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[Immortelle]

I grew up with animals:  Rabbits, guinea pigs, chooks, mice, turtles, you name it.  Got three pets now.  The eldest is my boozy budgie DJ, also got a hand reared albino cockatiel called Phoenix, and a 8 month old maltese/bichon frise called Snowy (because my husband said it had eyes like piss holes in the snow.)  Always got one lingering around while I'm at the computer.  At the moment, its Phoenix, whose currently got the moves and grooves going on.  Phe loves to get funky .

 Hand raised a baby wattlebird that had fallen out of a nest last year.  It had gotten a little brain damage and was pretty much on deaths door when we found it, but within a fortnight it was thriving.  Quite a character, that one, and very cute.  Got a photo of it somewhere, after I had to bathe it (had sticky bird food all over it).  Sadly, when it got older and it was moved to a bigger cage, one of the neighbours cat tried to pull it through the bars one morning.  When we found it, it was wedged in the bars, which were bent.  Its wing was stripped of feathers, raw and broken - its bone showing.  And it was still alive, just very scared.  When we got it out of the cage, it calmed down and sat there looking at us.  We had to have it destroyed, as there was nothing to vet could do.  (Vet consultations are free for native animals).  We were both really upset about it for a while.  I was actually surprised at how strongly I reacted to it.

I've never eaten a pet.  Don't think I could.  Neither could my husband, he's a big softy when it comes to animals. I don't think I could not have pets, either.

[Alexia]

When I was about 6 or so my grandma used to raise chickens in her yard. I used to love feeding them and on whole, chickens beeing fairly silly animals ,they used  to put up with me picking them up and playing with them. Then one day my Grandma got given this huge mo-fo of a rooster. I went out to feed the chickens and the crazy bastard of a rooster went for the food tin in my hands. It scratched me up pretty bad, took a huge peck out of my hair (still have a scar in the middle of my hairline) and started going after my eyes. Thankfully, my dad grabbed the bastard by the neck before it could do real damage and needless to say we had rooster soup for lunch the next day.

Although I grew up in the city, I now live in the countryside, and people make sure their children know the difference between pets and homebred stock animals. My father-in-law breeds show and fly pigeons, but he still eats the occassional reject. (Pescadoian logic- If you do not inherrit the desired breed traits, you get eaten). Personally, I hate pigeons and doves and consider them rats with wings. My point here ? Pets can mean different things to different people. My F.I.L.'s prize pigeons get theor lofts cleared twice a day and are hand groomed, their defective offspring get eaten 
 

[Immortelle]

Yeah I had chooks that would get a bit of attitude.  If they attacked me, I'd kick them right back.  They eventually get the message that you are on top of the pecking order, not them, and leave you alone.  More often than not, they actually keep their distance.

[Skadi]

For me the issue with fur is whether or not it's needed. I can't think of many places in Aus where you could justify wearing fur. Even in the snow and in Tassie, I just don't think it gets cold enough that synthetics and wool can't keep you warm. However there are many places in the world where it gets seriously cold, and I don't see an issue with fur there. I really don't think it should be a fashion or status icon though. It's not like we do anything commercially with the rest of the foxes, minks or other animals.

I've eaten venison that was caught by a bow hunter, and it was really nice, but I don't think I could eat it on a regular basis. Don't eat veal at all - the south park episode saw to that. Never tried kangaroo or emu either, but I wouldn't be adverse to trying it once.

[SoggyFox]

I've had mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, cats, dogs, a snake - I've also had assorted wolf spiders that were on good terms with us, who kept bugs down while we were without cats.

Also have had geese, chickens and goats, who were half pets and half working animals.  I've also tried to save a baby squirrel that was saved by a neighborhood child from said kid's dog, but while it came to and out of shock for a short time, the poor thing dies nestled on my chest - but I think it knew someone cared.  I've got a sketch of the little thing somewhere.  Also helped raise a possum that was one of two infants that an ex-friend found in her silverware drawer.

[calalily]

Current husband did send him a thank you card after our wedding.  Inside he put our wedding announcement and a note that said, "Thanks for being such a prick!" 

That is a husband full of win! There's nothing better than a funny husband - I heart funny men - and of course they rarely take themselves so seriously.

While we've discussed many of the same things, we rarely debate because we agree on so many things. 

Poor Coolington - he lamented yesterday that other people can make all the stupid statements they want about crime and everyone agrees with them. We usually get stuck into the nuances of a subject, so we might both agree that evangelical atheism is bad, but I am less harsh about where I draw the line than he is. We rarely have arguments of the real kind though - and they're usually over when one or both of us apologises for being a dick an hour or so later.   

