i wish i was a dog

pigi's dream was to be a dog. or maybe a cat.

either way, she didn’t want to be a pig — not because she didn’t like pigs. In fact, she loved her little ears and the curly tails the babies had, although humans didn’t let them keep their tails or teeth for long. she loved her pink color, too.

what she loved most was cuddling with her friends, but because of the cages, they couldn’t even touch. sometimes she wondered why she was in a cage when dogs lived in houses and were treated like family.

her biggest wish was simple: to be free and loved, just like dogs and cats are. she dreamed of seeing the sun, touching the grass, cuddling her friends, playing in the mud, being spoken to with kindness, and feeling safe.

but because she was born in a pig’s body, humans decided she would spend her whole life in a dark place, unable to move, surrounded by other scared and uncomfortable pigs.

she knew it wasn’t just pigs. cows, chickens, ducks, sheep, octopuses, fish — so many others had been chosen by humans to be used as products, instead of living among them as beings with lives of their own.

in the cities humans built, there were people, cats, and dogs — and sometimes a few other animals who were considered cute or worthy of love. many other animals were there too, but they were packaged in freezers for humans to buy and eat. others had been turned into bags, shoes, or sofas. some were used to carry heavy loads that hurt their backs.

pigi didn’t understand why humans kept using and hurting animals when there were other choices.

her destiny was to live in a dark cell until the humans decided she was “ready” to be eaten. some of her friends had already been taken away.

mumu, her cow friend, was held hostage and made pregnant over and over so that humans could steal the milk meant for her baby. They took her calf away right after birth. pigi knew mumu’s body hurt — but her heart hurt even more.

her friend chiki the chicken told her that one of his friends had been taken away too. when chiki saw him again, his friend was so big he couldn’t even stand up, and his feathers had fallen off in many places.

pigi felt sad, hurt, and confused. she thought, why do they look at us like ingredients, not as someone? what do dogs do that i don’t? is it how we look? our size? what is it?

she couldn’t understand why her life — and her friends’ lives — were like this. why did her friend doggi get chosen as a companion, while she was chosen as food?

pigi and her friends only wanted to live and enjoy life, just like humans, dogs, cats, and all beings on earth.

when humans choose to eat plants instead of animals, they help animals like pigi walk toward freedom. you can choose to help animals today — even if yesterday you didn’t. every new day is a chance to be kinder.

each time you choose not to eat animals or their babies’ milk, you are voting for a gentler world.

because just like dogs, all animals have feelings too — and they all just want to be your friends, not your food.

- regiina