Dog meat & fur trade

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The trade in dog meat is often thought to be something which is unique to Countries such as South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.


However, this trade is spread across various Countries, even within Eastern Europe, and even Canada currently imports dog fur, to be used as trims on clothing and other accessories…



I do not consider myself just another ‘Westerner’ who interferes in the cultural aspects of another Country, and I would never try to impose my personal beliefs onto any person. There are individuals like myself, who share a passion for all animals, and there are those who do not have such an affinity.


However, putting aside my own personal beliefs that all life is sentient, the dog meat trade is by far, the cruelest of all meat production within the civilised World today.  For centuries, throughout all civilisations, dogs have always been known to be companion animals, from the dawn of mankind who domesticated wolves, to our present day, as faithful friends and companion pets. Even in Asian Countries, dogs are considered pets foremost, and have been for generations.


The vast majority of people throughout the World that we live in today, consider eating dog meat as a repulsive act. The minority who do persist in eating dog meat, in Countries such as the Philippines and Taiwan, where eating dog meat is now illegal, to China and Korea, where this trade is legal, often argue that the Western World eats pigs, cows, sheep, horse, chickens etc, and that this is comparable to eating any kind of meat.  Animals are meat, whatever the species, therefore they see no difference between the slaughter of a dog, or a cow.

My argument and desire to eradicate this trade in dog meat, and fur, is not justified by my personal beliefs, as I do not eat meat of any kind. My desire to eradicate this trade is based purely on the fact that these animals are companions, pets, and have faithfully served mankind since we first domesticated gray wolves around 15,000 years ago and some indications based on fossil records, show that this date could be as early as 30,000 BC. There is also evidence to suggest that domestication first began in Eastern Asia itself. Therefore, the cultural argument for the trade in dog meat is not something which has been a continuous practice. Many 1000′s of years prior to this trade increasing within the past few centuries, the vast majority of civilisations have always considered dogs to be pets and companions, for hunting, or work related purposes.

Putting aside the fact that dogs offer humanity unrivalled loyalty, affection, and companionship, my argument has always been based upon this one point….Dogs are not cattle, nor food, and never will be. They are sentient indivuals, who have remained close to man, and walk by the feet of mankind, and will continue to do so, until mankind itself ceases to exist.

Dogs that are used for the meat trade can often be stolen pets, strays, or bred soley for the purpose of this trade. They all share one thing…they suffer unimaginable cruelty.  Crammed into cages, barely able to move or breath, they often die from heat exhaustion, and often suffer broken bones during transport to the slaughterhouses.


The ones that remain suffer beatings, scaldings, which is thought to terrify the dogs into producing more adrenaline, therefore making the meat taste better, and there is often an associated belief, that eating dog meat results in an increase in virility amongst men.

However, any person, even those who do not share my affinity with animals in general, cannot ignore the simple fact that the 1000′s of dogs slaughtered every week, suffer cruelty on an unimaginable scale, and to see a dog wagging its tail, moments before being bashed over the head, having its throat cut, or being stabbed in the groin to be bled out,  is truly one of the worst sights and sounds that can ever be heard and witnessed. Even as they approach death itself, many dogs wag their tails, gazing from the cages, as if to ask the question…why?

The Animal Kingdom Foundation, a charity which rescues slaughterbound dogs, has the largest rescue and rehabilitation centre in the Philippines, and currently around 600 dogs live in safety, after having been intercepted by police and AKF workers, to be taken out of the human food chain. This not only protects the animals themselves, but also it protects the general population from the threat of rabies, which is quite prevalent in this region. Many people who eat dog meat are at serious risk of becoming infected by the rabies virus, and once the virus reaches the brain, death is inevitable and excruciatingly painful.

In todays society, not just in the Western World, but in many Asian Countries, the dog meat trade is diminishing, and always remember that it is only a minority who do eat dog meat. Often, I have been told that Asian regions slaughter dogs for meat and fur on a massive scale, but in comparison to the overall populations, the percentage is small as to the amount of persons involved in eating this meat. Therefore I would never personally judge any Nation, be in Canada’s importing of dog fur or seal slaughter, Spain’s bull-fighting, to Japan’s whaling industry. We are all guilty of enslaving all manner of animals whatever our nationality, and Worldwide, many animals suffer cruelty in all its forms. To judge a single nation based on our own cultural beliefs is interference, but as a collective of humans throughout the entire World itself, I believe there comes a time when the human species must become compassionate towards all forms of life, and draw a line on what is food, and what is not. Dogs are not food, nor cattle, and never will be, and as we consider ourselves to be the superior species, these words spring to mind…’The Human Race’…’The Human Disg-race’….


Gary Edwards 2011.

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Posted: September 19, 2011

Author: wolf

Category: MAP


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