Just Decided to Become Pig Free

fureverywhere

fureverywhere

beloved friend who will always be with us in spiri
Location
Northern NJ, USA
As I've said before I'd be practically vegan...guess that would be "Reformed" vegan?...if I did the cooking. But I don't and the rest of the family expect meat at least a few times a week. But I was reading a magazine about pets and people. There's a woman in Brooklyn I believe who is fighting for her right to keep her service pig.

Now I mean it gets bizarre sometimes what people label service animals. The same story has a woman and her kangaroo and a guy with his boa. Now I think that might be pushing the envelope there. But I've read quite a bit about pigs and feel that's a different situation.

There are any number of sources that report that pigs are almost the equal of canines in intelligence and personality. One painful passage described a group of pigs waiting on the slaughter house floor. Some of them were walking up to the humans and seeking attention just like a dog or cat.

I also met a pig when I worked at a day care center long ago. This one was straight from a farm so she didn't smell so fresh. But with a bath she would have been a sweet pet, very friendly. I've never been big on the taste of pork anyway so now I've decided to give it up for good. I'm not ready to adopt a pig, but it's the least I can do.
 

"There are any number of sources that report that pigs are almost the equal of canines in intelligence"

What absolute rubbish. There isn't a dog yet born that has one tenth the intelligence of even the stupidest Pig!

I'm with Churchill on pigs - "A cat will treat you as some sort inferior being, a dog will fawn all over you but a pig will walk up and look you straight in the eye as an equal"!
 
Sorry you are upset to know pigs are people too. Poor you! But think how the pigs feel. Empathy can and should be extended to our fellow creatures as well as our poor planet that is getting ravaged by greenhouse gasses from animal poo and processing plants. You do need to hear it, believe me.

Oink oink oink! Pig for have a nice day!
 
I like pigs too.

Unfortunately I also like ham, bacon, sausage, pork ... Oh, well, none of that is good for me, whereas pigs are cute and fun, if only they didn't have such sharp hooves ....

Why didn't the cat just run away?
 
Cookie said:
Sorry you are upset to know pigs are people too. Poor you! But think how the pigs feel. Empathy can and should be extended to our fellow creatures as well as our poor planet that is getting ravaged by greenhouse gasses from animal poo and processing plants. You do need to hear it, believe me.

Oink oink oink! Pig for have a nice day!
Click to expand...

If you were referring to Shali's comment - she's QUITE aware of animals being the equals of humans, she treats them all with massive respect and interacts with them on a level most humans could only dream of.

She does NOT need to hear it because she already KNOWS it.
 
Little "piglets" are kind of cute, but a sensible person would never try to Pet an adult hog...you might lose your hand. One of the biggest issues with pigs is Feral Hogs...pigs that have escaped their farm, and gone into the forests. A Feral Hog is one of the most vicious and destructive animals roaming the forests of the Southeastern states...ask anyone who you know who lives in rural Texas. We haven't had any of them in our area...yet...but they are migrating North from Arkansas. Missouri rules on Feral Hogs are quite clear....if you see one, Shoot It!

I like pigs...breakfast just isn't complete without a strip of bacon.
 
Don M - Feral pigs are a big problem here on the Big Island. They are very destructive, and tear up a lot of folks' gardens. It is "open season" on them all the time.
 
Laurie said:
Churchill on pigs - "A cat will treat you as some sort inferior being, a dog will fawn all over you but a pig will walk up and look you straight in the eye as an equal"!
Click to expand...

I like that, should tattoo it on...somewhere. Speaking of tattoos and pigs, the gratuitous tattoo'd pig image post:

The illustrated pig

illustrated_pig.jpg


 
SifuPhil said:
If you were referring to Shali's comment - she's QUITE aware of animals being the equals of humans, she treats them all with massive respect and interacts with them on a level most humans could only dream of.

She does NOT need to hear it because she already KNOWS it.
Click to expand...

Oh, here it is, but not surprised. QUITE aware, but maybe not very. By massive respect do you mean genuflecting to the bacon before gobbling it down with one's french toast. Or does the massive respect stop with barnyard animals? Slaughterhouse horrors and greenhouse gases be damned, we must have our fried fat. Missing the point?
 
You know, I became a vegan overnight. Someone said something that I found 'challenging' and in looking for verification, I finally actually saw what happens to the critters and in an instant I was literally, a changed person. Cleaned out the cupboards that week and haven't missed any of it yet. And the things that happen every day, are so awful, that you mention 'bacon' or any other 'dish' and it brings an immediate image to mind that is horrific.

In rating the hierarchy of suffering, I think pigs treatment is the worst with chickens/turkey's/ducks bringing up a close second while cattle's treatment isn't day in, day out misery unless you're a 'veal' calf or most dairy cows. So I'm really pleased to hear fureverywhere, that you have decided to give the piggies a break. Because they need all the help that they can get :).

Years ago, when I first started reading about this topic, I came across a description of how pigs were transported from Alberta, Canada to Hawaii for those luaus. In a nutshell, they were loaded into shipping box cars and then stacked on the decks of ships going across to the islands. They could potentially be in there for a week with no food or water, and in the heat. And it was a given that lots died. My husband and I went to Hawaii once and this resort had a pig roasting in a pit and even though I wasn't a vegan at the time (not even a vegetarian), when they hauled that dreadful looking thing out of the pit, we both were totally turned off. When I read how pigs used to get there (don't know if they still allow that level of cruelty) I remembered that luau and I was so glad that we'd passed on that meal.

