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Non Animal-loving vegans


robert
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I recently realized I am one.

 

I realized there is a difference between being vegan because it is logical and practical and being vegan as an "animal-lover." I am vegan because I care about animals and want to reduce cruelty and pain and suffering that is associated with the mistreatment of animals, but I'm not an "animal-lover," suggesting that I have a special relationship with domesticated or wild animals. I don't run around petting cats and dogs and find it especially enjoyable. I simply choose not to harm animals because it doesn't make any sense to do so. Just as I don't run around punching people in the face; it's just not sensible behavior. It is possible to be a non animal-loving vegan who is extremely compassionate towards animals.

 

It's just something somewhat interesting I realized recently. I don't love cats and dogs and enjoy playing with them, etc. like a lot of other people who are vegan, or at least how I perceive many other vegans behaving.

 

I anticipate that I am the minority, that there is some correlation between being vegan and being an animal-lover.

 

I'm interested in feedback and ideas on this topic that I find somewhat interesting.

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^^^ x2. But.. I have become more passionate about my animals and others. I do love domesticated animals and like to play with them, but its different when you own them. Id rather play with someone elses pet, cause taking care and training them for the first year-2years is hard work!

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I agree with both posts above. Animals weren't at the top of my list of concerns when I went vegan, but now that I am, I have been introduced to all the issues that come with it, of course. I LOVE animals, but I definitely used to be one of those "I can love animals and still eat meat" kinds of people. So now that I'm vegan I just feel like less of a hypocrite But environmental and health issues were at the top of my list of reasons for being vegan. When I found out it was healthier to be a vegan, I was like, wtf am I doing eating meat? There isn't any excuse anymore.

 

I also enjoy playing with other people's pets over having my own. I have two snakes, but I got them as rescues and play with them a few times a week, and feed them once every week or three, so they aren't really high maintenance. I could go on vacation for two weeks and just leave them with plenty of water and not have to worry about them.

 

Given the opportunity, though, I would definitely pet the hell out of any animal I could. Especially a tiger. They're my faves.

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I'm the opposite. I've always loved animals. When I was a kid I had billions of plush toys that I used to play "vet" with hahaha!

When I see a person walking a dog pass me on the sidewalk I always say "hi" to the dog

I would definitely say I have a special bond with animals.

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I recently realized I am one.

 

I realized there is a difference between being vegan because it is logical and practical and being vegan as an "animal-lover." I am vegan because I care about animals and want to reduce cruelty and pain and suffering that is associated with the mistreatment of animals, but I'm not an "animal-lover," suggesting that I have a special relationship with domesticated or wild animals. I don't run around petting cats and dogs and find it especially enjoyable. I simply choose not to harm animals because it doesn't make any sense to do so. Just as I don't run around punching people in the face; it's just not sensible behavior. It is possible to be a non animal-loving vegan who is extremely compassionate towards animals.

 

It's just something somewhat interesting I realized recently. I don't love cats and dogs and enjoy playing with them, etc. like a lot of other people who are vegan, or at least how I perceive many other vegans behaving.

 

I anticipate that I am the minority, that there is some correlation between being vegan and being an animal-lover.

 

I'm interested in feedback and ideas on this topic that I find somewhat interesting.

 

Says the guy that spent the night in the yard with a lost dog.

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hehe, I know.....it could be the low carbs and high stress talking....but I think it is how I really am...I have compassion and do care, I'm just not as much as an "animal-lover" as I postulate most vegans probably are.

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I'm not sure that I'm a "lover", but I find them interesting and relaxing to be around. I don't go all googly and babble baby-talk at animals, but I enjoy a lot of their behaviour, and I'll stroke animals, or mess around with dogs if they are playful. I used to be much more into animals than I am now, these days I come to be less fascinated with everything in general, and the majority of animals either seem to be twitchy morons, or cold-blooded killers when it comes down to it. But I still have more interest in being around other animals than the majority of humans.

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I don't think that's so strange--I think the two are kind of unrelated. Just look at the huge numbers of people who are totally soppy over cats and dogs and animals like that, yet eat meat. So it's not so surprising that the reverse could exist--that there could be vegans who are not like that.

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Well, as I said I prefer animal company to human company, just not really up on using the word "love" to describe anything. When I go to my friend's place who has 2 dogs and 8 cats, I spend as much time as I can playing with those. Most people I guess would call me an "animal lover", if they are people who don't respect animals and have no interest in them. But to me, the word "love" seems too strong for what I feel

 

I see the difference in my behaviour when I see my brother and his girlfriend. They are constantly elated by any animal they see, no matter what that animal is doing, and they will point it out to one another, and they baby-talk to their pet hamsters at all times, and he baby-talks to the dog that he walks for a friend.

