Is It A Double Standard to be Vegan and Own Pets

[Queen of Prosperity]

Came across an interesting question on Yahoo Answers

Is it a double standard to be a Vegan and own pets?
Before anyone gets mad just hear me out. If you are a vegan and you believe in animal rights would you own a dog or a cat? And if you did own that animal would you have them spayed or neutered?

The reason I think this is a double standard is because we say we have no right to determine the life of an animal but we are ok with throwing a dog in an enclosed space and have it's genitals removed. I don't see this to be anymore of a moral dilemma than eating an animal. These are the most common responses I have gotten.

- We need to neuter our pets because it makes them calmer and they can't breed and there is a huge problem with homeless dogs and animals. Dogs get mean when they are not neutered.

-Dogs and cats don't feel pleasure from sex it's just instinctual

-It makes the animals healthier

(And the number one response)- It improves the quality of life of the animal

Here's my thought. Dog breeders are able to let their dogs keep their genitals and have strangers come up to them grab their genitals and put their hands in their mouth and the dog remains calm because it has been properly trained. You may have to put more time into you pet to avoid certain things but neutering and spaying doesn't increase the quality of life for the animal it just increases convenience for humans. The best quality of life for any animal is not to be cage constrained or tampered with. I don't know why people can pick and choose what is instinctual and what is not. A dog can feel pain and have feelings but doesn't like sex? That makes no sense. As far as making the animal healthier that just isn't true. Here's how I know (A. Aaron et al., Vet Rec. 139:542-6, 1996.) (Ru et al., Vet J. 156:31-9, 1998.). (Todhunter et al. J. Am. Vet Assoc., 1997). http://www.littleriverlabs.com/neuter.ht… http://www.geocities.com/rottndobie/Spay…
http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermH…

So vegans if you are pro animal rights shouldn't you also be anti-pet owning?
9 months ago Report Abuse Additional Details
I mean you don't eat animals because it infringes on the animals rights and decreses the quality of life.
9 months ago

If the argument is made that most pets have been domesticated to the point of not being ale to be released in the wild the same can be said for cows and chickens. If this is the case they should be ceased to be bred so as not to continue the cycle.
9 months ago
 by Shaun B Member since:
April 14, 2008
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Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
Being vegan is about living life without taking advantage of animals. It is quite a complex subject but ultimately people (especially vegans) should not own pets. This is because animals are not ours to sell and enslave for our amusement. Many pets are kept in sub-optimal conditions such as fish in tiny tanks, birds in tiny cages and rabbits in hutches. Also supporting pet shops is unethical as many of them treat the animals very poorly.

Obviously there are exceptions for example I took in 3 stray cats that would have been put down and 10 ex-battery hens.

In my opinion (and with only a few exceptions) pet shops should be closed down and people should not be allowed to own pets at the expense of the well-being of animals.
Source(s):
Carer of stray, injured and wild animals.
9 months ago Report Abuse 1 person rated this as good
Asker's Rating:  Asker's Comment: I think in terms of animal rights and vegan philosophy not owning pets would ideal in terms of putting the animals best interest at heart. It's basically the same thing when they would reffer to slaves as indentured servants (If I were to compare it to something).
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Other Answers (4)
 by iPerson Member since:
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Most pets have been domesticated to the point where if they were released out into the wild; they would die almost immediately. Wouldn't it be better to keep them in a loving home?
9 months ago Report Abuse 1 person rated this as good  by VeggieTart -- Praise Seitan! Member since:
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Nobody really "owns" a cat. But many vegans keep cats and dogs because they provide companionship. And most pro-animal people will adopt an animal from a shelter or bring one in as a rescue. I adopted a cat from a shelter long before I went veg. When she passed away a few weeks ago (and she was nearly 19), I donated her food to a local shelter and ended up adopting a cat from there. She's microchipped and spayed.

Now, many veg*ans advocate spaying and neutering because there are so many animals without homes. Most of us don't intend to breed our animals, so there's no reason they need to keep their organs (not genitals).

My cat gets a safe home and regular food. In return, I get companionship and someone to come home to.
9 months ago Report Abuse 1 person rated this as good  by Matt S Member since:
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Although I legally "own" my pet, I don't really consider my pet to be my property, I consider my pet to be part of my family. There are animals who will be killed in shelters if nobody adopts them, because there are too many of them for the shelter to be able to sustain. Do you really think it would increase their "quality of life" if they lived short, lonely lives in a shelter and were then euthanized, rather than being adopted by a loving family? The way I see it, adopting an animal from a shelter is similar to adopting a child.

