A question about vegans/vegetarians and their pets?

Question

I've noticed that a few (not all) vegans or vegetarians state that they do not own their pets, that their pets are simply their companions.

Now, by law, you are the owner. You have to get their shots, license, etc. If that animal harms another animal or a human being, the owner is held responsible for the actions of that animal.

So would you argue that you simply do not own this animal and that the animal is responsible for it's own actions?

How would you deal with it if your dog attacked a child at the park because you felt it was wrong to put a dog on a leash?

By the way, this is not an attack. I simply do not understand the way veg*ns live and have seen so many things on here that have me a bit confused.

Anything you can tell me would help me get a better understanding of this, thank you

Answer 1

I'm just a vegetarian, I consider my animals "my babies", but also recognize them as their own beings too, with their own thoughts.  That being said  I would take full responsibility for my dog if he bit someone without a second thought unless, he was defending himself.  When my dog goes out in public he is ALWAYS leashed, not b/c he is vicious, but b/c I don't want to worry about him darting off and getting hurt.

Answer 2

The law and personal views are 2 different things and you are making ridiculous assumptions.  Anyone with half a brain knows that they are legally responsible for anything their animal does and how anyone refers to their animal is personal preference.  

You don't know how vegetarians live?  I assure you it's not that different than how you live.  We don't come from a different planet you know.

Edited to Add:  You make it sound like we are a bunch of irresponsible weirdos who are very different from the rest of the population.  Once again, I assure you that we put our pants on one leg at a time just like everyone else.

Answer 3

By law, parents are also responsible for their children, and to a great extent, this is what the law recognises. However, nobody would claim that any parent has total dominion over their children, and that these children are the parents' "property".

Animals are conscious beings in their own right, and while I would do everything possible to try and make sure that any dog I'd have didn't attack children, as a society, we accept that having companion animals in home has a certain degree of risk, You can't ever get rid of that risk, and you have to weigh the benefits of keeping companion animals alongside those risks.

You don't "own" that dog's behaviour, and if you have taken every reasonable precaution against the dog biting somebody else, I don't think you could be held accountable. Any more than you would be responsible if your child hit out at another child when you had done everything you could beforehand to try and educate and discipline the child that that is wrong.

Notably, humans murder and kill many more humans each year than animals do: in fact, the majority of animals seem afraid of humans, rather than wanting to harm. There's little doubt that we are defintely the more dangerous species as far as ecology goes.

Answer 4

I'm a vegetarian and I think you are fully responsible for your pet. You should teach your dog how to behave and if you don't do that properly and it may attack someone I think you are the one responsible for it. I'm not saying that if your dog attacks someone it's because you didn't teach it how to behave so don't misunderstand me, it's just an example.  

Answer 5

I am a vegetarian (for over 25 years) and have a dog.

What vegetarian do you know that has said their dog is responsible for its own actions? Is this one person in particular?

Unless they live in the wild with wolves that come and go as they please this is not possible in human society.

Our dog is a member of our family and a child to us - we mutually learn to respect his dog instincts as he learns to respect our human ones.

We let him have no collar in the house - but outside he wears a collar and lead and is our responsibility in the same way as all our children are in public

Dogs should be treated as small children - you cannot leave them run off on their own or they will endanger themselves or others.

Those who see a dog as a companion are far more dangerous than those who see them as their child for they will let them run about as they please and not take any responsibility - this is the same attitude that some parents have to their children - saying they are a 'friend' to their child instead of a parent - means they will not take responsibility when their child runs wild.

So you see - there are different types of people in the world - responsible and irresponsible - and vegetarians are usually the more responsible type as they take time to understand animals and by doing so their pets are less likely to act dangerously because they will not feel threatened and know their place in the pack so will not challenge it.

Vegetarians have made a choice not to eat an animal that they wouldn't kill themselves - they take responsibility for the murder of that animal seriously - and do not hand it over to someone in a abatoir to ease their own conscience as millions of 'meat eaters' do.

I am the only vegetarian in my house but the whole family respects animals and know where their food comes from and that someone has commited a murder for them to eat their meat - it is not something I ram down their throat - I tell them where peas grow and where cows and pigs grow and how they get to their plate - it's their choice - I respect my children enough not to lie to them.

Your question comes across as branding vegetarians irresponsible - I chose a large dog to be part of my family to save it from being abused by someone who let it wander the street - I do not cage birds or dress poodles in baby clothes - he will never bite anyone as long as he knows I am his mother, I am his pack leader, I am responsible - and I am his owner legally.

