China's annual DOG meat festival....

[merehazle]

 ...where  tens of thousands of dogs are killed. 

Thousands of dogs are being shipped in an slaughtered by dog traders at the notorious Yulin meat festival Guangi Autonomous Region to mark China's summer solstice. Harrowing pictures have emerged of family pets, many of them stolen, stuffed inside cramped metal cages as they are sold at the barbaric carnival. Condemned to die a shocking brutal death, the dogs are clubbed over the head and have their throats cut open before being thrown into boiling water. And many are strung up ALIVE with a rusty can forced on their heads so they cant bite, and beaten to death, because they say it tenderises the meat and tastes better.

This has to be stopped. Countries can not be allowed to behave in such an evil , medieval way. Their leaders say they are killed in an humane way? LIAR'S! visit the Daily Mail story on it (sorry, my links wont work) but be warned it will break your heart. particularly if you are a true dog lover. Welcome to the 21 st Century:

 This puppy searching for affection is grasped and killed.

[upthecreekyetagain]

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@merehazle wrote:

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@martinlufc88 wrote:
Just been reading about this, it is disgusting, these people are savages....

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There are other matters to read about too:

A home with proper love and care is all any breed of dog wants (including pitbulls). I know i'm humanizing pitballs here, but do you really think they grow up wanting the abuse and torture so many are forced to suffer through? The starvation and  beatings?

Females being made to produce litter after litter of puppies and then used as bait dogs (thrown in to fight younger dogs till they die there) when they cant produce anymore?   It's a horrible life. There are only two ways out of that suffering. The relief i'm sure so many have felt taking their last breath, not having to endure anymore of the torture.

And those who are lucky enough to be found and rescued.  Who have survived to see that day, finally get a chance at a real dogs life. Some of them probably never had a kind word spoken to them, or petted, or cuddled and hugged. But they still new it meant love. That they didn't have to be afraid anymore, that they could trust again.

And they responded to it, with wagging tails, and leaning in close to get more love.  

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As would a pig - the only difference is we haven't humanised pigs - whilst we have bred dogs to be workers and/or companions and pigs for their meat - neither animal had any choice in the matter.

I don't know what the figures are today but 5 years ago Battersea Dogs Home for example slaughtered one third of all dogs they rescued, which was probably the right thing to do but they then simply disposed of the bodies - at least when farm animals are destroyed some use is normally made of their carcass.

I count myself as an 'animal lover' in so far as I would never mistreat an animal for fun and would care for them when in need.  I also enjoy their companionship.  I do however recognise that all animals really have just two basic needs, food and shelter, and that it is because we provide these that they become domesticated.  Had wolves not been captured and selectively bred in captivity to produce working animals then we wouldn't enjoy the pleasures that owning a dog brings.  Likewise with pigs from wild boar, cattle from the ox and so on.

Owning an animal, whether for food, work or companionship is essentially a selfish pursuit and as such we have a duty of care.  Animals do show pleasure, you only have to see cattle turned out in the spring after spending winter in a barn to appreciate that but the provision of pleasure for animals is a side issue and is normally only done for our own benefit, the enjoyment of seeing a dog with a waggy tail or the practicality of moving livestock out into pastures.  Where it is not ultimately beneficial to us then in general we just don't do it, for instance the factory farming of chickens.

It is only in relatively recent times that there has been any consideration for the welfare and sustainability of non-domesticated animals and one of the mantras of those involved is to keep human contact with the animals to a minimum.  Maybe the answer to homeless dogs is similar - do not encourage 'new' owners but rather discourage anyone from keeping them.  That may deprive us humans of a 'simple' pleasure but it would save a lot of dogs from suffering.

[merehazle]

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@doglover234sara wrote:

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@upthecreekyetagain wrote:

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@suzieseaside wrote:

Breaks my heart

I usually get the change.org and avaaz petitions by email, but didn't get this one.

JD - you can find it at this link:

https://www.change.org/p/mr-chen-wu-yulin-governor-please-shut-down-the-yulin-dog-meat-festival-in-g...

