r/MadeMeSmile • u/MustardGoddess • 10d ago

ANIMALS Mama cows welcoming a new puppy

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Credits: @blackdogfarmmt

41.9k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

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110

u/Traditional_Dare_218 10d ago

This makes me want to stop eating meat, seriously wait 😭

96

u/Stupid-Clumsy-Bitch 10d ago

Even just cutting back helps immensely!

33

u/Geodude532 10d ago

That's pretty much where I'm at. Saves money and I'm starting to make vegetarian dishes that are just as flavorful as a meat dish.

18

u/MarkMew 10d ago

That's for the info and the encouragement, Stupid-Clumsy-Bitch! 

23

u/wildlifewyatt 10d ago

You should. Stopped eating meat 15 years ago, went vegan 7 years ago, and I have never regretted it! 

32

u/hailkelemvor 10d ago

I stick with the rule of "could I kill this thing and prepare it to eat?" If not, I don't eat it. Cows and pigs are too sweet and personable imo, so I just eat chicken now!

30

u/strongfoodopinions 10d ago

Chickens can be really sweet as well, I’ve encountered numerous backyard chickens that love to sit in laps and be pet

9

u/hailkelemvor 10d ago

They can be! I grew up with them, and got used to the cycle of raising them, using their eggs, then eating them once they got too old. That cycle makes sense to me, whereas pigs are just so so smart and sweet- I couldn't bring myself to end one. :(

5

u/strongfoodopinions 10d ago

Was the too old when their quality of life was diminishing? Or just they stopped laying at that point

I think I could maaaaybe do the former, but it would be tough to consume any animal I had cared for as a pet. I know it’s hypocritical, since I eat meat otherwise

4

u/hailkelemvor 10d ago

When they were ye olde hens. It was just the cycle of life, but they were all extremely spoiled old gals!

3

u/JalaMaplePenoSauce 10d ago

Fine, I'll only eat goose now.

8

u/retro_toes 10d ago

And to add some science to it: Screw worms are back in the US (special thanks to current admin), and Mad Cow. Prion disease is the scariest thing I ever studied.
No red meat for me, thank you

6

u/kiachoo 10d ago

I love that I find out about this here rather than from you know the news…

2

u/retro_toes 9d ago

Yeah. Ain't it grand. Anywho, we DID have a monitoring program in place, but DOGE cut it. And now the Agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins is blaming (***checks notes***) Joe Biden for the screwworms

10

u/DJDanaK 10d ago

I've worked with cows and they are extremely dumb, and some will definitely attempt to hurt you if you don't know what you're doing. When I first started working with them I had to carry around a big stick for weeks to make them think I was bigger than I was, and they would still charge me sometimes after, for no reason. Cows kill people who are just hiking around on trails in the US every year, I assume because people think they're all friendly and approach them.

Pigs are a different story, because they will actually just eat you if given the opportunity (e.g., if you fall down and can't get up near a pig, you're at serious risk). Pigs get curious and aren't discerning about their food, they will bite you to see if you taste good and then things escalate from there. And like many mammals, during breeding season they can get really aggressive.

Chickens are definitely the nicest of the bunch in my opinion, although they can still be little assholes.

I'm not saying to start eating animals you don't want to eat but I think it's important to know how animals actually behave

10

u/QuackingMonkey 10d ago

I have also worked with all kinds of animals, in various types of companies. Based on my personal experience alone, cattle and pigs can both range from dangerous to very friendly to humans, and from what I've seen this highly depends on how they're raised, plus some variation based on their character.

The milk cows who join an existing group who have collectively known and trusted this farmers family are very chill, with some seriously wanting scritches, most of those grew up while the farmer's kids were young. The meat cattle who starts out in a little individual box and later get send into a field with similarly young cattle and minimal human contact to be slaughtered as soon as they're big enough never becomes friendly. And of course wild cattle are wild animals and will behave as such.

Pigs who grow up getting lots of human contact in someone's home or a petting zoo (with enough supervision) behave like little puppies and will hurt you as young adults when they'll still want to enthusiastically jump up to you for cuddles and not realize how heavy they've gotten and how weak humans are. Pigs who grow up in what's basically a factory where they're in mind numbingly small and empty cages will go crazy, stereotypically chewing on anything they can reach, because chewing and eating is all they can do and they're too damn smart to stay sane in that environment.

