Dog Killers

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17074960/

There's a short article about some teenage boys putting a live puppy into an oven to kill it. Both of them will be sentenced to 10 years in jail.

While this post may not make everyone happy, several things occured to me. When I was in Vietnam (especially in the North), dog is served like any other animal. On the bus ride to Halong Bay, I saw sign after sign advertising dog for dinner. What makes Fido so special in the US that someone cannot kill him? Is it because we think of some animals as extensions of our family & ourselves? I can't think of any other reason why people can brutally kill thousands of cows, pigs, chicken, and calves each day to feed the American consumer, but be deeply troubled by the death of a pet. In any type of factory farm, these animals are subjected to similar horrific treatment that the dog experienced. Yet no one seems to care...maybe it's because that last burger didn't feel, taste, or look like a cow. Maybe it's because it came in a colorful wrapper or sterilized plastic wrap. Our society & culture contributes to the disassociation of eating & death. People no longer need to hunt/gather their own food - it comes in packages from all over the world.

I'm not disagreeing that those two boys did something wrong. Nothing should be tortured, be it animals or humans. However, punishment isn't being doled out to people who commit these vile acts everyday.

Ok - my rant is over. ; )

EDIT: This is strange...while I was going to go check some stock prices, I saw an article linked from CNN that caught my attention. It goes well with the theme of eating animals that people love - this one is about horses & I couldn't agree more:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1587279,00.html