I think you make it sound more callous and arbitrary than it is.<p>It&#x27;s simple: we have an alliance with dogs and treat them as our friends. Had truffle pigs been as common as hunting dogs, we wouldn&#x27;t eat as much bacon. Now that this alliance is vestigial, we may see it decay - perhaps you don&#x27;t believe in it.<p>Honestly, we probably feel more brotherhood with our work animals than we do with citizens of opposing countries. Makes sense, if someone came to rob your house the Soviets wouldn&#x27;t bark.<p>Then, there is the idea that dogs reciprocate. We know at least some do, and we know that nearly every dog owner will claim that theirs does, and we know that a sufficiently inbred poodle won&#x27;t have the faculty for it. Ether way, we are all told that dogs our our buddies who want to help us. Who would eat a buddy that wanted to help you? How many bacon-eaters think that the pig would, if it could, keep them safe and help them find other things to eat? Probably none.<p>(Note: I know that there are pig pets. Maybe they are friends, like dogs. If that&#x27;s true, get the word out and porkchops stop tomorrow.)