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From carnivores to cannibals, pondering the flesh eating disease

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“”The animals you eat are not those who devour others; you do not eat the carnivorous beasts, you take them as your pattern. You only hunger after sweet and gentle creatures who harm no one, which follow you, serve you, and are devoured by you as the reward of their service

–John Jacques Rousseau

I stopped eating animal flesh in 1989, twenty years ago. My awakening occurred after reading the book “Diet for a New America,” by John Robbins.

I still eat dairy products, but to this day I can’t imagine eating the actual flesh of something as cute as this guy. I guess the only way most people can tolerate eating meat is by being in complete denial of the entire act of meat consumption itself, from feedlot to slaughterhouse to the plate.

After all, what really differentiates between a four legged farm animal and our beloved cat or dog? What makes it OK to eat one species and not another.

Absolutely nothing in my book.

What I Would Give for Dog Hair on my Sweater

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Sometimes I have to remind myself that we did the right thing by helping our leader along to his next assignment in the wheel of life.

We thought we were prepared to say goodbye, but once we thought we knew the time was right, it felt like our hearts were being ripped into a million pieces.

Were we doing right by him? Was it his time to go? Were we acting too quickly?

At the time he was in pain, and we knew he was miserable. The cancer had taken its toll, and our baby was telling us he was ready to fly free.

But afterward, I heard stories of other dogs that lived longer than he did with the same kind of cancer, I’ve started to doubt the timing of our decision.

When I do, all I have to do is look at this photo we took of him on our last earthly day together, and I know he was ready. He was already soaring through the universe.

Someday, I know we will play again, and I’ll inhale the heavenly scent of his fur once more. And I’ll cover my wool sweater with as much of his hair as I can.

Until then, my heart continues to ache. I miss him so much.