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One man’s animal abuse is another man’s solution to dog problems
Posted By katie allison granju
Let me be clear before saying what I’m about to say that I am in no way in favor of real, honest to goodness animal abuse. But having grown up on a farm in a rural community in Middle Tennessee, I tend to come down on the side of state legislator Frank Buck in the debate that Tom Humphey (who happens to reside in the same, small rural community where I grew up) chronicles in his column today.
In the piece, Humphrey points out an urban-rural divide in the debate over what constututes “abuse,” with farm-community legislators making the case that sometimes rural life requires a firmer hand with the critters than is required in a West Knoxville dog grooming shop.
I also wonder whether the folks who seem to want to stigmatize the way farmers handle livestock ever eat meat or wear leather. Because if you really have a problem with “animal abuse,” the best place to focus your efforts on ending it would be the horrific large-scale, factory farming practices that are quickly replacing the small farm approach to livestock management that Tennessee’s rural communities have had as part of their culture for several centuries.
Apr 20th, 2008
