The question of whether vegans support the use of guide dogs is once again being raised in Britain.
Two opposing factions debated the issue recently on morning television.
More than 7,000 disabled people in the UK rely on assistance dogs.
Animal welfare campaigner Wendy Turner-Webster and dog behaviourist Nigel Reed debated on Good Morning Britain on whether or not guide dogs are unethical.
On one hand, some vegan animal welfare campaigners say the use of animals to serve humans is never acceptable.
Others say guide dogs are not unhappy doing their job despite the argument by animal activists that these dogs are being coerced or forced to become service animals.
The issue has also been raised on the Vegans United Facebook page. One user posted a dilemma.
“Should vegans ‘own pets’ [sic*] as it’s more for human pleasure than the animals??”
They received a huge range of responses.
On the Veggie Athletic site, the issue of whether using service dogs vegan has created a split in the vegan community.
In the vegan community, I’d say it’s pretty split. On the one hand, some say that owning an animal that has been bred and trained purely for a human to use is exploitation. They argue service dogs are regarded as property, and by making them live a life to serve a human, they find the idea of service dogs cruel.
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