Animal Activist from PETA

Some guys at work were talking about housing for deer hunting dogs. I commented that I thought it was cruel to lock a dog in a 8x8 concrete floor cage for weeks on end only letting it out when you wanted to go hunting.
I also added that I felt the same way about people that lock a horse in a stall 23 hrs a day.
Some of the guys said I must be one of those Animal Activist from PETA.

It got me to thinking; maybe I am.
On one hand I do not like stall dairy barns; veal calf operations; caged chickens or hogs; but understand the economics behind it. It does not stop me from buying meat in protest of these actions.
More of a out of sight out of mind thing.

But to lock up animals we call pets just because we want a horse in the city; or do not want to be bothered with 6 dogs running loose in the yard; I consider cruel.

So should I run out and join PETA or not.

Nah, you're not a PETA member. Just someone in the middle with your own opinions. I also don't care for the confinment systems but realize we MUST have them to feed the growing population. I worked in them for most of my working life. I just won't raise my own livestock that way; but will support confinment systems any day, any time.

Too many times people try to group people's ideas into A or B. And think all of your ideas must follow A or B's.

PETA stands for .."people eating tasty animals"...anyway :lol:

I agree with your opinions however I wouldn't go so far as joining PETA. Those people go far beyond reasonable treatment of animals to the point of being nuts.

Nope, you're not PETA material. Lots of us don't like confinement systems, and maybe thats part of why we have critters. But PETA wants to impose that view on EVERYBODY, which is quite different than just holding that view for your own self.

(quoted from post at 10:39:46 10/27/12) Some guys at work were talking about housing for deer hunting dogs. I commented that I thought it was cruel to lock a dog in a 8x8 concrete floor cage for weeks on end only letting it out when you wanted to go hunting.
I also added that I felt the same way about people that lock a horse in a stall 23 hrs a day.
Some of the guys said I must be one of those Animal Activist from PETA.

It got me to thinking; maybe I am.
On one hand I do not like stall dairy barns; veal calf operations; caged chickens or hogs; but understand the economics behind it. It does not stop me from buying meat in protest of these actions.
More of a out of sight out of mind thing.

But to lock up animals we call pets just because we want a horse in the city; or do not want to be bothered with 6 dogs running loose in the yard; I consider cruel.

So should I run out and join PETA or not.

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Well said
It is always the responsibility of the more privileged to look after the less able ..
when we tame animals we are responsible for there care...
Like Temple Granden said..Anamals have the right to be content and happy right up to the time of slaughter...

My response to that would be:

Actually.... No folks, I'm not a member, activist or the like, but this is a genuinely unique philosophy in current times, usually referred to as "common sense". Then politely ask, "Are you by chance, familiar with, or have heard of it?"

Fascinating subject. You came face to face with your value system and it made you uncomfortable regarding what people do to their animals for their own selfish benefit. Perhaps you are not a card carrying member of PETA, but you at least have reasonable intelligence to recognize that what PETA says or espouses may have a modicum of merit. At 71 years of age and still farming, I think I've earned the right to postulate...show me a person who is mean to animals and I'll show you a person who is mean to humans and visa versa. Raising animals in confinement may be economically necessary to some, but don't rationalize cruelty just because you make money being cruel. To do so is intellectually dishonest.

Situation Ethics - never has and never will resolve the conflicts created by Mankind"s desire for Universal Understanding of Ethical Behavior. We all are too willing to justify our own behavior while sitting in judgment of all other"s behavior.
It is kinda like the old tale about the man who blew on his soup to cool it and blew on his hands to warm them - how can you trust someone who can blow hot and cold at the same time. I just try to live in peace with my own thoughts and behaviors and pray that others can do the same for themselves.
We are, afterall, the same ones that perform acts of merciful killing of animals to relieve their suffering, based on being "humane", while denying the same mercy to a human being for fear it would be "inhumane". We are also the ones that feast with great enjoyment (me included) on the body parts of numerous animals, while at the same time look down with disgust at those who do the same with dogs and/or monkeys.
I haven"t learned the answers in my numerous years of wandering this earth, but I have learned to tred somewhat softly when I venture opinions about others. YMMV

Unless you're a rabid vegetarian, you're not an acceptable candidate for PETA.