(just looked it up and as recently as 2008, they still ship them that way to Hawaii)
 
What a horrible situation, Debby and thanks for your post.

It really blows my mind how people can be so blase and heartless about the suffering of animals, rationalizing that 'they were bred for that purpose' or 'I just like it so much', as if that makes it OK.

I'm also glad Fur, that you have chosen to give the pigs a break, an excellent way to lessen the insanity.
 
Exactly with that commercial. I'm not talking about feral swine with huge tusks. I mean the smaller domestic breeds. The one in the commercial...washed in a lavender dog shampoo, very easy to cuddle and hand feed. It might be I slightly see a similarity to Callie, of course I see it in manatees and hippos too.

th
th
cute-piglet-smiling-face.jpg
th
keep-calm-and-love-pigs-212.png


Maybe a decade ago we went to a church pork roast in small town PA. I didn't know any better so we got there and they were just ready to serve a family style feast. There in the middle of the cut meat and stuffing was a roasted and severed pig head...the eyes had crab apples or something in the sockets. This does not represent " MMM good eatin' to me". The ladies of the church were sympathetic to my discomfort and took the head back in the kitchen...muttering something about city folk.

I don't even want to understand the mind set that allows you to kill and cook an animal and then happily chow down on it's body with it's head on the table...I mean any creature even a fish. For the pork lovers, perhaps in China they have a dog roast in the same way? Would that make you uncomfortable? I would become strictly plant eater right there.
 
Wow! That must have been quite a sight, maybe they thought it was a pretty centerpiece, to me it just seems gross. It was kind of them to remove it, at least. Re the dog roast in China, probably likely, human nature being what it is.

Very cute little piggies BTW.
 
fureverywhere said:
As I've said before I'd be practically vegan...guess that would be "Reformed" vegan?...if I did the cooking. But I don't and the rest of the family expect meat at least a few times a week. But I was reading a magazine about pets and people. There's a woman in Brooklyn I believe who is fighting for her right to keep her service pig.

Now I mean it gets bizarre sometimes what people label service animals. The same story has a woman and her kangaroo and a guy with his boa. Now I think that might be pushing the envelope there. But I've read quite a bit about pigs and feel that's a different situation.

There are any number of sources that report that pigs are almost the equal of canines in intelligence and personality. One painful passage described a group of pigs waiting on the slaughter house floor. Some of them were walking up to the humans and seeking attention just like a dog or cat.

I also met a pig when I worked at a day care center long ago. This one was straight from a farm so she didn't smell so fresh. But with a bath she would have been a sweet pet, very friendly. I've never been big on the taste of pork anyway so now I've decided to give it up for good. I'm not ready to adopt a pig, but it's the least I can do.
Click to expand...

Good for you Fur, if it feels good, do it! :) I eat less meat overall than I did when I was younger just for health reasons. I still very much enjoy rib-eye steaks, bacon, St. Louis ribs and chicken breasts. When I was in Hawaii I really like the Kalua Pig. What you eat is a very personal decision to be sure. I don't look down my nose at anyone for what they consume, not for me to pass moral judgement and none of my business.

I am and always have been an animal lover and am against any abuse of animals domestic or wild. If animals raised for food (which has been a practice for centuries) are treated humanely throughout their lives and at the time of their death, it is the best we can ask for and I have the utmost respect for ranchers and farmers who treat their animals well.

Personally, I don't think any animal like a pig should be anyone's pet. I have met some Potbelly Pigs and felt nothing but sorry for them, they were meant to live a natural existence, not be on someone's leash and confined to their house or yard.

I saw someone showing off their "mini" potbelly pig at the dog park years ago, and it was like a circus side show. The dogs were going toward it and the owners were scolding them (or ignoring them). The owner seemed to be delighted to be the center of attention, the poor little pig seemed to be very frightened. Luckily I never saw it there again.

People who abuse the "service" animal privileges really disgust me. I recently saw a woman with a Teacup Yorkie in Costco with a vest on....please! :rolleyes: Those people who are blind, veterans with PTSD, and invalids confined to a wheelchair that need dogs for assistance are suffering because of those taking advantage of the service animal allowances.

People are complaining because selfish owners who want to bring their dogs on the plane with them just for convenience, have them crapping in the aisles, whining, barking and acting aggressively to other travelers. I'd love to take my dog (or cat) with me everywhere I go, but I'm not so selfish as to lie and cheat the system to do it.
 
I agree that making your gerbil a service animal messes it up for the certified creatures that can be life or death for their humans. But back to pigs. My creatures are spoiled rotten. I'm sure there are families with pigs that can care for them above and beyond. I knew a guy who had a skunk years ago. The skunk thought himself a cat. Better fed than in the wild and happy with humans win/win
 
I just decided to become sorta pig free today also.......I only ate one, thick cut, fried golden brown pork chop for supper instead of my usual two.

Did I mention how good the gravy was made from the little crunchies in the bottom of the skillet and a little flour and milk when spooned over the mashed potatoes and the made from scratch biscuits ?

Being pig free worked so well today I may try becoming chicken free tomorrow........Mmmmmmm.
 
fureverywhere said:
..... For the pork lovers, perhaps in China they have a dog roast in the same way? Would that make you uncomfortable? I would become strictly plant eater right there.
Click to expand...


China has the Yulin dog meat festival every year. 10,000 to 15,000 dogs are slaughtered on June 20th and most apparently are bludgeoned to death. And throughout the year, upwards of 10 million die equally horrific deaths. Cats are also treated as horribly, and they are often boiled alive. An extreme end of a tradition on the continuum of violence.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top