[HN Gopher] The case against pet ownership
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       The case against pet ownership
        
       Author : mooreds
       Score  : 13 points
       Date   : 2023-04-13 20:21 UTC (2 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.vox.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.vox.com)
        
       | taeric wrote:
       | These sorts of articles are... interesting. Especially when it
       | gets down to the "boring life." I'm more than a little curious on
       | what sort of fun filled journey folks thing outside animals have?
       | The coyotes I see on a regular basis aren't living any more of a
       | fulfilling life than the dogs I see around. And they are almost
       | certainly holding parasites. Same for the deer I see on the
       | regular.
       | 
       | Do I think we should go to box farming animals? No, but that is
       | just the other end of a straw man here. I do want more
       | investigation to do what we can to make all life better. But I
       | don't want to begin with odd guilt trips for the rest of society.
        
         | version_five wrote:
         | A prowling wolf, whose shaggy skin       (So strict the watch
         | of dogs had been)       Hid little but his bones,       Once
         | met a mastiff dog astray.       A prouder, fatter, sleeker
         | Tray,       No human mortal owns.       Sir Wolf in famish'd
         | plight,       Would fain have made a ration       Upon his fat
         | relation;       But then he first must fight;       And well
         | the dog seem'd able       To save from wolfish table       His
         | carcass snug and tight.       So, then, in civil conversation
         | The wolf express'd his admiration       Of Tray's fine case.
         | Said Tray, politely,       'Yourself, good sir, may be as
         | sightly;       Quit but the woods, advised by me.       For all
         | your fellows here, I see,       Are shabby wretches, lean and
         | gaunt,       Belike to die of haggard want.       With such a
         | pack, of course it follows,       One fights for every bit he
         | swallows.       Come, then, with me, and share       On equal
         | terms our princely fare.'       'But what with you       Has
         | one to do?'       Inquires the wolf. 'Light work indeed,'
         | Replies the dog; 'you only need       To bark a little now and
         | then,       To chase off duns and beggar men,       To fawn on
         | friends that come  or go forth,       Your master please, and
         | so forth;       For which you have to eat       All sorts of
         | well-cook'd meat -       Cold pullets, pigeons,  savoury messes
         | -       Besides unnumber'd fond caresses.'       The wolf, by
         | force of appetite,       Accepts the terms outright,
         | Tears glistening in his eyes.       But faring on, he spies
         | A gall'd spot on the mastiff's neck.       'What's that?' he
         | cries.        'O, nothing but a speck.'       'A speck?' 'Ay,
         | ay; 'tis not enough to pain me;       Perhaps the collar's mark
         | by which they chain me.'       'Chain! chain you! What! run you
         | not, then,       Just where you please, and when?'       'Not
         | always, sir; but what of that?'       'Enough for me, to spoil
         | your fat!       It ought to be a precious price       Which
         | could to servile chains entice;       For me, I'll shun them
         | while I've wit.'       So ran Sir Wolf, and runneth yet.
         | 
         | https://www.bartleby.com/lit-hub/the-worlds-best-poetry/the-...
        
           | hirundo wrote:
           | I envy Sir Wolf but wear the chain for the savoury messes.
        
       | dieselgate wrote:
       | I liked and feel _somewhat_ similarly to the quote about "living
       | with dogs is great but can be considered morally wrong at a
       | certain point" or something to that extent. But you kind of have
       | to draw the line somewhere - I personally feel it's way more
       | important to stop eating meat than to worry about the "morality"
       | of having a pet. But yeah indoor cats and breeding mills are
       | "bad".
       | 
       | Support your local animal shelter as much as possible and don't
       | worry about it too much seems pragmatic to me.
       | 
       | Edit: two words
        
         | stringfood wrote:
         | [dead]
        
       | greenie_beans wrote:
       | this very moment, i can hear the finger's of ron desantis tapping
       | his phone keyboard drafting a tweet turning this article into a
       | culture war thing
        
         | smt88 wrote:
         | You can't allow the fearmongers to stifle the exploration of
         | new and uncomfortable ideas.
         | 
         | People like DeSantis only need one or two people talking about
         | a new idea to create a culture war.
        
           | greenie_beans wrote:
           | it's a joke
        
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       (page generated 2023-04-13 23:03 UTC)