[Pescado]

For me the issue with fur is whether or not it's needed. I can't think of many places in Aus where you could justify wearing fur. Even in the snow and in Tassie, I just don't think it gets cold enough that synthetics and wool can't keep you warm. However there are many places in the world where it gets seriously cold, and I don't see an issue with fur there. I really don't think it should be a fashion or status icon though.

I'm uncertain how fur became a fashion or status icon to begin with. To me, wearing fur is about cost and convenience: How the hell am I even supposed to *GET* these synthetic whatzits? Animals, on the other hand, are convenient and cost nothing, so it's far more convenient to simply kill it, eat it, and wear its fur. If I'm going to actually pay someone MONEY to make something, I'm not gonna buy some crap thing that is just going to fall apatrt, and have no means of easily replacing it. If it's synthetic, it's going to be damn near indestructible and intended to function as COMBAT ARMOR. Otherwise, forget it. I'll just wear a dead bear, or a deer, or something. They are also quite tasty. OM NOM NOM NOM.

[LadyDea]

*cringes* I'm opposed and sickened at hunting wild animals for sport or fashion. If you raise or hunt an animal with the intention of eating it, sure, that's perfectly fine. But if you're hunting for sport or just for the fur? Hell no. In most places in this day and age, like has been said in a previous post by Skadi, you don't need fur to keep warm. There are plenty of other options available. My city is supposedly the coldest capital city in the world, and yet I can't justify the need of real fur. Further north in the territories people live by hunting animals such as seal and use every part of that animal, that's real use of their resources. :/

When I was a kid, not sure how old, a friend and I were walking through some bushes to get to a park. We came across a severed deer's head.  That was not a fun experience.

Also, it's horrible that you can often come across decapitated moose on Ontario's highways. Moose missing their heads because some asshole hunters want a trophy on their walls. How 'bout they let give up their heads to hang on the wall? Grrr...

[Immortelle]

I've got a few things that are faux fur.  They're actually quite warm, and don't absorb moisture as readily as most fabrics will.  Even got a faux fur back pack - which I have in fact named.  Its called Minky.  I am known for my weird bags.  Aside from Minky I have a white bag with what looks like a mass of thick woolen dreadlocks, and an expensive bag in the shape of a pink fish.  Barely a strip of leather in sight, funky, very unique and functional.

[Pescado]

*cringes* I'm opposed and sickened at hunting wild animals for sport or fashion.

I'm not opposed to hunting things for sport or fashion. I don't, however, care for the idea of hunting things JUST for that reason. I prefer to be multipurpose: Pick an animal, hunt it down, kill it, eat it, and wear it.

Further north in the territories people live by hunting animals such as seal and use every part of that animal, that's real use of their resources. :/

This is my general behavior, yes. I try to make use of most of the animal. I like animals: They taste great!

When I was a kid, not sure how old, a friend and I were walking through some bushes to get to a park. We came across a severed deer's head.  That was not a fun experience.

Just the severed HEAD? That's not too surprising. Most people don't eat heads, so it makes sense that they would dump it and just leave it for the scavengers.

Also, it's horrible that you can often come across decapitated moose on Ontario's highways. Moose missing their heads because some asshole hunters want a trophy on their walls. How 'bout they let give up their heads to hang on the wall? Grrr...

That seems like a waste of perfectly good moose. I suspect the moose was decapitated after being hit by a car, and someone decided to pocket the easy head. A hunter wouldn't have bothered to drag the moose all the way to a highway after shooting it. Also, moosesteaks. Mmmm. Tasty.

[The Shady Waffle]

That seems like a waste of perfectly good moose. I suspect the moose was decapitated after being hit by a car, and someone decided to pocket the easy head. A hunter wouldn't have bothered to drag the moose all the way to a highway after shooting it. Also, moosesteaks. Mmmm. Tasty.

Have you seen what happens to a car that hits a moose?  The moose is more likely to be intact (though probably dead depending on the speed the car was going), but the car, not so much. The driver would be lucky to be alive themselves. The hunter scenario sounds more likely as sick as it is. 

[Darqstar]

I'm uncertain how fur became a fashion or status icon to begin with. To me, wearing fur is about cost and convenience: How the hell am I even supposed to *GET* these synthetic whatzits? Animals, on the other hand, are convenient and cost nothing, so it's far more convenient to simply kill it, eat it, and wear its fur. If I'm going to actually pay someone MONEY to make something, I'm not gonna buy some crap thing that is just going to fall apart, and have no means of easily replacing it. If it's synthetic, it's going to be damn near indestructible and intended to function as COMBAT ARMOR. Otherwise, forget it. I'll just wear a dead bear, or a deer, or something. They are also quite tasty. OM NOM NOM NOM.

