4 ms·
"Cattle, not pets" is not a great analogy in the first place. Maybe I only talk to smaller farmers, but they definitely care if a cow dies. Maybe not as much as
by LAC-Tech 4y ago
"Cattle, not pets" is not a great analogy in the first place. Maybe I only talk to smaller farmers, but they definitely care if a cow dies. Maybe not as much as if the dog dies, but it's a sign something is seriously wrong with their operation.
- hnlmorg 4y agoAnalogies aren’t meant to be literally equal. They’re just a convenient way of expressing a complex problem in a simpler way, which the cattle vs pets analogy does well.
- actually_a_dog 4y agoYou just said it: they care if a cow dies because something is wrong with their operation, not because they care about that particular animal per se (usually). That's the exact opposite of why someone cares when their dog dies.
- literalAardvark 4y agoMy grandparents wouldn't have given a single hoot over the dog dying. The cows though? Those were important.
- LAC-Tech 4y agoThey wouldn't have given a hoot if a herding dog dies? Or if they're not companion animals or working, why are they there?
- literalAardvark 4y agoThey were guard and hunting dogs. Noisemakers, essentially. Herding was mostly done by people, often kids, and fences, though some neighbors did use herding dogs. I can understand how trained herding dogs can also be important, but it was certainly not my experience in the countryside.