I myself would want anything to do with a dog or cat fur product. I'm not too keen on horse hair, either. Rabit fur...well....I've had a pet rabit or two, but the stuff sure is soft! BUT, I don't really want anything made of rabit fur, either. The only type of animal fur I like is the kind that they sheer from the animal, like sheep, goat, alpaca, etc. I love the feel of alpaca fur...super soft, but it's really expensive.
But, this is only my feeling on the whole fur thing. I like animals, and like to treat them respectfully, although, I do eat meat. (though, I was totally grossed out when my dad made me a sandwich steak last week--he didn't wash the meat, and when I opened the bread that I put it on, it was bright red....blech...I threw it away and have been a bit turned of to steak, lately) Here in U.S. (and perhaps other places) people see dogs and cats as pets. They're an actual part of a family and we form a bond with them. We love them. In other parts of the world, this is viewed as being rather strange. I remember somebody, not sure who, it may have been a german cousin or aunt of mine, or perhaps it was one of the Mexican exchange students that were involved in the Sister City Program with me, but they thought it was totally bizarre to see a dog or cat wander around inside a house freely, just like it's human owners. In some countries, dogs and cats are treated like dirt. That's just how it is. It's not because the people are especially cruel or anything like that, it's a societal view. I can tell you, my girlfriend (wife, secretly) and her family are all wonderful people. They are all very smart (doctors/lawyers/nurses/electronic technicians), very nice, kind, religious (Catholic) and family oriented. They are from the phillipines, and back in the phillipines, they had a dog, but it wasn't really a pet. According to Dina (gf), dogs weren't really treated as pets there. She said her families' was skinny and kept in a small cage. She told me some other stuff, that I can't actually remember now, and I'm not able to ask her what it was at the moment, but I was a little bit shocked to hear about how dogs, including theirs, were treated. She thought it was a bit funny how I was shocked at what I viewed to be cruel! It's just the way it is over there, and in many places in the world.
You know what, as I'm typing this, I just starting noticed that the post above me, by lightmeup, is saying the same as what I'm saying! (I'm laughing now) He even covered some stuff I was just about to say, I guess I don't have to anymore! (btw, very well said and to the point, lightmeup! After reading your post, I kind of feel like I've just been beating around the bush. heh)
About the horse meat, from what I've heard, if you go to a MacDonald's in India, that's exactly what you'll be eating. Mmmm, mmmm, a tasty Filet-O-Horse sandwich! They're not really called that, but that's what they are.
Edit: It was just brought to my attention by a Phillipino CPFer that people there as a whole love dogs and do view them as pets. I definitely do not want to give misinformation about this, and will soon become more informed myself.