Firstly I will preface this with the fact that I jumped into the fray at Poop on Peeps again. My own fault that I got slammed? Most definitely. I was wearing my big girl panties and I was ready for that. So now I am here, defending my opinion, as is my right.
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When I was in Kindergarten, we had pet sheep. Two of them in fact; Jacko and Patches. We got them as poddy lambs, lambs that their mothers abandoned. By the end of lambing time, most farmers have a dozen poddy lambs, living in their kitchen and backyard, needing bottles every two hours. So when Mum mentioned to a farmer friend of ours that she would love a poddy lamb for me, he was only too happy to oblige. We ended up with two lambs and being 4 years old, I helped with every part of their upbringing. I gave them bottles, I traipsed backwards and forwards to their pen with hotwater bottles when it was cold and I helped Mum check their water and feed them. Every single day.
By the time my sheep had grown up I was very attached to them. However, I knew and had known since we got them, that Jacko and Patches were being raised so that we could slaughter them.
The time came and the deed was done, quickly and humanely. The sheep were slaughtered, separately and popped into our freezer. I remember taking Jacko sandwiches to school for Kindergarten lunch and being thrilled at the prospect.
A little while later, Mum bought three pigs. They were missing ears (- missing three between them), due to a rather nasty horse in their paddock that had picked them up by the ears and torn them off. The littlest runt, Wilbur, he was quite sick. I remember Mum holding him and forcing an evil concoction of garlic, parsely and comfrey down his throat. He wiggled and squealed, but at the end, he snuggled into Mum and she scratched his ears and he wiggled in pleasure. He recovered nicely and yet again, like Patches and Jacko, a few months later, he was slaughtered and we ate him. Before he was slaughtered though, he was a sucker for ear scratches, he would come when my mother called (as would his siblings) and they would converse with us, happily.
His sister Charlotte, she was Mum’s favourite. She was HUGE and yet, when Mum scratched her ears, she would turn into a puddle of jelly. She was at the top of the driveway once, about 100m away and too close to the road for Mum’s liking. Mum called her and happily, Charlotte turned and barrelled down the hill, 200 kilos of pig heading for my heavily pregnant mother. She stopped a few metres before Mum and happily snorted up to get her food.
Sweetie; she was another pig we had recently. One day, Sweetie just showed up at my parents, lost. Mum put down food and after a week of touch-and-go friendship making, Sweetie was one of the family. She thought she was a chook and would run around with the chickens, with the rooster madly calling alarm signals because THERE IS A STRANGE ANIMAL HERE and when all the chooks bolted, Sweetie would as well, wondering where the hell the strange animal was. Of course the rooster was alarmed by her, but she never knew that. Sweetie, after a fruitful and happy life was also slaughtered for food. Mum still talks fondly about the pig who thought she was a chicken.
Oscar-The-Super-Chook was bottom of the pecking order when I was in grade 6. The Kindergarten had hatched eggs in an incubator and they were raising them as part of a Kindy project. Oscar was getting badly bullied, and taking pity on him, I asked the kindergarten teacher if I could take him home to our chook pen. She kindly allowed me too and Oscar lived in a box in my bedroom for a while, before being moved outside to take his part with the other chooks. He would ride on the handlebars of my bike as I rode about the property and he always wanted to come inside and be part of the family. I suspect he thought he was a dog. Oscar also took his place on the list of pets I have eaten, when aged a few months old, he started getting beaten up by our older rooster. He made a delicious soup that we delighted in calling Oscar soup.
It was the middle of winter and the dog was dragging something around the yard by it’s neck. After heading outside to check it out, we found a chook, with most of the life sucked out of it. I begged and pleaded with Mum to be allowed to try and save that chicken and being the softy she is, she let me. I sat with a chook and a hotwater bottle on my lap for 2 hours, steadily dripping water in her beak with a straw. By bedtime, she was opening her eyes and starting to look around. I popped her into a box next to my bed and by 4am, she was clucking and asking to be let out. Back she went to the chookpen, a chook that had been declared dead 12 hours before. Unfortunately, she was bitten by a snake a few months later and we found her, dead in the chook shed.