The true owner of humans and animals souls is God - which is probably what most people will tell you.

Answer 6

I see myself responsible for my animals.  I call all of them 'my children'.  From what I see on the news when I watch it - they actually have a better life than many people do.  I can say beyond a shadow of doubt that my dogs have better health insurance than *I* do.

If my dogs are out any place other than my yard - which is totally fenced in - they are on a leash.  I just paid $600 to have my fence improved because of my one dog that is deaf and can't hear me when I call.  My dogs were all rescue dogs - so they need more care and attention than the average dog till they assimilate to living in a place where they are totally safe - where someone isn't going to put them down.  Gracie (my deaf baby) is actually learning to bark when she is finished with being outside - and then I walk to her and pick her up to bring her inside.  I want her to be able to run around as long as she can before she goes totally blind - just don't want her mowed down by any trucks/cars or get away and not be able to find her way home.  Such is the reason why I just spent what I did to improve what I had to make sure that it was a good and proper fence for her safety.

I don't believe in allowing animals to run wild all over the country side - just as I didn't agree to such with my own human children before they became adults and moved out on their own.  Not to mention that I know of no place that allows animals in public places that are not on a leash.  I am a stickler for following the law anyway - so not really an issue for me.

As to who owns whom?  I call it a mutually ownership - I just pay all the bills.

Answer 7

"How would you deal with it if your dog attacked a child at the park because you felt it was wrong to put a dog on a leash?"

Being vegan is about respecting the rights of others. If I brought an aggressive dog out and let it off leash, how is that respecting everyone's right to be safe from harm?

I am not an owner, I am a guardian. It doesn't matter what I call it, the law sees me as the "owner" regardless and judges me accordingly.

When I have my dogs on leash, it is for their own protection. Anyone that is above the use of leashes should not have dogs or should stay away from urban or suburban areas.

Answer 8

I'm a vegetarian and I manage to control my dog. My dog is trained and is very good around people, so I know it is safe to let him off of his leash at the park. I make sure he does what's right, I don't just let him loose. So don't think that we are crazy.

Answer 9

Do your parents OWN you until you are of age?

They have to make sure you go to school, get vaccines, and if you get in trouble your parents are liable for what you do. And yes we pay for pets but if you adopt children you pay for them too. Just like someone said you must put a leash on dogs because it is the law and it is like holding the child's hand. And now they even make leashes for children.

I don't consider animals my property either they are like children.

Answer 10

i'm a vegan for the animals and i do consider my dogs their own property, but i still take legal responsibility for them.

most vegans have nothing against leashes. they protect not only people around your dog, but also your dog itself.

if my dog attacked someone i would assume responsibility for that. i would try to repair the situation with intense training and if the dog was still aggressive i would consider putting it to sleep, because dogs are only aggressive due to some inner turmoil and i wouldn't want my dog to have to suffer with that.

sorry if this confuses you. but please know that most vegans are not crazy people who let their dogs run around attacking people.

Answer 11

I think it is a matter of perspective. I do not own my child or my dog, but I do have the responsibility to care for both and protect them, both legally and morally.

A dog can not understand all the dangers in a human world and a leash or a secure fence is the answer to that.

Attacks by other dogs, teasing and cruelty of other people, cars, poison etc. are all very real dangers that I must protect my dog from.

I would no more go out with my dog off lead than I would drop my child off in a park unattended.

I know non- vegetarians who feel they own their dogs, but do not take any responsibility for them. I don't think this is a vegan vs meat eater issue, I think this is a responsibility issue. Any vegetarian that uses their perspective of not "owning" a dog (as opposed to being a companion) as a reason not to keep their dog up is just plain silly.

(and irresponsible and probably won't have their dog for too long as it will run off or get hit by a car or something. It only takes one distracting squirrel in the wrong situation and then it is over for the pup. )

Answer 12

The answer seems obvious, don't own a pet. Putting a dog on leash is necessary to avoid the very thing you mentioned. It 's no different than holding your child's hand to make sure he/she does not do what they are not supposed to do.

My dogs are well trained and behave well around people. But I do take precautions to make sure that in certain situations, they do not rely on their instincts and do something which would cause harm. A excited friend screaming and shouting hello then running to hug will be seen as a sign of aggression by my dogs and they will protect me by biting. In such cases, they are kenneled temporarily