Beyond Dogs and Cats

Part of the mission of this club is to help its members become better advocates for animals. All animals. And that means more than dogs and cats. I don't mean to offend anyone, but I do mean to stand up for things that I think are wrong. Many people nowadays are huuuuuuge dog & cat (and various other companion animal) lovers. There is totally nothing wrong with that at all. And

yes, there are organizations like the ASPCA that help with animal homelessness and such that do some great work for dogs, cats, and the like, but there are other atrocities being committed towards animals in much greater proportions. That is why in this club we are going to focus on a variety of animal issues.

It's so easy in this day and age to proclaim to "love animals" while widely contributing to their

exploitation. "OMG, I love animals!" you say. Yes, in your mind you probably do. But do all your actions reflect the fact that you love animals? Probably not.

Yes, I'm talking mainly about the consumption of animals. I don't know if you've heard, but it's not Old McDonald's farm out there anymore. Yet most of us still think that the meat, dairy, and eggs we eat are produced upon rolling green pastures and within bright red barns complete with haystacks and a loving, overall-clad farmer. Nothing could really be further from the truth.

Pigs, for example, are loyal, friendly, intelligent, and have the same sort of floppy ears that your dog has. They're very similar to your dog. (In fact, studies have seriously shown that pigs are more intelligent than 3 year-old humans-- far smarter than most dogs). Yet most people don't treat them similarly at all because pigs are raised to be slaughtered for human consumption.

While your dog is chasing the frisbee you just thew, a pig is having some of his tail, teeth, and testicles snipped off-- all without any painkillers. While your dog is romping through the woods with his neighbor down the street, a squealing piglet, not even 1 month-old, is being torn away from her mother, never to see her again. And while your dog is being stroked on her favorite armchair, a pig being crushed by hundreds of others as they are forcefully crammed into the transport truck to be shipped to slaughter.

I'll get more into the cruelties of modern animal production in later posts, but it's just something to think about. All animals suffer the same, whether they are fortunate enough to share your bed with you or unfortunate enough to be crammed between two buns and smothered with ketchup.

Photos from ASPCA.org & Animalrights.Change.org