Another Reason For Me To Become A Vegetarian...

[Miss Z]

I am a veggie and that stories like that have made me one. I don't see how those owners could live with themselves after their pig drove itself to near exhaustion to get away Some people are sick they make me sooooooooooo mad fortunately there are a lot of people who care about animals out there and will stick up for animals in need!

[jackie]

Yes, it is sad, but that pig was born and raised for food. The owners aren't bad people, everyone has a job.

[Vela]

Well first off, the pig probably had no idea it was being sent to the slaughterhouse. We too often give all animals human thoughts and emotions and while they do have feelings and shoudl be treated with respect, even slaughter bound animals, it is highly doubtful that the pig knew it was being sent to the slaughterhouse. More than likely it got scared by traffic and ran because of that. There is nothing wrong with raising animals for food and not everyone wants to be a vegetarian. I personally have had pigs and a steer raised for food and right up until death they lived a humane well cared for life and were perfectly happy their whole lives. They were never treated badly and always had free roam and good food. To accuse the owners of being horrid people because they raised a pig for food and it took off down the street, is rather silly. It ran until it was exhausted probably becuase it was scared, but doubtful it was scared of being slaughtered, since it probably had no idea. It is sad the pig was frightened, but that doesn't make the people who raised it for food horrid people.

[Corinna]

Vela, well said I am goingto agree with you. It will most likely put us both in the "doghouse" with many people here on the form but I love a good pork chop and steak and make no apoligies for it. I too raised animals for food all my life, the last 5 years I haven't been able to (living in town). Sure miss good meat store stuff is really bad. Had a couple cows, pigs,and rabbits in 4-H projects .

[Vela]

Well I don't mind being in the doghouse=) Except my dogs would all be in the house and warm without me! Thankfully, we are all entitled to disagree about how things are done. I disagree with pain and suffering for slaughter-bound animals, I disagree strongly with the painful and horrible forms of animal testing and the fur trade etc etc, but even many vegetarians wear leather, use glue and gelatin and other byproducts of animal slaughter, and those who have meat eating pets feed them meat, because meat eating pets are not healthy on a vegetarian diet. Note, those who are about to get upset, I did not say ALL I said many. I do not condone harming animals for our use and think there should be much much stricter policies in place for the treatment and welfare of animals, whether they are bound for slaughter or not, but I am not against people who choose not to live a vegetarian lifestyle. I think things should be done humanely and the horrid things that happen should be stopped, but it does not mean I am against the use of animals for human consumption, you can be an animal lover and not be a vegetarian=), at least IMO. People not eating meat will not end animal slaughter because too many other products are used that result from it (probably many that we are not even aware of). We, and the animals, would be better served with better animal protection laws in general.

[elizabethann]

RUN TURKEYS...RUN!!!

Live turkeys fall off truck in New Jersey

NEWARK, N.J. --Maybe they knew what was coming. Two dozen live turkeys bound for Thanksgiving tables fell off a truck Friday on the New Jersey Turnpike, briefly snarling traffic near Newark Liberty International Airport.

"I think we should be investigating this as an escape attempt," said Joseph Orlando, a spokesman for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The two crates fell as a truck was leaving the highway, and a toll booth supervisor who spotted them contacted authorities. The birds, which survived the fall, will presumably be returned to the trucker -- if the driver notices they're missing, Orlando said.

[Vela]

Well I hope they weren't injured! But I sincerely doubt they were trying to escape, I'm pretty sure they knew even less than the pig about where they were going. I do hope they aren't hurt though.

[.sarah]

Yes, it is sad, but that pig was born and raised for food. The owners aren't bad people, everyone has a job.

That statement breaks my heart

[Miss Z]

Exactly .sarah i know just what you mean. I read somewhere that chickens going to a slaughter house will only be six weeks old because they have been interbred to produce huge sizes at a young age. Also, in the slaughter house, five chickens are kept in a cage that is no bigger than a household oven. Surely that is not acceptable?

[CagneyDog]

That statement breaks my heart

I'm not sure why you find that statement so heatbreaking?

[CathyBogart]

I'm not sure why you find that statement so heatbreaking?

Neither am I.

[.sarah]

Because she refers to killing animals as "just another job", that's why. Like the animals don't matter. I'm sure that's not what she means, that's just how I took it.

[jackie]

Because she refers to killing animals as "just another job", that's why. Like the animals don't matter. I'm sure that's not what she means, that's just how I took it.

I never said that animals do not matter. And yes, it is just another job, like a garbage man, a waitress, or a teacher. I love my pets, but some farm animals are on this earth only for food. They were bred and born only as food products, it is not like they were someones pet which was stolen and eaten. I think all "food" animals should be treated fairly while they are alive, but as for giving them before drugs before slaughter, are you kidding me? Like anyone would want to eat a turkey with more added drugs or hormones.

[Miss Z]

i agree that it's a job, but i could never do it. It involves killing. i couldn't live with myself. like i couldn't live with myself if i ate meat.

[.sarah]

I never said that animals do not matter. And yes, it is just another job, like a garbage man, a waitress, or a teacher. I love my pets, but some farm animals are on this earth only for food. They were bred and born only as food products, it is not like they were someones pet which was stolen and eaten. I think all "food" animals should be treated fairly while they are alive, but as for giving them before drugs before slaughter, are you kidding me? Like anyone would want to eat a turkey with more added drugs or hormones.

But they already have lots of added hormones that are horrible for you to digest in the first place. What's another one matter? And there's other ways to kill humanely -- being shot in just the right place, or taking an axe to birds throats to kill them instantly. And either way I was just trying to make the point that the animals suffer when they die. I had no idea before I went veggie, and maybe it is just because I am young, or maybe because I am an optimist, but I'm not going to put up with that. I can't support that!

I still don't think it's just another job. Just because they're raised for food? So what, it's still cruel.

Oh, and as far as them being treated fairly -- they usually aren't, and by buying the companies' "products" that do not treat their animals fairly, you are supporting it.