Now, if you're talking about things like puppy mills, that's completely different. Puppy mills are more concerned about profit than the well-being of the animals. Breeders are a different story too. If people continue breeding animals and people keep buying from breeders, then the animals in shelters will be left without a home, and will eventually have to be put down. We need to take care of the animals who need a home before we bring more animals into the world.
9 months ago Report Abuse 2 people rated this as good  by Jessica Member since:
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Vegan's shouldn't buy pets from pet shops or breeders. Most will only adopt from pounds and shelters. Which sounds like a happier, more enjoyable lifestyle for the animal; being kept in cages in a shelter for a while before being put down or being rescued from the shelter to go to a nice home with someone who will take care of them and provide them with a happy life.

As for spaying and neutering that's for overpopulation. With how many perfectly fine dogs and cats get put to sleep simply because of how many other dogs/cats there are for impulse buyers to choose from it wouldn't be responsible for a vegan to let their dog/cat breed. Creating more supply then demanded, and creating more pets then a lot of people can handle.

Most people who actually care about the 'pets' they live with would see them as part of the family.

With the domesticated argument, why should we get rid of species simply because they can't live in the 'wild'? A lot of humans wouldn't survive in most parts of the wild, should we therefore stop the continuation of the human race? Of course not, just because they wouldn't survive in the wild doesn't mean we should kill them off.
If people stopped seeing animals as objects to be owned, sold and brought it's likely we wouldn't have animal cruelty we have, including puppy mils. If there were no puppy mils overpopulation of dogs/cats would be more controlable and we probably wouldn't have so many calls for spaying and neutering pets.
9 months ago Report Abuse 2 people rated this as good

[Imani]

I’ve had a cat for two years now. I wasn’t looking to get him but he was the one from the litter that was not eating and his mother was going to not feed him due to her having so many. I came into the picture a year after he was born so he was neutered. I ended up with him cause my brother was going to leave him when he moved so I decided to take him in.

I don’t feel like it’s appropriate to take animals from their natural environment. But in this case when they’re just going to be left to fend for themselves when they have no experience in the wild. To me that’s like sticking someone who is coming from wealth and a plush lifestyle and leaving them on a mountain  with nothing. No defense.

I do my best to provide him with the best of things that he needs like food, love, etc, but nothing is like the true environment. I also made sure he kept his claws. It’s great everything in my house is still in tact! Lol!.

And for all the reasons people thing there is to spade or nuter a animal I say, “How would you like it to be done to you?” They have feelings, thoughts, routines, etc. Their just as, even  more alive than you 
 

[Hadar]

No, it is not a double standard!

First and foremost, we as humans have the mentality that "nature is frivolous" (heard that in a recent book on tape from Maya Angelou).  And with that mentality we have destroyed their homes, their genetics, their very lives.  So once awaken to the reality that there is something more to them, we need to turn and take responsibility!  There is no way in the near future that we can turn things back to the way it used to be (to much resistance, a lot more education, etc.).  So the next best thing is to say, "what can I do right now."  The answer most come up with is to take and adopt them into our homes or create an environment for them.  We have to, we owe it to them for what we did.  We cannot live without them and they use to be able to live without us.  We destroyed their homes!  Do people not get that!

Spaying and Neutering is unsafe for them and I will have more articles on my new upcoming website soon!  But what do you do with all of the mass population of dogs and cats.  It is a horrible situation.

I use to be a rancher and raised animals for food.  Now I am a rancher giving them as much of an environment as I can that makes them happy so that they can retire to a natural ripe old age.  Is it a perfect situation for them?  No, but it is better than going, "Oh well guess I will auction them off, sell them so that someone else can eat them."  Then I'm guilty of what I just awakened to that was wrong!  Or maybe I should set them free and see how long they can survive on the highways.  Come on people, WAKE UP!

[Hadar]

Oh yeah, and I can't set them free because there is too many damn fences keeping them out of pasture lands becuse we have to hoard everything and stake claim to it! Geez, like it was ours to take in the first place! And one family needs thousands of acres to live off of! 


Just saying though. This is a hot topic with me