Something else to think about. Your talking about animals being kept in a cage and only being let out for a short period of time....Look at the human animal. How many humans are kept confined within a building at work 8 plus hours a day, then go home to their house where they are confined for much of the remaining 16 hours of the day............In the end as long as the 'animal' in question is cared for properly and is happy and content in their surroundings then there is nothing wrong with it. To look at it another way, there's nothing wrong with keeping animals as long as they aren't mistreated........

(quoted from post at 11:45:01 10/27/12) Something else to think about. Your talking about animals being kept in a cage and only being let out for a short period of time....Look at the human animal. How many humans are kept confined within a building at work 8 plus hours a day, then go home to their house where they are confined for much of the remaining 16 hours of the day............In the end as long as the 'animal' in question is cared for properly and is happy and content in their surroundings then there is nothing wrong with it. To look at it another way, there's nothing wrong with keeping animals as long as they aren't mistreated........

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I guess it depends on the animal then hey..

I agree,and it takes me to what I've been mulling over for a while with all the crap on here from folks saying things like "and you call yourself a conservative?".

Leads me to the conclusion that I've come to. No,I AM conservative,but I'm not "A" conservative. To be "a" conservative to me means that you have to follow a set of rules written by talk radio hosts or you loose your privileges to use your "Lonesome Limbaugh" secret decoder ring and get kicked out of his club of followers.

Sounds like the same thing with the "you must belong to PETA" crowd. Probably the same foot soldiers who march as "a" conservative. I wonder how many of'em still don't know that ol Lefty Limbaugh himself is an official fund raising spokesman for HSUS?

What we eat is much a regional thing. Some people love to eat clams, snails, sushi, seaweed, frogs, certain bugs, liver, squash, cauliflower, and other gross stuff. The plains indians had many dogs more for a stable food source as they wandered than companionship or a hunting tool.
I for one always thought the horse slaughter ban should not only be reversed, but a special slaughter house should be constructed to handle these unwanted horses for human consumption. The meat could be distributed to the "poor" in America rather than the cash giveaway our government buys votes with to keep them in office and keep the welfare state dependent on them. Why give cash when you can give protein. If they don't like it or appreciate it, they must not be hungry and don't need the assistance.

PETA is against having pets.
PETA is against seeing eye dogs.
PETA is against hunting.
PETA is against leather.
PETA is against eggs.
PETA is against meat.

Do you really agree with PETA?

Probably not.

I don't know where she fits as far as PETA is concerned, I haven't decided yet if her Mom was frightened by a potbelly pig or not. None the less PETA would probably have a hissy of some sort.

John you have a heart. Most people do. I hate all the things you mentioned. I like the ethical treatment of animals. Meaning not to be harassed, tortured, or other ridiculous acts upon them. I hunt, I fish, and I love red meat. I have a hunting dog but he stays inside with my family and is my best friend. I don't think you were even close to PETA. You just have a heart and soul.

John I don't think that you are PETA material, but I will disagree with you on one point and that is you said you don't like stall dairy barns. I think that for the most part a cow is better off in a tie stall barn then a free stall. The reason I say that is that you feed them and you see who is eating and who is not. In a free stall you don't see that and when thay go off feed there is something wrong with them. The sooner you catch them the faster you can get them back on there feet. When I had a dairy my cows went out every day for at least a couple of hours. In the summer they were out till the sun got up real hot and then they went back in the barn and had fans turned on. At night they were out all night. JMO

Bob

Cages OK. No problem with tie-out chains, but i refuse to have cattle that have to be degorned, I also dislike branding and cutting teeth or castratig on old boars but is ok on baby pigs or calves until about half grown.

Youre right! I should run right out and let my dog out of his nice clean kennel so he can get out on the street and get smacked by a car and killed that would be alot better.

My idea of a dairy farm comes from local farms and even though I come from a dairy background I really know very little about your tie stall or free stall barns. In fact your dairies are very different from ours. We raise cows and tend fields of grass for them to graze on. We buy all grain and for many years bought all hay we needed. I guess you could say we are more dairy ranchers than dairy farmers because we grow no crops.

Our dairy cows stay out side on green grass year round (summer grass or winter rye) and only come inside for that few minutes it takes to be milked. They are fed grain in the milking parlor so you can see who is eating and who is not. Modern equipment allows the machine to read each cow and feed it based on milk output so high producers get extra grain.
The winters are mild and we get our best production then. That is why we shoot for fall calves. In the summer the cows are allowed to lay under trees in the shade to get out of the heat.
The closest we get to true confinement is calf hutches.