I’m not a sadist, nor am I cruel. I am merely realistic about my animals.
I had a cat, when Amy was a baby. Her mother had been put down a few months previously due to a broken leg and she was all alone. It made her whiny and her behavioural problems were difficult to deal with. She used to piss on the clean laundry and in the corners. One morning, I woke up and found her asleep on Amy’s head. I know that cats don’t steal the breath from babies, but they can and do suffocate or smother them. I made the hard decision and had her put down. We don’t have no kill shelters here, and the cats home are honest about the fact that adult cats with behavioural issues tend to end up getting put down. Her end, it was quick and painless and as much as I liked the cat, I felt relieved. No more cat piss, no more smothered babies.
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I commented on Poop on Peeps this morning in defence of Super Agent Josephine, who had her cat put down, humanely by a vet, due to lingering health issues. She is getting slammed for her decision, but honestly, if it was quick and painless, I have no problem with it.
I also got slammed for saying that in the event of a bad injury to my current cats, Lucy and Wolfgang, I would put them down. Yes, yes I would. Because a) I don’t have $3000 to spend on vets bills and b) at the end of the day, I have to do the best thing for the cat. Is it humane to put an animal, who has no idea what is happening, through surgery and lots of painful procedures for myself? I don’t think so. I think it’s selfish. At the end of the day, animals want to be painfree. They don’t understand things being for their own good.
When I commented at PoP, I probably didn’t explain myself very well. I’m brevid and I’m realistic. I come from a totally different upbringing to a lot of people and as such, I am rather realistic about death. I will not let an animal suffer, no matter what, pain should be fixed immediately and if euthanasia is the way to do it, then sign me up.
I also think that the animals we slaughtered for food would disagree that they were not pets and therefore they didn’t count. They were loved and fed and had their ears scritched. They knew who we were and they were happy to be around us and for a pig that has the intelligence of a 3yo child, that means a lot.
All my current animals are rescues. The mares, both cats and Seven, were all rescued from various situations. Would I have liked to give my cat that opportunity? Yes, but I didn’t. Because at the end of the day, I didn’t feel that it was fair to Bugs to have to go and sit in a tiny cage, possibly for months while another home showed up. She was loved at the end and she felt no fear, or pain.
And to me, that is what really counts.
I think that you will find that some of the commenters over at poopy peeps need to attack people with opposing views in order to feel better about themselves. I am specifically thinking of those two loonies Tori and Kate that commented on Isaac’s post over at “Veronica”
You did come across a tad callous with your comments over at poops but you have never been afraid of voicing your opinion and I am proud of you. I wonder what would happen if I went over there and mentioned that we eat kangaroos as well? *snort*
As for Charlotte and the Wilburs they were our pets.
I actually started commenting there to defend Sandi, who seemed to lose her voice in amongst the haters, and then when they attacked Brenda at SAJ, that hit a little close to home, knowing that I’d been in a similar position, so I commented there as well. I certainly don’t disagree with everything ChickenLiver writes like she claims, but I am prepared to stand behind my differing opinion with my email address and website.
Not everyone was horrible over there, in fact I had some good comments in response to mine. Ones that made me think about the other side of the coin and made me ponder other view points. Always a good thing I say. Of course, these were tempered with rabid froth at the mouth haters who just want to spew vitriol. And to be honest, I got enough of that from family, anonymous comments don’t hold a candle to those.
And that my sweeting is the crux of the matter. How on earth can someones opinion no matter how valid their point, be taken seriously if they hide behind the veil of anonymity?
Check you out missus, it’s like flame wars 2.0! Lol 😉
Seriously though, I would have no problems with having Rocky put down if he was hurting and the chances weren’t high that he would get better with no lasting problems.
I have pet insurance for him as he’s such a beauty, but although that would cover operations etc it would only cover part of ongoing costs, so that just wouldn’t be possible.
I’m just hoping that he has another 8-10 years left in him minimum – he’s only 2.5 yrs old now, so I reckon that’s feasible!
As for slaughtering animals for food… where’s my steak?! 😉
well written hun as always..
you have some good points there..
