Obligate carnivores and guide animals for the blind

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As we all know, meat is obtained through the bloody slaughter of innocent animals. To eliminate slaughter, we may have to examine every circumstance in society in which meat is deemed 'practically necessary.'

One of these circumstances involves guard dogs for the blind. We could eliminate slaughterhouses, but if we did, the blind wouldn't be able to keep guard dogs (and, for that matter, we wouldn't be able to keep dogs as pets).

This consequence, however extreme, I still feel is worth it to eliminate animal slaughter. The captive bolt pistol just seems so brutal to me. How do we know it isn't painful?

For the blind, I can think of several solutions, one of which is to rely on other means of getting around. One day, we might even invent devices or robots to help them navigate. The primary solution I have in mind, however, is to find an animal that can lead the blind and is not an obligate carnivore.

Can you think of any?

As long as properly cooked meat tastes good, I could not care less how much pain there is in slaughtering the meat animals. The animals have no rights that I am aware of. If they taste good cooked, then let us slaughter them, flay them and cook the meat. Ummmmm...... Good!

ruveyn

I don't support unwarranted slaughter =.= and to the OP, dogs serve as guides because they at the very least can have a sense of danger and well, i doubt robots can emulate that kind of behavior yet (but i wouldn't be suprised if it can). And i actually consider dogs more as friends than pets =/ (not to the point where i'd let one govern me, but not too rough from my side either)

If the whole world turns vegan and slaughter houses are eliminated, what does this have to do with the blind?

A replacement for guide dogs would have to be a omnivore. Herbivores have instinctual behaviour at odds with the training they need as guides.

More strikes against herbivores is the large volume they must eat(and produce!) and the fact that unlike carnivores, are not inclined to hold their bladders. They are also emotionally dependant on grouping with their own kind.

However, I recall at least one person using a miniature pony..

In the case of omnivores, there is a very small selection of acceptably sized ones. Most omnivores are tiny or quite large.. bears come to mind. A good deal of the omnivore niche is filled by avians. As well, they still need some meat. Problem not solved.

So you can see that the choice in guide animals is strongly connected to a certain type of domestication. Horses and dogs have had thousands of years to select parameters which include humans as a pack mate.

If you had the power to convert the world to veganism I doubt that blind people without seeing eye dogs would be an unsolvable challenge.

First off: Are you saying that we need to get rid of (read: kill off) most/all carnivores? Seriously?

Second, it's foolish to assume that being a vegetarian/vegan results in less death. The first, softer reason I say that is because of this. The second reason I say this depends on where you "draw the line" when considering what lives need to be saved. I try to consider that most all life is equal: a grasshopper's life is the same as a cow's. With both of these, by continuing my practice of eating only free range animals mixed in with my regularly consumed fruits and vegetables, I save thousands of lives annually from all of the mammals that would be killed from harvesting crops and the insects that would be killed from the caring of these crops, that would otherwise be killed if I switched to a strictly vegan diet.

There is a point in there somewhere, but I think you needs to rephrased it so we are on the same wave length.

You are saying because we 'humans' can choose to vegan, and could insist that all human kind be vegan (unlikely to happen), therefore we should insist that all animals be vegan.

That is definitely not going to happen. Animal are creature of habit. Some animal are only adapted to eat mean. It would be ecological suicide, even if this was possible. I don't think even the most extreme of vegans are insisting on it.

There may be some vegan that won't feed domesticated animals anything but vegan diet, but again this is wrong because they could die easy from being feed an unsuitable diet.

Early humans absolutely depended on meat to survive. Especially protein rich parts like marrow and brains. that is because they weren't accessible to other carnivores, and scavenger, and wouldn't spoil in the sun. Make no mistakes were wouldn't be where we are today being able to make conscious choices about being a vegan without that history. It is also one of the theories as to our intelligence. However I'm not suggesting we go back, our digestion has change somewhat, and there is the risk of prion diseases. I think that it is great that people can choose to be vegetarian/vegan. I don't think it would be a good idea to have a blanket policy of it.

There is good argument about wastage, and how much meet gets used, just to have an every present supply at our supermarkets. There is an issue about meat production in general.

A lot of people who are vegetarian are concerned about meet production, rather than being anti-meat altogether. Like my friend. She does eat meat occasionally (fish and some chicken), but is careful where she buys it from.

A vegan diet for babies is still quite risky. It could affect its development. I remember a case of a vegan couple that had their baby taken off them because it was close to death.

On the other hand cow's milk can be quite dangerious for babies, so it is not a clear cut issue.

You do realize, of course, that plants are living creatures too. Just because they can't run away, or scream when you chop them up and eat them, does that make them less worthy of survival than you?

Less sarcastically, all life exists at the expense of other life. If you doubt me, go for a stroll in an old-growth forest. Observe the fungi and parasitic vines feeding on the trees, the saplings growing from the fallen corpses of old trees, the larger trees feeding off the decay of various life forms that have rotted into the ground; move on to the spiders and birds consuming the insects, the insects consuming each other - perhaps you'll even be afforded the rare opportunity of seeing a pack of wolves take down a deer!

You can go ahead and feel as morally superior as you like for being vegetarian, or even vegan - but remember that nature has no morals, only what works and what doesn't.

Or we can just send the guide dogs to slaughterhouses when they get too old to guide.