Selling dog fur in US!

[tanya4]

Not shopping at JC Penney's ever again!

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16597610/

 

I'm going to go picket the store now. :mad:

[sweet_ceana]

How horrible!

[Pipedream Farm]

What makes wearing the hide of one farm raised animal worse than that of another?

 

Mark

[kelpiegirl]

Jc Penney's quality in garments has fallen so badly, I won't shop there anymore. The tacky thing is having employees scratch out the source of the fur.

There is a big market in all kinds of fur- the raccoon dogs are not "pet" dogs, but regular old cats and dogs do supply the market with their furs sometimes labeled as rabbit.

Buyer beware. I was never into the fur wearing thing, and I am not an animal rightist.

Julie

[ShoresDog]

Mark -- What makes this worse is how the animals are killed. Did you read the article? I won't quote it here because it's too graphic and horrible.

[Pipedream Farm]

My suggestion to you all is don't look too closely at how leather and meat is harvested in the US. While not as crude as overseas, it usually does not sit well with those who only see the end product (packaged meat and leather shoes) and not the process.

 

These stories like to play on cultural biases to make them more sensational that they really are. What I see as the problem is the method of harvesting the fur, not the source. Why? Because I have tried to put aside my cultural bias (my view of what is acceptable uses of dog) about dog fur. In some cultures, dog may be viewed as we view cows. We wear cow hide; why can't they wear dog fur?

 

Mark

[tanya4]

The primary difference in meat & fur production here vs China is that here we have laws, rules, regulations, etc, regarding how animals will be treated. Reading "Fast Food Nation" was an eye opener, certainly, but most animals killed here in the US are killed humanely because of our strict laws.

 

Mark, I don't know if this link will work,but I'll give it a try. It is a PETA film. I copied it from another forum (I hope that's okay).

 

http://www.freewebs.com/dogsinasia/theevidence.htm

 

Everyone else, don't watch it! It will give you nightmares.

 

PS I'm a vegetarian. Unfortunately though, animal products are in everything, including the wax on your imported apples, anything that has gelatin (vitamins & meds, marshmallows, etc.) It's really hard.

[sweet_ceana]

Originally posted by sweet_ceana:

How horrible!

As in no animal should be clubbed and left gasping for air while it is skinned alive.

I agree that cultural differences should be taken into account and I think your point is very important, however for myself the outrage comes not from the fact the fur was a dog's, but the horrible death those animals suffered.

Still outrageous however is the fact that JC Penny pulled the coats off their shelves temporarily because they knew it was misleading. They then covered the source with marker to keep their behinds safe from litigation. They were perfectly happy to mislead consumers as long as it was possible to maximize profit.

[Dixie_Girl]

Me, I'm holding out for a mink or chinchilla coat! Hell, with all the dog hair in this house, a dog hair coat I got! And pants, and shirts, and couches,,,,,,,,,,,

[stockdogranch]

Nicely said, Mark. We may have rules and regulations, but, honestly, it's all a bunch of crap to make the unsuspecting public feel OK about all that we do/consume. It's the same old story--money talks...

A

[kelpiegirl]

dixie girl

if you really want one, you can find loads of them at garage sales

My mother has several furs, but apparently, they were always too good to wear, except for a few times. My grandmother from norway had a stole complete with the animal's head... Fur used to be VERY big..

Julie

[Catu]

I saw that video about a year ago and don't want to ever see it again.

 

Don't know what is worst: The people of the store trying to erase the label, thinking that people is stupid or the people that buy it happy becouse the fur is not fron "their" racoon, but of some critters they have never seen.

 

Bit off topic: I'm not vegetarian, in fact I'm animal technician so I'm trained to breed animals for meat and in the Institute I had to assist to slaughterhouses. I have a spanish friend who is fanatic of bullfighting. She once said I had no right to underestimate her sport because I've seen cows been killed, my answer was: "Yes, but the difference between you and me, is that I didn't enjoyed it.

[IronHorse]

Linda'

Here ya go Making dog hair into yarn is fun and easy

Just let me know when I can send you a shipment of raw material

[Genie]

Originally posted by tanya4:

I don't know if this link will work,but I'll give it a try. It is a PETA film. I copied it from another forum (I hope that's okay).

UGH! PETA... please don't get me started on them. They are not doing anything to benefit pets and would like to take away our rights to have pets or have working dogs. :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Melody]

I cant ever bear to read the article!

[SoloRiver]

Reading "Fast Food Nation" was an eye opener, certainly, but most animals killed here in the US are killed humanely because of our strict laws.

 

Boy, I wish that were true. Exactly how high a priority do you think enforcement of those laws is?

 

As with the "if this doesn't make you mad" thread (where the "treatment of animals in Asia" was brought up as a complete non sequitur): it's easy to talk about how horrible people are "in other countries" but you know what, there is plenty of unspeakable animal cruelty happening in our own country, and it happens every single day. Sorry to break it to you. To me it makes more sense to worry about cleaning my own house first.

[Eileen Stein]

>

 

Or maybe it would be a good suggestion that people DO look closely at how leather and meat is harvested in the US. Decisions based on knowledge are better than decisions based on ignorance, IMO.

 

>

 

Do you also try to put aside your cultural bias about slavery, child labor, and honor killing?

 

I'm unwilling to support the killing of dogs for food or ornament because of the special relationship between dogs and humans that goes back to prehistoric times. Dogs are unique as a species in their trust and service toward man. I don't see why I should try to put aside this view because there are cultures which accept the killing of dogs for food or ornament. The method of "harvesting the fur" is equally a matter of culture -- in some cultures I suppose people see nothing wrong with skinning animals alive, but I don't understand why I should change my views to conform to theirs.

