pet pigs?

Latest Articles

pet pigs?
Page Previous 1, 2

Downsizer Forum Index -> Livestock and Pets

Author

Message

Nanny

Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 05 8:22 am Post subject:

why is it wrong?

we took him on thinking he wouldn't make it and assuming he would die, he didn't , one night at a somewhat rowdy dinner party we sat feeding him his late night feed in the dining room, he was a nice pig and i would loved to have kept him but it wasn't to be

in my heart of hearts, i knew we couldn't keep him but he had a wonderful life for several months until the end.

it's like that with all our farm animals that we have kept

every single one of them has had a name and the best of lives but every single one of them has had the chop as well.

you have to call them something besides shithead (though they all get called that.)

i have all kinds of pets be they dogs or cats or horses or cows but it doesn't stop me from eating some of them

Azura Skye

Joined: 14 Jun 2005
Posts: 2199
Location: Carmarthenshire

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 05 12:35 pm Post subject:

fine, you took him in, thinking there was something you could do for him.. or rather yourself; seeing as his life was destined to end so you could have your sunday dinner.
But I just think it's strange because with a pet, you realise the intelligence of the animal, appreciate its companionship and usually form a bond. With a farm animal, you try to block those things out as you know its never going to be, the animal will die for you.
It's great, of course, that your animals get a good life, or so you say, shithead doesn't really sound like the name you give a respected animal that will have to be killed for meat, but hey.

and your last sentence, do you eat your cats as well? I rather hope you do as then your philosophy truly covers all your animals, and you don't differentiate between meat and pet, (as you say you do).

Naturally, you live your life as you see fit. I just guess you have very thick skin. As long as your animals ARE kept well when they are alive then that is all anyone could hope for.
The majority of people do see a difference between meat and pet, this is why i said it was strange. Wrong because the animal's life is a lie.
My brother has three pigs, that are neither pet nor meat, and it infuriates me! they have NO lives... they should either be destined for the table, or the grave - not a life of nothing.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 05 12:51 pm Post subject:
Would it not be better to treat all animals as if they are pets, even those we wish to eat? I would struggle to eat a well loved pet but I know this is my problem and if I can get over it the animal will have a far better life.

Nanny

Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 05 1:53 pm Post subject:

we realised early on in archie's life that we weren't gong to be able to keep him as a pet, therefore i had to chnagemy attitude to what he was and what he was to become, it was not initially easy but there you are............

he had a good life, all my animals have a very good life

he lived a much better life than most animlas destined for the table

he went off on the last journey and came back as a flat pack, not recognisable as the archie that had lived in my kitchen

no i would not eat the cat or the dog, however i don't see why you can't make a pet of something that you are going to eat.......

perahps i am thick skinned, i don't know but if you choose to call me that then perhaps i am

perhaps we had better agree to disagree..............

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 05 2:19 pm Post subject:

I am impressed with the strength shown by someone who can raise an animal as a pet and still eat it; as TD says it makes you wonder whether it isn't our (humans) problem that we need this division between animals destined for a nicely marked stone next to the apple tree and animals destined for a nicely marked plate next to the apple sauce

There's a good reason for not eating the cats and dogs, I've been told:

Long ago in a forum not so far away, Cab wrote:

Dogs, cats, bears, stoats, civets, and various other beasties belong to the order of mammals known as carnivora, which all have really neat dentition that defines them (their carnassial teeth, kind of like modified molars). Won't go into that, but the point is that they make up the bulk of all carnivorous mammals, and they've done really well for themselves. They're really efficient hunters, and tend to concentrate certain nutrients in a way that isn't healthy for us to eat; the classic example of this is that a bears liver will poison you. So it's not really a tremendously good idea to eat them. Also, as they really thrive best on meat, you're feeding some meat to make less meat...

...which is not very efficient (I paraphrase the last bit as the original comment was in response to me and might be offensive out of context!)

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 05 2:48 pm Post subject:

I'm with Treacodactyl, preferring NOT to be on first name terms with my lunch.

This hypocracy was deftly pointed up by Douglas Adams in (some versions of) The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

to quote the Wikipedia entry about the "Dish of the Day" at the Reastaurant at the End of the Universe:-

Quote:

The quadruped Dish of the Day is an Ameglian Major Cow, a species of dairy animal specifically bred to not only have the desire to be eaten, but to be capable of saying so quite clearly and distinctly. This quite vocal and emphatic desire to be consumed by Milliways' patrons greatly distresses Arthur Dent, and the Dish is nonplussed by a queasy Arthur's subsequent order of a green salad, since he knows "many vegetables that are very clear" on the point of not wanting to be eaten � which was part of the reason for the creation of the Ameglian Major Cow in the first place. After Zaphod orders four rare steaks, the Dish announces that he is nipping off to the kitchen to shoot himself, comforting Arthur only very slightly by stating that "I'll be very humane."

Its utterly illogical, but I too am more comfortable keeping whats on the plate anonymous.

Nanny

Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 05 2:56 pm Post subject:
like i said, you just have to agree to disagree on this one it is a matter of personal preference

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 05 3:40 pm Post subject:
I thought I was agreeing. What was the original question again?

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 05 3:41 pm Post subject:
I thought I was agreeing too. But not necessarily disagreeing with anyone. Egad this fence is uncomfortable...I would ask to sit on your knee TD but apparently Dougal is with you so I suppose you're a bit busy.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 05 3:43 pm Post subject:
How do you house train pigs then and is it possible to house train hens?

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 05 4:10 pm Post subject:
Dunno, but ferrets are easy to house-train.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 05 4:12 pm Post subject:
Possibly not in the same house as hens though.

Nanny

Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 05 6:51 pm Post subject:
ferrets yes, chickens i don't know...............you can buy chicken diapers in the states but you can also buy turkey saddles and i have never seen one in the 12.30 at ascott

Azura Skye

Joined: 14 Jun 2005
Posts: 2199
Location: Carmarthenshire

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 05 7:12 pm Post subject:

I don't know if one should aspire to being tough enough to name an animal and then eat it.
We give animals human names to associate some values that we give humans to the animal itself.
We are the ones deciding the fate of an animals life, one cannot be selfish about this by deciding day by day whether the animal should be meat or pet depending on what would please us most.

but indeed, there we are...

pot bellied pigs have been known to be good house pets. they have too much fat on them to be eaten, so they will be truly pets if you have them, as they are inedible if those are the guidelines for pets these days.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 05 7:17 pm Post subject:

Azura Skye wrote:

I don't know if one should aspire to being tough enough to name an animal and then eat it.

That's not what we are saying. It would seem ideal that a 'food' animal is not kept to a worse degree than a pet. Naming seems irrelevant.

I fear that for me to be able to eat animals I raise I will have to keep them at a distance and not give them as good a life as a pet.

	Downsizer Forum Index -> Livestock and Pets	All times are GMT Page Previous 1, 2
Page 2 of 2

View Latest Posts