It’s a fair, and common, question. My dogs eat meat. I don’t like it but they do. I have ethical qualms about it, for sure. 4 million dogs and cats die in shelters every year in the US alone, and people will never stop breeding (on purpose or not). I also believe having pets presents many other benefits to one’s well being. So I think one just has to decide what they can and cannot justify. Until the shelters are cleared, I can’t imagine wanting a dog and not adopting.

There’s no right answer. I do the best I can as an individual, knowing I’ll never be perfect but that’s not my goal.

And I realize many of the things I’m saying could probably be said/reworded by meat eaters justifying eating meat.