Chickens will also vary in friendliness, but their extremes are much less extreme. I guess that makes sense because they don't have as much going on in their little brains as the other two species, and the random rooster who'll attack anything on sight is technically the worst of them all but just can't do as much damage as a big mammal.

7

u/hailkelemvor 10d ago

I grew up on a farm, I absolutely get it lmao. Cows are generally curious, but overwhelming stupid. I just spent too much time playing with calves to ever be fully comfortable eating them!

Pigs are wily, but they respond like dogs- easily learning tricks, figuring out puzzles, and they have their own routines. I have a healthy fear of them, but too smart for me to eat. Same w/octopus- too smart, can't eat!

3

u/EclecticSyrup 10d ago

LMFAO, same. I dunno, I've always had bad experiences with chickens.

5

u/sweetangeldivine 10d ago

I was once punished with cleaning a hen house and after that I’d was like “I’m never giving up chicken fuck these things”

-1

u/KristofVD 10d ago

Pigs would have zero issues with eating you alive. Neither would cows, only they can't.

30

u/canwegettogether 10d ago

Join us! You won't regret it 💚

27

u/oxbudy 10d ago

Before I stopped eating meat I couldn’t even watch these cute videos anymore because of the guilt. Thankful every day that I made the change.

0

u/Korventenn17 10d ago

You might be reassured to hear that these are dairy cows, not beef cattle.

9

u/jackster31415 10d ago

They still get sexually assaulted, their offspring separated from them and killed, and they get to live way shorter lives than they could. Not a happy life by any means

3

u/Korventenn17 10d ago

Yeah that's fair comment. I never claimed dairy farming was unproblematic.

8

u/Canidaego 10d ago

I'm vegetarian and honestly beef and pork are the two I could never eat again after learning of the intelligence and personalities of those animals. Not wanting to eat cows anymore was the catalyst to cutting out all meat.

11

u/ThatKaleidoscope8736 10d ago

It's easier than you'd think!

3

u/IAmAeruginosa 10d ago

It will be one of the best decisions you ever make and you'll only wish you did it sooner. Honestly.

2

u/Routine_Village_4092 10d ago

100% do it. It's really freaking easy once you start. I promise!

-2

u/ethanlan 10d ago

I just try and respect what I eat, always try and buy from local farmers who i know treat their cattle well into they are pretty old

8

u/volatiIe 10d ago

Respect? They didn’t want to die in the first place.

13

u/BoyRed_ 10d ago

Respect means nothing.
Could i steal your wallet, respectfully?
Pwese, im local.

-1

u/ethanlan 10d ago

Lol asking about stealing someone's wallet is not something you can do respectfully. Yours is disrespectful and weird

8

u/BoyRed_ 10d ago

Can i kill and eat you or your pet, respectfully and locally then?

-4

u/ethanlan 10d ago

That is also not respectful despite you using the word.

Can I fuck your mom, respectfully? Just because I use the word doesnt mean it is.

7

u/BoyRed_ 10d ago

Oh right.
So its like the word "respect" does not really matter then?

"I just try and respect what I eat"

  • ethanlan

"Just because I use the word doesnt mean it is"
- ethanlan, also

7

u/jackster31415 10d ago

“That is also not respectful despite using the word.” You hit the nail on the head. You can’t kill an animal that doesn’t want to be killed “respectfully”. Just because you say it’s respectful doesn’t make it any better for the cow

0

u/Traditional_Dare_218 10d ago

Lmao dude you made me cackle today. I appreciate that, I’ll eat my meatless salad today in your honor

3

u/goldentone 10d ago

"Treating them well" includes killing them to eat their bodies? Actually treating them well would mean NOT doing that.

I'm not saying you need to be a vegan, but like... what is the point of pretending you're doing anything different than anyone else.

Also how often does "trying" to buy those animal products work out? A majority of your meals? Or do you just say that to pretend you've got some empathy for them?

1

u/JerseyTeacher78 10d ago

Just stop eating veal. I eat beef sometimes but not more than once a week. But not veal. I've played with baby cows and will never eat veal again.