raised on farms and then grilled, fried and baked.

Surprise, surprise: not everyone's a fan of his stance.

A spokesman from the RSPCA told the Daily Mail, "...His comments may seem sensible but are actually quite controversial - especially when dogs are our most popular and loved pet."

Blogs reporting on the news have resorted to posting requisite photos of too-cute-for-words puppies to tug at our heartstrings.

But when dogs are cut up by a butcher (as is the case with pigs, cows and chickens) it's easier to get into a different head space about them, as this online puppy butcher proves. The butcher also doesn't identify what breed the meat comes from, all in an effort to make people separate "dogs as pets" from "dogs as dinner."

"We breed extra large, large, medium, small and extra small dogs in the one breed. This breed is not available as a pet which depersonalizes the Puppy Beef process. You wouldn't eat your pet lamb so we take a similar approach," they explain in their FAQ.

In Canada, dog meat is perfectly legal to serve at a restaurant - it just has to be properly inspected first.

If you eat other kinds of meat, would you ever chow down some baby back beagle ribs?

[Joanne and Tucker Gilbert]

Thank You F....I am so very proud of my Dad.He is 74 years young and now runs his own business(dog grooming,kennels and dog shop plus he shows and breeds wheaten's) He is an amazing man....if I am half the person he is I am one lucky gal:)This is his retirement business as he retired from being a biology teacher and OR Nurse in 1992. I ask him when he is ever going to actually retire and he says"and do what? Sit around and watch tv with your Mother" lol....never was a lazy bone in his body:)

[Donna K & Quincy]

My name is Donna and I'm an Ominvore.

I read this article earlier today and had to give it some thought before I commented. I have read through all the comments and don't find anything to disagree with in any of them. The crux of the agrument can be summed up in one word, Culture. We are who we are because of the way we are raised and the beliefs that were instilled in us. Having said that, while Quincy and I were out walking today, I promised him that no matter how hungry I was he was safe, I did give him permission to chow down if I happened to die and he was starving. I know that sounds a little strange but I really did have that conversation with my dog today.

Sherri, I know you were thinking about taking this down but it is good to have a serious discussion sometimes, it helps us get to know each other better.

[Sharon & Monty]

I love the idea to give our dog permission to eat us!  Yes indeed, if the world really, truly comes to the end of times, I dont think my dog would eat me, but I give him permission!!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Thank you Donna. I'm glad I left it up. I've enjoyed hearing other people's point of view and it's given me an opportunity to reflect more deeply on how I feel about possibly maybe giving up meat.

 

I will let Winston and Sophie know they can eat me.  and the kitty too, although I worry that if I die alone in my apartment my doodles will eat kitty first. I better keep a good stock of kibble around just in case...

[F, Calla & Luca]

Excellent response.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

LOL! I have this funny image of you in your sick bed with chickens crawling all over you and a cow mooing at your bedside.

 

You make an excellent point here!

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

I can't even read it.

[Kyoko]

I don't eat meat. I have not eaten red meat for over 6 years. I may have a little chicken or turkey occasionally, and some fish, but I would like to avoid them as much as possible. The reasons are, just my belief may be true, may be not.  1) I don't want to eat anything that contains blood - sort of source of life - 2) I just believe that their blood contains adrenaline from the fear of the trauma. Consuming something filled with adrenaline is not good for you and I believe that it will affect your behavior and thought process. Since I don't eat meat, it actually does gross me out, but I dont say anything. Simply becuase this is my belief and others may enjoy them. I don't think I can be a total vegan, I do drink milk and eat cheese. Eating a lot of plants are more organic and real, I think. But different cultures believe and consume things differently. I know as a child in Japan, I ate Whales. Here US, it will be totally criticised! They used whales for a lot of different things from their fat to the bone to the meat. long ago in China, they ate dogs, cats, bears, etc as delicacy....

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

Personally I see the logic behind the comparison.   Our culture and religion play the biggest part in the meats we consider "ok" to consume.  If it's not programmed into us as being socially acceptable we tend to think it's wrong.   It doesn't mean it doesn't make me cringe but at the same time we don't live where it's considered acceptable.

Consider these facts..........

Dog meat is used as food in parts of China and Korea, as a normal, staple item. 
Cat meat is eaten in China, Vietnam. The cow holds a sacred place in Hinduism.  The consumption of pigs is forbidden by Muslims, Jews, certain Christian denominations, (Seventh-day Adventists) and some others. Horse meat is part of everyday cuisine in countries such as Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland - it's common in grocery stores.  Horse is forbidden by Jewish law because it does not have cloven hooves.  Guinea Pigs are a huge part of diets in Peru, parts of Columbia and parts of Ecuador.  It's also exported to the US and Europe.  

Something to think about............

[Kimmy & Chewie]

OMD, this reminds me of an incident only a few months ago in Thailand when 4 large trucks were siezed at the Thai-Laos border. Customs officers found almost 2,000 dogs on board in tiny cages! The dogs were bound for Vietnam where eating dog meat is apparently the norm.

Just thinking about their images makes me sick, so I will not post it here. You might wonder where did the 2000 dogs come from. Most of the dogs were strays, but some where also stolen! Some of the stolen dogs were reunited with their owners who travelled hundreds of miles to find their beloved pets :) 

This triggered many discussions here about whether dogs are any different from any other meats. And since most of them are strays, shipping it to Vietnam seems like a good way to manage the problem :(

[Carol Brand]

We live in an age where we can be very picky about what we eat.  Historically,  people all over the world have eaten dog meat.  Good article here on Wikipedia (be warned it shows butchered dog meat):  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_meat

The members of the Lewis and Clark expedition very famously ate dog meat:

… the dog now constitutes a considerable part of our subsistence and with most of the party has become a favorite food; certain I am that it is a healthy strong diet, and from habit it has become by no means disagreeable to me, I prefer it to lean venison or Elk, and it is very far superior to the horse in any state.

I think in his book The Intellegence of Dogs, Stanely Coren talks about the fact that dogs bred for meat production are noticably less intelegent and more independent than dogs that are bred as pets or working dogs.   Note this about the Poi dog, a breed historically raised for food on the Hawaiian Islands:

Poi dogs were considered rather dim-witted and sluggish^[2] – any good hunting dog with acute senses would neither make a good poi dog, nor be particularly useful on the islands – however, the dogs were strong-willed and not easily commanded.The poi dog was a two-purpose breed – used for food and as a lucky charm. Unsuited for anything else, the breed declined to extinction as the native religion was abandoned and eating dog meat became unfashionable. Feral dogs of European settlers interbred with the poi dogs, and by the early 20th century at latest, the breed disappeared as a distinct entity.

 

Personally, I would eat dog, horse and cat (though that one gives me pause for some reason and I don't even have cats).  Our family eats the big 4: chicken, pork, beef, lamb.  We also routinely eat goat (talk about a personable animal).   I'm a very adventurous eater so I've eaten things that most of you would never touch:  jelly fish, chicken's feet, parts of the cow that most folks don't eat, alligator, turtle, pigeon, elk, venison, sea urchin, geoduck, sea cucumber etc.   My mom grew up in rural Colorado and as a girl she ate rattlesnake and bear.   I think the only thing I would not try at least once is any form of primate.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Carol, I find this surprising coming from you!! You are a dog breeder, right?  Yet you feel you could comfortably eat a dog?  Were you raised in another culture?