Sad tidings--one

Today we shipped out my Dad's herd of goats, and two of my own. We took them to a local stockyard. It was pretty tough to part with mine, even though I had good reason. I detest stockyards. We walked behind the scenes and found pen after pen of helplessly sick, deformed, malnourished animals. It really upset me. I guess I don't mind eating meat, it's not one of my favorite things by any means. But, seeing how these living beings are cared for-the lack thereof- makes me ever rethink my traveling diet. When we grow our own meat, it's always kept humanely and treated with respect, not starved or allowed to linger in sickness and surely not let to stand deformed. Then one day, it's life is just over and it doesn't have time to startle or think about it. But those poor animals, most of which were so disgusting and poor looking, have to live in a world of purgatory til they die at the hands of someone who neither respects them nor cares for their wellbeing or ease of passage. That really bothers me.

I saw a flock of Katadin sheep-all young lambs- that seemed to have foot rot. A horribly painful infection of their hoof walls. It made me want to be sick. What honor can you get out of a life that profits from the pain of other beings? What would make a person sell a small flock of animals with such a horrid disease. Not only are they in pain, and could have and should have been treated, but they'll spread the nasty infection to other animals because it's highly contagious.

Where has the honor, kindness and reputation gone from people? How can you hope to have any shred of decency left when you take an animal who is almost too sick or weak to walk, and send it to a stressful and inhumane end, when it could have been treated and sold as a healthy animal and fared much better. Does it really pay off to sell a goat kid for $5 because it's so sick that no one but a fool or a saint wants its contamination, when you could prevent it's illness or treat it and get $25 or more for it. What sense does this make? Why is it so common? What allows them to feel any pride in their livelihood, or their own person when they're obviously such deplorable wretches. They sicken me. And they should sicken everyone else too!