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What if you're raising the dogs as food product? Is there something inherent to dogs that makes them more worthy of cruelty protection than a cow or a chicken?
Personally, I would never mistreat or neglect an animal but as a general rule I don't think animal cruelty should be criminalized or regulated. At core, pets are possessions and it is up to the owner to do what they want with them. People who mistreat animals should be socially ostracized but I find it hard to justify criminalization.
I'm not particularly happy with that outcome but it is where my root values takes me. But frequently I find myself overturning principal on emotional grounds.
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