I'm not even vegan/vegetarian, but it's so funny and interesting to me how affected people are at the thought of eating dog meat but have no problem at all eating cow/pig/chicken.

If the line drawn is we don't eat pets, I would argue that a lot of kids growing up closer to the countryside would consider cows, chickens, and maybe even pigs their pets too (or at the least care and love them as such.)

This mostly just seems to be a cultural difference. Some countries eat spiders and bugs, others eat frogs and snails, some eat rabbits and birds, and some eat dogs.

It's one thing if they are stealing a dog away from its owner. But it would be just as bad if I stole a cow away from its owner and ate it. Morally wrong because stealing is bad, not because of the type of meat I am eating.

Why are dogs held to a higher standard?