My Neighbors Just Ate their Dog (Seriously). What is the libertarian stance on this?

[qh4dotcom]

Thanks for ruining my night.

This shit is horrible and ridiculous. If you call yourself pro-life that means you respect ALL life. To do otherwise is completely hypocritical. When it comes to the life issue, I see hypocrisy everywhere and it's disgusting. So-called pro-life Republicans are for the death penalty, warfare, and animal abuse. The Constitutions protects in principle against acts of violence. You should have saved those dogs.

Unfortunately respecting ALL life is not as easy as you think and you might be guilty of that hypocrisy yourself. If you eat red meat, you're not respecting the life of a cow...if you eat bacon, you're not respecting the life of a pig. If you kill a mosquito, cockroach, ant etc. you're not respecting their life.

 

[otherone]

I believe that some God-granted rights extend to all living beings.

The fundamental, universal law of Life is that Life EATS Life. Sorry, but top of the food chain grants privileges.

 

[tbone717]

Someone seems to be lobbying for appointment as Official RPF Spokesman (or Censor). What makes you believe the 'Average Person' reads this forum?

From the main page of the site: In the past 24 hours, 14714 Users have visited the forum. 1470 members and 13244 guests.

 

[Yieu]

The fundamental, universal law of Life is that Life EATS Life. Sorry, but top of the food chain grants privileges.

I already answered that concern.

And only humans can violate rights, not other animals, so an animal's right to life is only lost when a human takes their life.

When an animal kills another animal, it is not a "violation of their right to life", it was just a killing because God has a stricter set of rules for humans than He does for animals, due to humans' overall greater capacity for intelligence, reasoning, and morality in general.

But keep in mind this is all talking about concepts which have nothing to do with human or mundane concepts of law.

 

[Voluntary Man]

So, to remain consistent, a vegan lifestyle is necessary?

Hey, vegetables are. people, too!

 

[tod evans]

As an ol' country boy who has slaughtered his own meat since the late '60's the "cute" pictures of baby food don't sway me.

However I have never eaten a dog.......maybe inadvertently a cat or two at the local Chinese establishment...

Like has been said over and over in this thread "animals ain't people".

Threads like AF posts about cops killing dogs might affect public opinion enough to eventually allow some relief under property law? I personally think this would be a good thing!

As far as a neighbor doing what they choose to their animal including slaughtering it for food, I don't have a legal leg to stand on.

 

[Yieu]

Hey, vegetables are. people, too!

Funny man. But plants do have souls, like animals, so you bring up a good point. It is still bad to kill plants. There is an exception, but I won't get into that here at this time.

 

[truelies]

So I live in Guam for another week and woke up this morning to a horrible sound coming from my Chuukese neighbors' yard. Went outside to check it out and saw that one of our neighbors had strung their dog up by some cable so that it was hanging from the tree and choking to death. I yelled at him to quit and get the dog down. Which he started to do but I didn't think the dog was going to make it so I ran inside to get a knife to cut it down. By the time I returned he was carrying the dog (still moving and making horrible sounds to the other side of the house). I climbed over the wall and grabbed their other puppy and took it back to my house. By this time other dog was no where to be seen and had quit making sounds and the neighbor had driven off.

I called the police (I know but there is not a humane society or pet-abuse enforcement agency out here) and filed a complaint. This was the last remaining dog of the original three that neighbors had gotten about a year ago who mysteriously disappeared as well. After waiting an hour and filing a police report, the police officer basically said they weren't going to do anything and that I could file a complaint, but they were still not going to do anything even then. The head of the household came back and talked with the police and I was told to return the puppy because it belonged to him, and the other dog strung up on the tree belonged to his brother who was doing the hanging.

Dog eating is common and accepted on the island of Chuuk. But this not Chuuk. Guam has horrible animal protection laws and even worse enforcement and apparently even the lawmakers and enforcement are unsure of the legality of eating your own dog.

What is the libertarian stance on eating your own dog on your own property? Even if you accept the cultural differences of eating dog, isn't hanging the dog from a tree and beating it to death with a stick (the Chuukese custom) animal cruelty? Cows are put down more humanely than that.

Is there anything else I should have done? Can't help but think that I should have just grabbed both dogs and got them to the animal shelter, but it sounds like legally I would have been in the wrong and I would have to worry about protecting my wife and newborn from reprisal as well as dealing with any legal repercussions while trying to get the hell out of here. Not something I had ever thought about or was ready to deal early Saturday morning.

As I am writing this, they are having a dog barbecue and my wife and I are eagerly packing to leave the island and get back to the states next week.

This incident is a perfect illustration of the utter modern day insanity of diversity/mixing cultures in the same geograhic area. Such is an open and unavoidable invitation to violence.

 

[nf7mate]

I agree with most of the commenters on this thread. It may be disgusting, but people have the right to be moderately disgusting.

I have caught, cooked, eaten scorpions though.

 

[Sullivan*]

If it were me, and I had an idea before this happened, I would have reached out to the neighbor and pleaded with them that if they were going to do it, at least do it away from view of my own family. We can respect other people's culture and traditions, but they can reciprocate and act like good neighbors should and respect ours as well.

 

[Voluntary Man]

Funny man. But plants do have souls, like animals, so you bring up a good point. It is still bad to kill plants. There is an exception, but I won't get into that here at this time.

My own thoughts on the matter are that the taking of any life should have a good purpose and should be respectful. This is what I try to pass on to my own children. The way some people disregard other species or forms of life is no different to me than someone who would rip the wings off of a butterfly, just for kicks, or chop down a cherry tree, just to play with a new axe. To my way of thinking, such a person is taking steps down the serial killer's path (too harsh?).