 

When I look at what they are seeing, I am sometimes interested in the animal behaviour, but tend not to say anything, and I will sit and look at their hamsters for long periods as I like to do that, and I like walking the dog and stroking her. But I don't get into the frenzy that my brother does - I rarely get into a frenzy over anything, animals are something I definitely enjoy and value, but I don't see them as entertainment, rather like other occupants of the planet who are of interest to me to some degree

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I don't go all googly and babble baby-talk at animals

 

I do if they are puppies or kittens!

 

I've been known to baby-talk a snail.

 

 

Am I the only animal-lover on this site?

 

haha, no...I've been thinking about this ever since making that post, really...and I think being vegan has MADE me an animal lover, even though I thought I wasn't one (since I didn't make the switch for the animals). I moo at cows that I drive by, I meow at kitties hiding in bushes, I snort at piggies--I SAY piggies instead of pigs for goodness sake!. I used to only love MY kitties and just tolerate others, but now I try to make friends with them all...especially now that there are websites full of cat pictures with bad grammar.

 

Of course, I only figured all of this out yesterday, when I was working out in the garage and the neighborhood cat, George, came in to lay right beneath me as I was doing push ups and I didn't immediately throw him outside

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haha, no...I've been thinking about this ever since making that post, really...and I think being vegan has MADE me an animal lover, even though I thought I wasn't one (since I didn't make the switch for the animals). I moo at cows that I drive by, I meow at kitties hiding in bushes, I snort at piggies--I SAY piggies instead of pigs for goodness sake!. I used to only love MY kitties and just tolerate others, but now I try to make friends with them all...especially now that there are websites full of cat pictures with bad grammar.

 

Of course, I only figured all of this out yesterday, when I was working out in the garage and the neighborhood cat, George, came in to lay right beneath me as I was doing push ups and I didn't immediately throw him outside

 

Haha my cats do that too! They tickle me with their whiskers. They're all "Whatcha doooing? Purrrrrrrrrr" Hehehe

 

I like websites like Lolcats and I Can Has Cheezeburger and stuff. It's funny.

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DISCLAIMER: This is in no way to a generalization of ALL people, just my observation of many, especially non-vegans. I know a number of people who are wonderful caregivers to non-humans.

 

-------------

 

I think the definition and understanding of "aminal lover" in our day-and-age is a little skewed. People are considered animal lovers if they want to pet, coddle and ownanimals. But save a few examples, what that really means is that they purchase an living being (very often bred [i won't get into that rant]), they then cage that animal for the vast majority of its life (most people really only play with their animals a couple hours out of a 24-hour day) and do not spend much time thinking about how a pet actually wants to be treated/handled.

 

Moreover, people in the city who own pets that are allowed to be outside, most often have them on leashes. And domesticated pets are trained and beaten to be subserviant and act according to human desires and rules.

 

So when people say "animal lover", it begs the question, what do you mean by lover? What I think most people mean is: I like to own things that make me feel loved and are soft and cuddly and allow me to have the power I want. It's not necessarily the animal they love, but rather the relationship.

 

Whenever a non-vegan tells me how much they love animals (awww...look at the cute puppy), I say, me too, I love it so much I won't breed, beat, enslave or eat it.

 

RC, I don't think it makes you less of an animal lover, I just think it makes you a different kind of lover.

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Revolushuneyz, I think you have a point there, but a lot of it regards the people who aren't ready to take care of an animal, and don't know how much time goes into it. I don't agree with the statement that all of them are "trained and beaten to be subservient" because 1, a lot of people are bad trainers and never get their pets past 'sit,' and 2, the ones that are good trainers are almost always using a reward-based system to train their animals. Also, training them isn't a bad thing, because in the animal world (say, a wolf-pack), the one strongest dog is always top dog and the rest answer to him--and you want to be that top dog because it makes your own dogs feel protected and safe. A dog IS just like a child in this respect--the more obedience that is expected of them, the stronger they think you are, and the safer they feel. It's not about demeaning them and beating them if they disobey you.

 

As for cats...I've never personally seen a trained cat so I have no clue how people do that! I would expect they would just stare at you and think "You want what now?"

 

But I do agree with you for the most part. Not every animal lover has to own an animal to be classified as a lover. I had a friend tell me the other month that he refused to coo over a little puppy aloud because he didn't want to have to tell people that he was too selfish and irresponsible to take care of a puppy, so he didn't want to get one. I thought it was quite admirable to admit that

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My cats have trained ME.

