Do you wear fur?
By coffeeshot
@coffeeshot (3783)
Australia
July 26, 2010 7:32pm CST
I just signed a petition for China to pass an animal welfare bill. The petition included a youtube video that showed undercover footage of the live dog and cat fur trade. Without totally grossing anyone out, the video showed footage of workers throwing crates off the top of trucks onto concrete. These crates contained cats and dogs, squashed uncomfortably in them. Some of the animals even had collars on; a sign that they were stolen family pets. The looks in these animals eyes broke my heart and I am infuriated. The is a petition to sign at change dot org, i just hope this thread doesn't get deleted for whatever reason.
So do you wear fur? Would you buy fur? There are no laws regarding labelling in some areas of the fur trade and if you buy J Crew you may just be buying dog and cat fur from china. However, genuine sable or fox fur, or whatever it is they wear is still cruel as they suffer the same fate; being skinned alive and transported in tiny crates. I can't believe this still goes on in this day and age and that there are people out there who will wear the tortured and mutilated skins of beautiful creatures. Sick.
3 people like this
22 responses
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
27 Jul 10
Personally, no, I don't wear fur. I respect other people's choice to either wear or NOT wear fur, however.
On the other hand, I do think that the fur industry has to be regulated so that the animals are not skinned alive or otherwise tortured, nor family pets stolen.
That said I can also share that growing up in forested country in the midwestern USA I had the opportunity to know local hunters, some of whom sold animal skins on the side to supplement their income. I can firsthand that NONE of them skinned any of the animals alive, and for the most part their families ate the meat from the animals whose skins they sold. No parts of the animals were wasted. In fact, putting the animal skins to use instead of throwing them away showed respect for the animals. There are two sides to everything.
1 person likes this
@katiesueg (257)
• Italy
27 Jul 10
I am with you. I don't personally wear fur, I've always had other more pressing uses for my money. But here in Italy I see a lot of women who wear beautiful mink, fox, or chinchilla furs in winter, although the fashion of wearing fur has diminished from when I first arrived here. I have often admired their beauty, but I would hate to think that the animals were skinned alive. That practise is outrageously cruel and has to be stopped. I also hate to see women wearing furs from endangered species, leopard, etc. Some common sense has to be observed.
@echomonster (2226)
• Greenwood, Mississippi
27 Jul 10
No, I don't wear fur, and I applaud you for your activism. I've often reflected on how being man's best friends hasn't prevented unspeakable cruel acts from being committed on dogs and cats. No country is free of animal abusers even if most don't have a cat/dog fur industry like China. I hope that the world is becoming a better place, but whenever I hear or see things like you described it makes me wonder if we're really advancing as a species at all.
1 person likes this
@crazydaisy (3896)
• Canada
27 Jul 10
I agree with you it's not right to tortured the poor animals.What really bothers me there are these little dogs that look like dogs or even a cat they well bark as well or meow they are sold at xmas alot of times I just don't like them they feel like a real dog.
cd
1 person likes this
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
28 Jul 10
OMG! I don’t ever want to see that footage...I am so upset by this…It is so horrific! I don’t wear fur at all, I have a jacket with a fur look collar and I assure you it is not real! I could not imagine feeling good while wearing some poor animal’s coat! This is really awful coffeeshot. I tried the site but it is experiencing updates; I’ll keep trying because although I don’t want to see the footage I want to sign the petition. Thanks for making us aware of this atrocity; let’s hope it’s a start toward putting a stop to it. I agree...Sick...
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
27 Jul 10
i do not and will not-for this very reason.there is no reason humans even need to wear fur with all the synthetic clothing materials.
the only "fur" i will wear is things i can positively prove as fake by examining it on the roll.
@GreenMoo (11834)
•
27 Jul 10
I don´t agree with killing an animal simply to wear it´s fur, in a society where alternatives are easily available. However, if an animal is being killed for some other reason, for it´s meat, then I think it is better to put it´s fur to some use than to waste it.
I keep animals for their meat, and I always retain the skin which I tan and hope to use some day. I feel better about this than if I just threw the skins and furs away.
I know not everyone will understand my reasoning as there are some who are against the use of animal skins however they are derived.
I don´t know enough about the trade in cat and dog fur to judge whether the rest of the animal is put to good use, but I certainly abhor the cruelty involved in this particular industry and would like to see it cease.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
27 Jul 10
I would never, ever wear fur and have very strong feelings towards these cruel industries. China has a lot to answer for in many areas and this is probably one of the worst! 
I have signed a petition online once before that sounds like the one that you are talking about. Do you have the url for it? I will sign it again if it is the same one or sign it anyway if it is a different one. I will not watch the video though as I feel sick if I watch animal cruelty. 
I have signed a petition online once before that sounds like the one that you are talking about. Do you have the url for it? I will sign it again if it is the same one or sign it anyway if it is a different one. I will not watch the video though as I feel sick if I watch animal cruelty. 
@ANIME123 (2466)
• United States
27 Jul 10
Well no I don't wear fur because you know it's animals fur and you know it's wrong because it is cruel and sick. Many people do like to wear fur like celebrities and such, but I guess it's because fur is expensive and they want to show off that they have money which they should not do. Some people will never change still I don't think that fake fur is bad because that way they can wear it without hurting an innocent animal. Who knows I'm sure that everyone has their different opinions on this.
@lunchz (43)
•
27 Jul 10
waaa i really don't like this types of discussions because it really made me cry... =(
but of course i am against to it and i hope that this kind of cruelty will end with the help of everyone of us. but really i hate those people who does lots of profit in hurting animals. i don't buy fur i prefer to be simple in anyway possible.
@ElicBxn (63593)
• United States
27 Jul 10
I will not knowingly wear fur. Now, there are two VERY old fur coats in my closet. By very old, I mean, over 60 years old that I inherited and I'm frankly at a loss as to what to do with them.
I have had rabbit in the past, but I only by fake fur now, and stuff that is OBVIOUSLY fake at that.
@smallsaozhou (827)
• China
27 Jul 10
My answer to your question is certainly NO.If I wear a fur,it always remind me that a poor animal has been killed cruelly to meet my individual and selfish need.Otherwise,I don't think wearing fur is quite beautiful and graceful.
@Torunn (8607)
• Norway
27 Jul 10
No, it's never really cold enough so I haven't considered it. There's lot of laws for labeling fur products in the EU, they apply here too (Norway), and the fur industry have had some major clean-ups in the last years. Still not perfect, but the same can be said for meat production for example. If I ever consider buying fur it'd be from here or from somewhere else I'm certain off does it in the same way as other farmers with animals, but I don't think I will. It's too warm, too expensive etc.
@lacieice (2060)
• United States
27 Jul 10
I have never worn fur, nor do I plan to. I didn't know they used the fur of cats and dogs to make apparel.
However, some other cultures use dogs and cats as food. I know that is repulsive to many, but it is a fact.
That doesn't excuse poor treatment of the animals, though. Wanton killing of animals for profit is horrendous.
It ranks right up there with using animals in lab tests.
@veganbliss (3895)
• Adelaide, Australia
27 Jul 10
Don't let it stop with just one petition! Sign up to thepetitionsite & do as many as you possibly can. There's literally thousands to choose from. Pass it on to your friends as well. This one's really good because you can add your own comments after reading everyone elses.
@MirandaKay (231)
• United States
27 Jul 10
I do not wear fur and I think it is cruel to kill animals for that reason.
