You've got a good point there when you note that it's about companionship. Pigs are probably of a comparable intelligence to dogs, so it can't be because of that that the former are considered OK to eat but the latter are not (in our culture), and horses are herbivores just like e.g. cows, so it can't be that, either. However, we tend to have more personal relationships with dogs or horses — as exemplified by giving names to them, for instance.
In the case of dogs at least, I'd also argue that dogs have been selectively bred to socialize with humans so extensively that raising them for their meat, without allowing much in the way of actual social contact, could not possibly be humane.
I'm less sure about other animals in that regard, but I see where you're coming from, and I agree, too, although I'm finding it difficult to find a bulletproof justification for it that goes beyond "it's a cultural issue" (which is what "these animals are (typically) companions rather than livestock" boils down to, of course). I've struggled with this before, but I haven't been able to come to a satisfactory conclusion yet.
As for horse meat as such, it's very rare in Germany, but it does exist; it's not as much of a social taboo as it is in the USA from what I know.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2010-07-04 09:22 am (UTC)In the case of dogs at least, I'd also argue that dogs have been selectively bred to socialize with humans so extensively that raising them for their meat, without allowing much in the way of actual social contact, could not possibly be humane.
I'm less sure about other animals in that regard, but I see where you're coming from, and I agree, too, although I'm finding it difficult to find a bulletproof justification for it that goes beyond "it's a cultural issue" (which is what "these animals are (typically) companions rather than livestock" boils down to, of course). I've struggled with this before, but I haven't been able to come to a satisfactory conclusion yet.
As for horse meat as such, it's very rare in Germany, but it does exist; it's not as much of a social taboo as it is in the USA from what I know.