I grew up on a farm where butchering animals for food was a way of life. We knew not to make pets out of or get attached to the animals. The exception to this rule was the flock of laying hens that my mom kept. We got attached to our "girls" and they lived long and productive lives. We had a few roosters and they were such fine birds (buff Orpingtons) that people wanted to borrow them to start their own flocks. None ever ended up in the stewing pot. In honor of my mom who passed away many years ago, I will not eat a bird that I have raised. I am still a farmer through and through but eating an animal that was more of a pet than livestock does not set well with me. On the other hand, when I was over in Vietnam as a combat solider, I sat down with an elderly papa san who was preparing some meat in an open pit. I smelled so good, I was nearly starving, that I began to drool. I had an idea that it was dog and then saw some dogs in some bamboo pens. Did I eat the meat? You bet! And it was very tasty but it was not my dog or even one that I knew. As far as I was concerned it was livestock. No different than a pig or a cow.