I definitely have a problem with the inhumane slaughter of any animal, whether we're talking pork chop, steak, deer jerky, or the Hong Kong Meow Buffet. However, beyond social pressure (and sometimes even then) society is opening a big can of fish food (worms) by tampering with the property rights and social norms of others.

Maybe, this is all just anthropomorphizing, but my philosophy is this: teach your children to respect (not worship) lesser forms of life (sorry, treehuggers, but I do consider humans the highest form of life), and perhaps they'll be more respectful of the higher forms (and won't sodomize livestock or shoot unarmed "perps").

 

[airborne373]

Our society is so messed up. Most people care more about dogs and the grass they pee on than their fellow human beings.

I say use salt & pepper...it makes dog taste better.

 

[azxd]

Accept that cultural differences exist, that people are people, and not animals to be domesticated and CONTROLLED, and you'll be getting close to my position about this.

 

[MelissaWV]

Man. You guys probably would have called the cops on my grandma. When I was little she would hold conversations with me, sitting on a low bench and with her hands splayed near her feet. While we were talking about whatever, a chicken might wander close by. That was pretty much a fatal mistake. It was grab, twist, swing, smack, and then tie up the feet and ask me to go hang it from the laundry pole in the yard for a bit to drain and finish twitching.

Fresh chicken is delicious.

I can't imagine dog is particularly good, but I would not eat there. Your moral indignation is likely noted, but the idea that if someone kills a dog (rather than killing a chicken or a pig or a cow or a turkey or a deer) when they are young, they will probably become a serial killer... some of you are bonkers.

As for the assertion that the average person is going to be turned off by this discussion, consider that there are a lot of people in this nation who do hunt for food or sport, and who feel pretty strongly that they don't need some PETA PITA running after them screeching that they are awful people.

 

[Madison320]

I could see a libertarian society where animals that had more intelligence had some rights.

I agree.

 

[TiagoBarbosa]

Thats sick, in my view.
But then again, im a animal rights defender, so...

I accept that some animals die in order to feed the human, but a dog is a domestic animal, they will defend you with all their heart, they are really the man best friend, and you kill it like that? Sorry, but i would probably give a roundhouse kick to that subject.

 

[WilliamC]

If there is no law prohibiting him to slaughter animals on his personal property there is nothing you can do.And as he said this was a one time situation it is not like he is killing dogs every day.If he lives in a rural community slaughtering animals is more or less normal.

Yes he should at least ask the neighbors if they agreed but that is another thing completely.

I do support local zoning laws, so slaughtering animals for food would depend on whether or not your local government regulated it.

Just like I stated, I don't support laws against consenting adults having sex, but that doesn't mean I would see nothing wrong in having sex in your front yard where the neighbors can see.

If he could hear and see the process from his own house then he may have grounds for complaint.

But I note this occurred in Guam and I don't pretend to know what the laws are there, I'm basing my arguments on what is appropriate for the USA.

Heck I live in a rural area and am thinking about raising some rabbits for meat, but I'd sure as hell shoot them in the back of the head and/or slit their throats and make sure they were dead before I started butchering them.

Anyone who supports torturing animals is sick.

 

[MelissaWV]

Thats sick, in my view.
But then again, im a animal rights defender, so...

I accept that some animals die in order to feed the human, but a dog is a domestic animal, they will defend you with all their heart, they are really the man best friend, and you kill it like that? Sorry, but i would probably give a roundhouse kick to that subject.

Pigs are also domestic animals in a lot of cases, as are geese (who are often also used as guard animals). Likewise, there are many dogs that will never be "domesticated" to any great degree. In essence, you're justifying only killing animals you don't find smart or cute.

 

[driller80545]

Don't we commonly feed our dogs horse meat? (Canned dog food) I would eat a dog if I was hungry. I expect that a dog would eat me if he was hungry too. Its all fertilizer in the end anyway. lol

 

[Victor Grey]

That sounds like a Horrible way to process an animal.

I take a stance on animal rights from a different angle. The way I see it, I support humane treatment of animals because it reflects on people toward humans themselves.

Yes that sounds presumptuous, I understand. What I am saying however, is a person who'll kick around a pet or torture their livestock, is probably a little warped inside. Or they have a certain, "ignorance" in my view about them. That is a concerning characteristic to me.

I wouldn't step in the way of someone from eating a dog. that is their right. However for that to happen in a western culture, in what seems to be some random arbitrary manner? That too is concerning.

I'd feel comfortable asking them what they're doing and evaluating the person. They could just, you know, want to try dog.
Or could be a portion of their own culture. That is respectable.
Or... they could be crazy. Now I'm not a nosy person, but if my neighbor strings up a dog, man.
Heh, that is an unusual occurrence. Please just admit that, you know I'm right. Not ever day you see that.

Probably going to strike a conversation on that. Taking note of any wide-eye blank stares, if you know what I mean.

If there is no law prohibiting him to slaughter animals on personal property or in urban areas ( if you live in a city ) there is nothing you can do about it.

You eat pork he eats dogs.If anyone here has ever witnessed what a pig does when it is slaughtered would find what the dog "normal".

I have, I've took part in it. You lift it, you shoot it. It dies. Then you immediately drain it from the neck.

I've never understood the thinking behind not ending it and letting it drain. It works just as perfectly well as the "sticking" it thing.
The other method works, it's not for me though I guess.