VEGANGELICA

Well, Urban, I think if you asked a dog if she minded being vegetarian, she might say, "Woof," and then salivate all over the vegetarian kibbles, so you could take that as a no.

The real test would be to offer a juicy bloody steak in one bowl, and some prime veggie kibble in the next bowl, and see what happens. My guess is the dog would eat both (though prefer the steak)!

But you are right...one does have to consider what is best for a pet and what the pet would like. The basic conflict for a vegan is this: if you are someone who values animals' rights (to life, to choice, etc.), then how can you feel right about killing one animal to feed to another? I think many vegans probably try to avoid such killing as much as possible.

So here's a question, since you point out veganism is about animals rights: Would the pet want to be a pet in the first place? When I see dogs with their owners, the dogs look happy. But when I see dogs meet up with another dog on the street...WHOA!!! Those dogs go ape-shit with joy! They are excited! They pull on the chain! They can't wait to sniff each other's butt! They want to play and romp! Even more than they want to do this with humans.

I really think dogs prefer to be with other dogs. So, should we be keeping them in our homes and in kennels when we're gone? Should we limit their access to their own species, just so we have someone to pet? After all...we have each other to pet...isn't that enough?

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