Sure as long as you don’t get the pig’s opinion.

Reread the part about the clear inability to discern consent from a dog so we have to default to what we know. My dog didn’t choose to live with me and yet here we are.

Pets in our culture fulfill a role separate from that of livestock. Often times they are considered part of families. You can argue about how pigs and cows have similar behaviors and capacities for affection but I am speaking specifically to their function in society. So I would consider livestock in this topic to be a false equivalence. In both cases I will always advocate for their ethical treatment.

What does consent look like to you in a dog? If I’m reading body language than I can tell you my dog never consents to making vet visits. It’s kind of silly to equate lack of consent to abuse for an animal. As far as I know most living things are driven to perform functions that prolong their life. Because I have no ability to discern their will than I’m going to default to doing anything I can to give them comfort. If death is the answer than I’ll do that but not if an answer is on the table and not because of money which seems to be the biggest counterpoint. As far as the pain of medical procedures; that’s sometimes part of fixing things that go wrong. People choose procedures everyday to prolong their life.

So don’t…

Definitely unpopular which makes me feel better about how depressed I got reading your message. Love for a pet doesn’t always need to make practical sense. If it can be helped and still live than that is an ideal situation for people who care about it. If a dog’s lack of awareness is a factor than why do anything for it in it’s lifetime in the first place?

I will always contribute to helping animals in need even though it bothers me how people fail to understand the finances needed for owning a pet.

I don’t fault your approach I think it just comes down to the individual. If an animal can’t be helped than absolutely give it mercy.