But I understand keeping milk cows inside when there is snow outside that is measured in feet.

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My Border Collie is lying on the end of the couch beside me asleep. sh,sh
I hate people who put a dog out in a cage and feed it once a day. Dogs need love an they give a lot of love enjoy your dog and he will live longer and so will you.
PETA well maybe not, these people don't understand anything but how much Pot to put in the Bong.
Walt
Ps they want to make pot legal here and let us farmers grow it. Been thinking maybe it would be good way to get rid these Potheads and make a few dollars also.

Walt, I like your picture. My border collie is also very loving. She goes with me to the shop to work. I do kennel her at night in the garage. The cat has a bed out there also.

I'd lots rather have the dogs locked up than running loose. Not much get's me hotter than irresponsible pet owners.

John, I recently had to make a tough decision about this very point. Several years ago someone dumped a female mutt on my road and she was smart enough to come to my house and make eyes at my daughter. We let her stay; unknowingly we also allowed her nine unborn pups to stay. We ended up with her and three of her pups. I built a fence out back, enclosing about a quarter-acre. That wasn’t enough space for mama and one of her boys---she’d dig out and he’d climb or jump out. They had a love for freedom and they ran together every day. I finally gave up patching and plugging and just left the gate open. (I’d had a previous futile experience trying to keep a determined dog penned up.) The other two boys never leave my 12 acres, so they're no problem.
I worried a lot about the two vagabonds and what they might be into---not necessarily what might happen to them. They weren’t really “pets” or “pals”, so I figured if they met up with disaster they’d at least go out happy, doing their thing.
A couple of weeks ago a strange truck slowly drove down the road in front of my house. Guy got out and asked if I owned a black and white dog. I said well, he eats and sleeps here. Guy said my dog dug into his kennel and got to his prized Lab female. He was very calm and nice, but he wanted to know how to resolve this situation. I kinda startled him when I said, “The next time he comes into your yard, kill him.” He said he couldn’t do that. I said, “well, call the dog-catcher, then.” Apparently that’s what he did, because the dog went missing a couple of days later.
I didn’t do this lightly, or without any regret. But in addition to the potential liability, I wasn’t willing to build an eight-foot fence with cement footings, and I damn sure wasn’t going to put this dog on a chain or in a kennel. I would rather a free-spirited dog be dead than confined. (I know, a lot of people will think I'm no better than Michael Vick.)
Jerry….also in La.

John you must be one for the PETA since you eat meat eggs and such. Since as stated earlier People Eating Tasty Animals.

I've said this before and I'll say it again-World hunger is an economic problem, we can feed the world if they have the money to buy food. Anything we do to make food more expensive just to lower our guilt level or make us feel good is at a cost to a fellow human. Look at the "pink slime" controversy, even those of us who might not eat pink slime benefited from it. How? more of the cow is harvested and put into the food chain meaning two things- we need to kill fewer cows AND all beef is a little cheaper because the packer gets more yield on what they kill and the cheaper cuts have to compete with pink slime. Now to prove I'm a conservative nut-job I remember reading in the bible Genesis chapter 9 God gives man "every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green plants I give you everything" later in the same chapter murder is prohibited. So PETA trying to prevent me from eating animals is a violation of my right to free expression of my religion. What PETA and some of the other animal rights activists don't understand is the animal industries we have today have developed over thousands of years, Diary Stanchion barns developed as much to keep the cattle comfortable, fed and out of the elements as for man's convenience. Confined chickens? Prevent cannibalism among chickens, protects them from rapid spread of disease, keeps them in an environment conducive to growth and safe from predators. As most anyone who works with farm animals will tell you animals are not people, they have different needs and wants and domesticated animals need man's intervention to live a quality life. If turned loose to fend for themselves a large percentage of domesticated animals will die prematurely. Heck even wild animals often die horrible slow and painful deaths in the wild without man being involved. I'll leave you with a final thought- I have an Animal Science/Dairy Husbandry degree from a big ten university. In a few of my classes we used research animals and in others cared for production animals owned by the university to demonstrate the capability of applying our classroom knowledge to real live animals. The quickest way to fail those classes and get bounced out of the program was to abuse or neglect those animals.