 

"Meow" = get me food

 

"MEEEEEEOW" = I wanna go for a walk (yes we walk our cats)

 

"MeOW!" = I want attention

 

hahaha it's so right!! I think most people with pets have a relatively symbiotic relationship with them. Each one makes demands, each one gives in to demands, each one loves.

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I think this blog entry can be interesting for many of you:

 

http://animalrightsmalta.blogspot.com/2007/10/theres-no-love-without-respect-more-on.html

 

An excerpt:

Finally, the vegetarian or vegan who holds that all animals have rights, may not necessarily be an "animal lover". He/she may not particularly enjoy the company of non-human animals, for instance, but still holds that all animals have rights. People who are for animal rights, and campaign for the recognition of animal rights, which preclude the use and abuse of all animals, should thus avoid using the term "animal lovers", since to be for animal rights is a matter of justice, and not charity or love.

 

I pretty much agree with everything stated on this article.

 

There is no love without respect, nor respect without freedom.

Edited by Liberacion-Igualdad
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I recently realized I am one.

 

I realized there is a difference between being vegan because it is logical and practical and being vegan as an "animal-lover." I am vegan because I care about animals and want to reduce cruelty and pain and suffering that is associated with the mistreatment of animals, but I'm not an "animal-lover," suggesting that I have a special relationship with domesticated or wild animals. I don't run around petting cats and dogs and find it especially enjoyable. I simply choose not to harm animals because it doesn't make any sense to do so. Just as I don't run around punching people in the face; it's just not sensible behavior. It is possible to be a non animal-loving vegan who is extremely compassionate towards animals.

 

It's just something somewhat interesting I realized recently. I don't love cats and dogs and enjoy playing with them, etc. like a lot of other people who are vegan, or at least how I perceive many other vegans behaving.

 

I anticipate that I am the minority, that there is some correlation between being vegan and being an animal-lover.

 

I'm interested in feedback and ideas on this topic that I find somewhat interesting.

 

I'm among those who find cute dogs pretty irresistible, but I think it's perfectly fine to not feel that way. The important thing isn't whether someone gets googly-eyed around animals; it's whether they treat animals with respect and compassion--regardless of what type of animal it is. But unfortunately our culture brainwashes the majority of Americans (including the families of most of us on this board) into being speciesist hypocrites who "love animals" as long as they're dogs or cats, but are fine with killing and eating or otherwise exploiting and inflicting suffering on just about anything else with two, four, or no legs. Give me a non-animal-loving vegan over an "animal-loving" ( ) omnivore (or vegetarian, for that matter) any day!

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I was thinking about the above previous comment about how we defend some animals but not others. What came to my mind is a story a friend told me. There were some jackasses driving around in a truck shooting dogs at random, well one dog they shot was a dog belonging to a war veteran who saw friends killed and the dog he had was part of his therapy and of course there was an emotional bond with the pup. He drove after these guys across 4 counties at high speed and it sounded as if he had every intention of shooting them until they hit the police roadblock and the cops told the vet to put his gun down. More than likely he is into eating beef and such. I have a pretty good idea of why he'd go after these people but not slaughterhouse workers, but what do you all think that people in general see as the difference between a pet and other animals?

 

And now that i think of it i'm probably more along the lines of the philosphical AR person in that I don't really have any emotion towards cows or most animals. Not that I want them to die or be enslaved, but most of the time i'm not wandering around in some state where i'm feeling one with farm animals. I like to pet dogs, and cats can be tolerable and you're in big trouble with me if your beating any animal or person or trying to kill one as I think people and animals have a right to life as long as they did not void that right by say attacking my family or beings around me. I do give a pass to cats in the neighborhood catching mice as it's what they do.

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what do you all think that people in general see as the difference between a pet and other animals?

 

They're either incapable of grasping logic, or they refuse to / lie to themselves. But whichever way they do it, they end up with a bond with their pet that they can't attain with a farm animal. I think social / cultural conditioning is a lot to do with it, as you look at various places, and they have "rules" about which animals are pets / friends / sacred etc, and no harm comes to them, and they are respected / protected. Then, the same animal will be slaughtered with no emotion in another country, which has done so for years.

 

Some obvious examples are dogs, which are pets in this country, and eaten elsewhere. Also, cows, which are slaughtered here, but are sacred / protected elsewhere. There is no logical reason, it's just been going on so long and in such great numbers, and people are brought up with it, unable/unwilling to question that system.

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