What Makes Animals Pet-Worthy and Food-Worthy?

Someone recently asked me why some animals make good pets and others do not. This is actually a valid question that I, admittedly, should have answered without needing to be asked. A lot of it comes down to our cultural values and accepted norms. After all, how many people keep pigs as pets (pigs raised to be slaughtered don't count)? If someone you knew did have a pet pig, what would you think of them? They'd be "different," some "other" that goes against what is normal. But since my logic behind this idea of "pet-worthy" and "food-worthy" animals is embedded in culture, let's look at American culture. I think it would be safe to say that most people are wary of cultural practices that are different from their own. What are some popular images of dogs and pigs in culture? Dogs are loyal and loving; they are "man's best friend." Movies such as Disney's 101 Dalmations portray dogs as the epitome of all that is good and right with the world; anyone who wishes dogs harm are evil incarnate (Cruella DeVille, anyone?). On the other hand, we commonly associate pigs with gluttony, greed, and filth. Who hasn't heard sayings such as "happy as a pig in filth" or "all men are pigs" (among others)? While some exeptions exist to the rule, the overarching cultural ideals we hold are that dogs are good and pigs are not.

The love of dogs in America is summarized nicely in this passage:

America is the land of the sacred dog. ... They roam the streets of major American cities at will, taking their masters about on leashes and depositing their excrements at pleasure on curbs and sidewalks. A whole system of sanitation procedures had to be employed to get rid of the mess. ... Within houses and apartments, dogs climb upon chairs designed for humans, sleep on people's beds, and sit at the table after their own fashion awaiting their share of the family meal. All this in the calm assurance that they themselves will never be sacrificed to necessity or deity, nor eaten in the case of accidental death (Sahlins, as quoted in Delaney, 283).

Dogs are practically worshipped in America, and it is this almost-sacred place we have for dogs that make them good pets. Pigs and other animals, however, are all culturally devalued and, therefore, acceptable to eat.

Works Cited
Delaney, Carol. Investigating Culture. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2004.

One Hundred and One Dalmations. Dir. Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Wolfgang Reitherman. Perf. Rod Taylor, Betty Lou Gerson. Walt Disney Productions, 1961.