Vegetarians are what they are. They probably believe that avoiding meat is healthier for them, or feel all warm and fuzzy about themselves for not killing their food like every other carnivore and omnivore on the planet Earth, or that they’ll go to Heaven because some antediluvian cleric decided that eating meat was a no-no. Fine. Live and let live.

But forcing your dog to be a vegetarian? Stop right there! We have anti-cruelty laws in this country, and you’re stepping waaaayyyy over the line when you cut meat out of Fido’s diet.

I’m sorry. Believe any foolish notion you want and justify it in any crazy way that your protein-starved brain comes up with, but don’t torture poor Spot or Fluffy. Dogs and cats eat meat. Period. They don’t have dietary “values” or “preferences.” They eat meat or they get sick and may even die. They crave meat, because that’s what nature intends for them to eat.

Don’t abuse your rights of self-abuse. Go be elitist and haughty and superior all you want. Go ahead and force your weird dietary notions on your kids. It’s your legal right. And it’s your kids’ legal right to sneak a burger behind your back and to eventually rejoin human nature someday if they so desire.

Just keep in mind – if you still have one – that protein-starved brains develop slower and less fully than brains that are fed balanced diets. If you want to stamp vegetarianism onto your family crest, I suspect it won’t be many generations before your family has little more than gruel between their ears. But I digress.

Just lay off torturing your carnivorous and omnivorous pets. They don’t have a choice and neither do you. Get a bunny. They don’t eat meat (and please note their entire lack of mental prowess).

Jim Lawter

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