You’re absolutely right – it’s cruel to make an animal suffer just so that you can feel better about poor snookums. I wonder if all the people that commented are vegans.
I could not agree with you more! We are going to be faced with a decision about our Border Collie in the not too distant future. I would do it now, but my hubby and daughter reckon she is still well enough to go on a little longer. She has diabetes. Yes, she’s eating well again, and is in great shape, but she IS going to lose her sight, she has already started going deaf AND IT’S COSTING US A FORTUNE IN VET BILLS and INSULIN! Where do you draw the line? And how good IS her quality of life? It’s not an easy decision, but you have to be realistic. I haven’t checked out PoP blog yet! Will pop over there and have a look!
I have been lurking here for a few days :-p
This is one of the main reasons I am hesitant to get a pet – apart from a fish really.
We had to put one of my moms dogs down – she had a stroke and was unable to walk 🙁 My son was with me the day it happened – he was 4 at the time and still talks about it today! It was the only humane thing to for her – you could see the pain in her eyes!
While I know it has to be done sometimes I just dont have the heart to do it – so would rather avoid it – you know like an ostrich – stick my head in the sand and pretend it doesnt exist.
I have friends and family who have had to make this decision and its never been made with ease. Pets do very quickly become part of the family!
I would have said the same thing. But then you and I had the same upbringing in that way.
I’d rather eat meat from an animal who lived a good life than a battery farmed animal.
I think you are right. Everyone I know that grew up on a farm has this same straightforward understanding of life and death. It is realistic, that’s all. As for getting pets euthenased, well I think many of us have had that experience. In many circumstances it is undoubtedly what is best for the animal. It can be a very sad and distressing thing to have to do but the reality is that sometimes pets need to be humanely put to sleep. I’m sorry you’ve been slammed.
Ok. I just went over and read all of those comments. You did really well in standing up for yourself. Those people are coming from a razy really different perspective that I don’t quite get. I’d hesitate to say that some of them are batshit crazy but well….
Good God. Just read through the post and comments at Poop. Not sure why you would want to waste your time participating in that drivel. There is so much in this world that could benefit from having some energy and attention focused upon it and this is what they come up with. Sad.
I completely agree with you. Sick animals don’t know why they’re in pain and I think it’s much more humane to put them down than to make them keep suffering.
I was raised very differently than you were. And I still agree with you.
I think if an animal is seriously ill and treatment is going to be outrageously expensive or not add to the quality of life, sometimes the only humane thing to do is put the animal down.
I’ve never heard of comfrey or, perhaps, we just call it something different? So, I have to ask, what is it?
Kristen : Comfrey is a herb, it likes to grow wild in the garden. It is helpful in just about all animal doctoring, as long as you don’t use loads and loads of it. With people, a poultice of it will help speed healing and help with infections. Mum used to use it on most of our animals for one thing or another. Made into an oil it helps with eczema or scaring. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfrey
Good for you Veronica! Nobody who is not vegan can make any critical comment about killing animals to eat, that is just hypocrisy. And, while we are on the subject of hypocrisy, why anyone would let an animal suffer to the bitter end when they can have their suffering humanely stopped?
I think people forget it’s not just about us. It’s (Life is) about people, animals, plants, etc. Everything is this world. If, my family had a pet who got sick, you could be darm certain I would not want the animal to suffer. Sure, my children would be affected by the decision, but then they’d also learn about life and death and how to be humane to other creatures.
Pardon my French here –
What a f’kn crock of shyte!
Bagging and belittling someone cos they had the balls to have their cat put down and put out of misery?
Oh and the dipshyte who claims she comes home to cat vomit and crap everyday is a cruel piece of work keeping the poor animal alive to stroke her out-sized f’kn ego.
For cats or any animal, vomiting is not natural not is it a pleasant experience and to savage someone who’s had to get the courage up to release the animal from pain is bloody pathetic, shit-stirring and beneath contempt ; pretty much all that blog sets out to be, really.
You know I love you doll, keep doing what you’re doing and someone somewhere will hate you for it.
Interesting post and comments here. I’m intrigued enough to hop over to those other posts and see what the heck they’re screeching about.