Synthetics roam the land and are easily caught and trapped. 

Seriously, if someone hunts and kills an animal for food, then uses the hide to make clothing?  More power to them. But instead we see rich little bimbos strutting around in some mink coat.  In that case, I'm all for synthetics, because they need a fur coat like a fox needs a bathing suit. 

As for hunting in general?  When I was younger, I hated the very idea.  Then I realized that we rose to the top of the food chain and now we have to deal with it.  Human beings are predators and predators aren't fond of other predators, unless we can domesticate them.  The results is that we've hunted many predators  almost to extinction before we realized the impact that would have on the environment.  This means that it's up to us to keep the grazers in check.  If that means that someone has to go out and kill Bambi and Thumper, then so be it.  I thank hunters for doing the job I don't have the stomach for. 

That is a husband full of win! There's nothing better than a funny husband - I heart funny men - and of course they rarely take themselves so seriously.

Oh, I completely agree.  Even after 17 years, he can still say things that will have me laughing so hard my sides hurt.   

Poor Coolington - he lamented yesterday that other people can make all the stupid statements they want about crime and everyone agrees with them.

Crime is very close to a black and white issue.  Very few people say, "If only we had some more crime around here!"  How criminals are treated is a different issue, but people who make passionate statements about how crime should be stopped are for the most part, trying to stack the deck in their own favor.  It would be like trying to debate serious child abuse, most people aren't going to say, "Oh, I don't know, child abuse isn't that bad..."

And it's funny, when you start picking people apart, a lot of people who argue the child abuse fight will bend a little.  I'll say something like, "Well, I dunno, I was spanked as a kid and today that is considered abuse." And nine times out of ten, they will agree that spanking isn't necessarily child abuse.  So, then I say that "well, you know, the mother that smacks her kid's hand out of the way hard before it can touch the hot stove, that could be considered child abuse, couldn't it?"  and they'll usually say that no, in that case, that really isn't abuse.  Pretty soon you've got them down to "I'm talking about if the child is starved or hit continuously," in which case, very few people are going to disagree with them. 

It works the same way with crime too.  Find someone who starts yelling about how criminals need harsher punishment, and you can often start taking apart their argument.  "Well, what about someone who stole food to feed his kids?  Does he deserve the same punishment as someone who steals for the hell of it?" And so on and so forth. 

[calalily]

Crime is very close to a black and white issue.  Very few people say, "If only we had some more crime around here!" 

No, but they make statements about crime - it seems that young people are more criminal these days, everything is going to hell in a handbasket type stuff.  And plenty of people want to minimise their own crimes - everyone else is a criminal, but not them - so they vary how they categorise crime.

How criminals are treated is a different issue, but people who make passionate statements about how crime should be stopped are for the most part, trying to stack the deck in their own favor. 

Oh I agree - I even catch flack for doing research with "You're just trying to help criminals get off!" to which I promptly answer "No - I'm trying to understand why so we can stop more doing it in future" which shuts most of the morons down immediately.    Many people are in favour of more punitive sentences, more punitive treatment, or wildly inaccurate statistics or just plain old anecdata.  There's also the various media driven moral panics (jargon translation: ZOMG!!! You could be living next to 600 pedophiles). 

[Pescado]

There's also the various media driven moral panics (jargon translation: ZOMG!!! You could be living next to 600 pedophiles).

You probably are. Fortunately, you're probably also not a child. This is why you teach your kids to kill, and that they shouldn't talk to strangers.

[calalily]

There's also the various media driven moral panics (jargon translation: ZOMG!!! You could be living next to 600 pedophiles).

You probably are. Fortunately, you're probably also not a child. This is why you teach your kids to kill, and that they shouldn't talk to strangers.

Yes - I agree with the fact that they're in a lot of places. Laws like Meagan's Law 'protect' few children - it's estimated only 1 in 6 pedophiles is ever reported and arrested.  So you'll be sending your kid to A's house, but not B's, cause he's a dirty kiddie fiddler.  But so is A - just he's not been arrested yet.  Like Moody says CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!

It's actually more effective to teach your kids that they don't have to respect all authority figures.  It helps if a kid can say no to someone who tells them what to do.  Most important for kids is critical thinking.