[Dixie_Girl]

I worked in a slaughter house about 26 yrs. ago. They led the cattle in one at a time, held them in a chute, then shot a rod into their head. The process continued until they were packaged. It was quick and painless. There was no way the animal felt anything after the rod was shot into them. I don't know about other places, but this was a humane way of slaughter. But this was a large beef processing plant, IBP, so maybe the smaller ones shoot them with .22s until they die, I don't know. I also worked at a poultry processing plant, Foster Farms, in CA. We used to cheer for the chickens that got away! The chickens were hung by the legs and their heads cut off. Don't see much pain there either. But, Foster Farms is a big processor too, so, maybe the smaller ones do it different. Now as far as what gets done in other countries, I don't know. Are there incidents of animal cruelty here, certainly. I just don't believe that it is happening in main stream processing plants. There is a big difference in what certain cultures eat and how younguns, and people are treated. I'm not about to start comparing them. If a country is using humans as slaves, forcing young girls to marry, etc. etc., okay, I got a prob with that, but what they put on their table to eat, that's up to them. There are several cultures that eat dog meat. Would I? No, but I won't eat reptiles either! Lot's of folks do. To me, it is just as distasteful. Some cultures won't eat cow. Or deer. Or rabbit. Would I want their bias against eating those animals to decide what I get to eat? No. Some people won't eat ANY animal. Do I want my plate dictated by them? Some people think owning pets is the same as human slavery. Are they right? Am I wrong for owning my dogs? Am I enslaving them, as they believe? I know the difference between "food" and pets. I eat food. I don't eat my pets. Or anyone else's. And I know the difference between human rights and animal rights.

[Brandon M]

eating dog and selling products made from dog is wrong. If you are starving, fine. Some humans have eaten humans when starving. But to raise dogs to eat or sell their fur is totally wrong. just like raising humans to eat or sell would be wrong, lol.

 

Dogs just aren't that type of animal.

[Pipedream Farm]

Will Judy, author of The Chow Chow, wrote that the name meant 'edible dog of China". Authorities claim that both Chinese and Koreans bred these dogs to be eaten, particularly the smooth-coated variety. In 1878, a British historian and authority on China claimed to have found 25 restaurants in Canton featuring chows on the menu.

So perhaps here is a breed that was spefically bred to be eaten.

 

What is every ones feeling on guinea pig; pet or food?

 

The common guinea pig was first domesticated circa 2000 BC for food by mountain tribes in the Andean region of South America, (present-day Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia). They continue to be a food source in the region, subsisting off a family's vegetable scraps as a pet.

Mark

[rosefarm]

People also have a partnership with horses, yet - I believe they are eaten in Europe. It would be hard to watch and partake in, its all in cultural sensitivities. My goats had more personality and senses of humor then I ever would have imagined.

 

--Denise

[sea4th]

Imagine that! I'm able to access this thread! Thank you!

 

There are a lot of people who feel as Melanie does, that our own house must be cleaned first. A good place to start would be to stop the exportation of animals to Asian countries. Show dogs are a hot commodity there, and puppymills flourish. How many offspring of those show dogs are acxtually absorbed for a good life into society? Not that many, I would think. I tend to think that the offspring of these coveted show dogs, who don't make the cut, wind up suffering like the "food" and "fur" dogs and on someone's back or table. Hell, maybe some of those imported fur covered toys are covered by the fur of an offspring of a dog from the US whose breeder thought the dog was going to live a great life. So in that respect, it is very much connected to the crap that goes on in our own backyards.

 

Another friend of mine who just got back to the States from Okinawa said she would pass American Horses every day on the way to picking up her mail. These horses were kept in tiny & filthy stalls awaiting the sushi chef's arrival for his pick of the day. Wonder how they died.

 

No, I think it is a U.S. problem.

[Dancing Cavy]

Originally posted by Pipedream Farm:

What is every ones feeling on guinea pig; pet or food?

Pet. I own two and had four as pets before them. However, I have no problem with people raising them and eating them. Just don't expect me to.

[SoloRiver]

A concern for animal welfare is admirable. Xenophobia and cultural stereotyping are not. Due to the level of sarcasm exhibited by some, I am not sure what role each plays in the responses to this and other threads.

 

Remember that large cultures are never monolithic. Someone from outside of American culture (or the many American cultures that make up "American culture" as a whole) could easily take a look at how many supposedly beloved pet animals we destroy every week, month, year, take your pick, and conclude that Americans don't think very much about the "special relationship" that humans have with dogs. Neglect, abuse, torture of animals are all widespread here. It's in the news every day. Animal Planet produces numerous "animal cops" shows that document new abuses every week. Pet stores flourish despite easy access to information as to how animals are treated in puppy mills (treatment which, for social animals, often amounts to torture). There's a lot that people seem perfectly willing to close their eyes to here.

 

But hey, it's so much easier to demonize people from the other side of the planet, isn't it?

[kelpiegirl]

Melanie

I see where you are coming from. I believe that there are such vast differences in cultures, that it is hard to see the "details" as it were.

I for one see NO POINT in skinning ANY animal alive. I also see NO POINT in ancient traditional medicine, and it's use of bear gallbladders, or tiger paw, or anything of that nature. There was a time and purpose when all of the aforementioned modalities *may* have held water, but no more. To me, it doesn't matter one whit about where on earth the culture that engages in these practices is, it is the practice, and it's acceptance. Heck, I am of Norwegian descent, and I ABHOR their stance on whaling- not proud of it, and completely against it. It doesn't mean I hate all Norwegians, it means I think they need to wake up and realize what century they are in, and there is a reason that we are the higher being on this planet.

Julie