I’ve had animals put down too. A puppy who was fearful from birth, we raised him for almost a year, hoping to help him get over it, but when he turned on me biting and scratching my arms, we made the decision to have him put down. We couldn’t put the lives of the many kids in our street at risk. I laso had a cat put down a few years later. He developed kidney failure and probably could have been saved, at great expense, then lived a longish life, also at great expense on a special diet available only from the vet. I couldn’t afford it. The cat was put down and I cried for weeks. I still have the photo of him drinking out of the goldfish bowl. My grandchildren spent their early years on the in-laws farm and often told me about eating “Daisy burgers” or “Betsy bolognese”. These were cows that had been taken to the butcher and delivered back to the farm in packages of roasts, mince and steaks. You just keep on standing up for yourself and the good life you have, we’re all proud of you. Sourpusses like those others will wonder where all their friends have gone when they’re sad and lonely and old.
As you know i cannot abide cyber bullies and have posted about them previously.
We ate our animals too – slaughtered humanely. We don’t have the room now but would do it all again. Agree entirely with you Veronica about the blatant bullying. A bit of me can’t be bothered with their purile drivel but I do wonder what’s wrong with a human being who gets off on not being able to disagree with someone else without showing any respect. Healthy debate rather than immature and hurtful commenting, of the most personal kind. I simply don’t get someone who deems to care so much about animals but talks of wanting to euathanise someone elses children – thats vile. A bit of me thinks the one thing a bully likes is an audience, a platform to dance on to boost their self esteem. Its just plain sad really. I am loathe to participate in the mud slinging because I sort of think it massages the trolls ego. If I do choose to get involved I think I will have to take time to write words that simply put an opposing view to the trolls without resorting to the language style which they seem to adore. Its sad really sad in a world where there is so much unnecessary death and suffering due to wars that some in the blogging community seem to get pleasure from demeaning others.
I have just had my cat put down by the way – it was old and sick. I don’t think that makes me a bad person. Keeping an animal alive which cannot speak of its pain or suffering is inhumane. In my humble opinion.
I read the blogs linked and frankly can’t be bothered to re-visit. Bullies are really very boring.
I’m with you. I adore my companion animals but I cannot imagine putting them through some of the medical treatments I’m beginning to see as routine for animals. If their quality of life is not what it should be, I will see to it that their passing is swift and humane. One of the reasons we raise our own birds and the occasional meat animal is because I want to know that the food I eat was treated humanely in its life. We name our chickens and lambs too and their names go on the outside of the freezer wrap after they are slaughtered.
All I can say is that the end of the day I would not want so much of my time spent on the judgment of others. I think it would erode my heart and soul. To be so blessed as to have access to an audience and given a pulpit and to use it to only dish out negative comments on other people, individuals, not huge bullies or groups, to not get to the core of what is wrong in our communities and world, that would get to me at the end of the day. I would realize that what I would leave behind at the end of the day is nothing worthwhile, really it would only be a bunch of shit. I can’t live my life like that, and I think carrying on bullying long after someone has grown up is just really really small. CL fancies herself some kind of hero. That is absurd.
What you do is share your life with people in the hopes of getting relief emotionally and what not and to educate and enlighten, that is truly beautiful. Keep up with it. It will be worth it. You can’t control her or her minions, but you can carry on knowing there is a purity and goodness and honesty about what you are doing.
I don’t care to honor those PoP people with a click on their link or waste a second of my life reading their bullshit, but good for you for speaking up for yourself.
Some people just don’t GET that people are different – and that not only is that acceptable, it’s wonderful. You were raised the way you were raised, have the viewpoints you have, do what you believe to be right based on the information and circumstances you live with. That’s not an excuse – that’s what EVERYBODY does. (Some people are raised and educated to be critical, cruel, selfish shitheads. Too bad for them.)
So, fine. You put an animal down that maybe could have gone to a rescue shelter. You noted that fact yourself. So, big deal! It’s not the bloody crime of the century.
Seems to me that many people treat animals like people – with the same importance as family members. I love my animals, but they are animals. The survival and well being of my family takes priority.
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