ok so nobody NEEDS the coat. understandable. but to the people who raise the animals for the hides, it’s their livelyhood. their families depend on that income.
I was actually very mortified to hear your descriptive account (not because of the dog, but because of the children who might be hearing these words). No, a dog does not understand the nuances of HUMAN language, though *he can *understand a number of specific words. I do not intend to criticize your mother–all mothers have made errors and mistakes–including myself. Her words would not likely affect a dog, but they would have an impact on any *human listeners *who would understand their meaning–and I would question the prudence of using these words in the presence of a child.
What about people who work in cigarette manufacture?? Should we continue to manufacture cigarettes so that people don’t lose jobs? What about the manufacture of an antiquated product?? People have to find work elsewhere. Technology is always changing, industries are always changing–when one door closes another opens. Arguing to continue a cruel industry for a luxury product because there are jobs there, is not good enough reason to let it continue.
Then don’t.
But your going to criticize anyway. You are a piece of work.
False premise.
But some people might like to have a fur coat. I have friends who have furs.
i don’t have one…but maybe one day I might like one.You are the one who introduced this story to our attention, for our review. For an emotional reaction??? OK–my honest reaction is that speaking these words will not affect the dog, but will likely impact a human listener, especially a child.
You have made the point that dogs do not understand and speak fluent English, French, German, Chinese, etc. Do you speak dog?? Do you speak dolphin? Honey bee? Bat? Tiger? Lion? These animals can communicate with one another, within their own species, and we have scientists trying to decifer their communications. BTW: Primates have been taught to use human sign language in numerous studies.
No one does. Not even the dogs.
They can only communicate in the broadest possible terms.
And Pavlov taught a dog to drool when he rang a bell.
You do not have to raise animals to any other status to be kind to them, or not commit cruelty against them, or cause to suffer. If a living being suffers from your actions, it suffers. It does not have to be equal to you, or speak your language, and it does not have to have the same type of “soul” in order for you to show compassion and mercy.
We don’t call what we’re doing “hunting.” We call it “farming.” And if someone goes on a canned hunt, it’s possible for the hunter to miss killing the prey, but the hunter could still wound the “prey” which doesn’t know enough to stay away from the hunter. Then the prey could endure needless suffering. On the farm, they’re euthanized quickly and appropriately.
Very good. But the topic of this discussion is whether fur ranching is ethical. According to the teachings of the Catholic Church, it is.
How about some of the other images I’ve seen…like mothers who have eaten their babies, (they’re called “kits”) or have left them outside until they are ice cold. Then we pick them up, put them in our hands, blow on them, and sometimes, when they are warmed back up, they start moving again and the little creature you thought was dead is actually alive. Then you have to find another “home” for that kit, and sometimes its brothers and sisters, too. So you look for another mom who has between 1-3 kits and is taking good care of them and you put them there.
Do lions hunt? Yes.
What form of euthanasia would be acceptable to you?
Yes, mistreatment would cause an inferior product, and what farmer would want that? Yes, over the years, some farmers have mistreated their animals, but so have some pet owners, etc. Of course, PETA is in favor of banning pet ownership, too, but most people who have pets don’t agree with PETA on that point.
You seem to have this idea that mink, in the wild, run and play with each other. They do not. They are solitary animals. They only get together to breed and even then it looks like they are fighting each other. They have space to “run and frollick (sic)” in their cages because they are relatively small animals–smaller than cats, usually. That’s why it takes 40 of them for a coat. It takes fewer furs for a large animal. Ermines are one of the smallest animals, by the way.
I have an old muskrat coat that I love, but it’s falling apart. I would love to have a good fur coat, too. There’s nothing like it on a bitterly cold winter day. I’d like to see some of those brainless celebrities who claim they’d rather go naked than wear fur try that on one of our bitterly cold midwestern winter days.But some people might like to have a fur coat. I have friends who have furs.