It has happened already today I guess, but I was still able to sign the petition.  It might help to stop it next year, I hope, in spite of cultural differences.  Worth a try.

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Having read the petition in full I have to say that I support their aim to try and persuade the government to call a halt to this festival, (and for what good it will do have signed the petition).

The call to stop the festival was based on public health, food safety and child welfare.  Had it been based on a sentimental objection to the consumption of dog meat then as a consumer of bacon and pork derived from the pig, (an equally, if not more intelligent animal as the dog), then it wouldn't have had my support.

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"Sentimental objection"?  How can anyone think this would be sentimental objection "the dogs are clubbed over the head and have their throats cut open before being thrown into boiling water. And many are strung up ALIVE with a rusty can forced on their heads so they cant bite, and beaten to death, because they say it tenderises the meat and tastes better"

It's disgusting and breaks my heart to think of the suffering those poor dogs go through.  Barbaric.

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Well in case you missed them? And while we are at it.  What do you think of these beautiful baby Orangutans:   See attachment. I hope my attachment works?

[merehazle]

Here another one:

[papko]

Do the Chinese eat Orang u Tuangs as well ?

[suzieseaside]

People eat Orangutans in Borneo

I prefer an Ortanique

[merehazle]

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@papko wrote:

Do the Chinese eat Orang u Tuangs as well ?

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Sorry, about the delay in replying.  The Chinese eat anything with legs, and anything that flies.  Except a plane or helicopter.

Hazle, and I wont eat anything that once owned a face. China has NO welfare system for animals. Though there are of course some that care. For example Chinese woman spent most of her money on saving so many of them from these savages. 

 Google the words ''Orangutans in Barrow''  (Orang u Taungs) as you spelt it might not work? 

Well at least you exited #35 into trying to help you?  WOW!  Ortanique.   Well there's always time for levity I suppose

[merehazle]

sorry, I meant  #25.

[suzieseaside]

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@merehazle wrote:

Well at least you exited #35 (sorry I meant #25) into trying to help you?  WOW!  Ortanique.   Well there's always time for levity I suppose

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Sarcasm?  Levity? About eating our closest relatives?  No. 

I assume you know what an Ortanique is?  A hybrid cross between an orange and a tangerine + 'unique' - that's how it got its name. First discovered in Jamaica.  And they are very tasty.  No cruelty was involved in harvesting them.

[merehazle]

Well alright I stand corrected. I thought that you using that word ''Ortanique'' was taking the P.  Hardly that surprising really

A mistake on my part. 

[merehazle]

Well...thanks for your reply

Here in my attachment is another ''reality''.  I have put this in attachments. So you can avoid it if you wish.

Spot the laughing woman. And of course the unconcerned look of others. Actually they make me sick!

I wonder what mitzigirl, would have said   

[cee-dee]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33283694

[upthecreekyetagain]

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@merehazle wrote:

Well...thanks for your reply

Here in my attachment is another ''reality''.  I have put this in attachments. So you can avoid it if you wish.

Spot the laughing woman. And of course the unconcerned look of others. Actually they make me sick!

I wonder what mitzigirl, would have said   

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That picture Mere is no worse, (nor better), than pictures of battery hens or the way in which many other animals are bulk transported for slaughter.

There is plenty to campaign about regarding the mal-treatment of animals in this country without having to look for it elsewhere.

If it wasn't dogs that were the recipient of this treatment but some other animal then I very much doubt that the media would have taken any interest in the subject at all.

None of the above is intended to show a level of complacency over animal cruelty but I do think some have got their priorities wrong.

[bookhunter2007]

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@merehazle wrote:

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A home with proper love and care is all any breed of dog wants (including pitbulls). I know i'm humanizing pitballs here, but do you really think they grow up wanting the abuse and torture so many are forced to suffer through? The starvation and  beatings?

 Females being made to produce litter after litter of puppies and then used as bait dogs (thrown in to fight younger dogs till they die there) when they cant produce anymore?   It's a horrible life. There are only two ways out of that suffering. The relief i'm sure so many have felt taking their last breath, not having to endure anymore of the torture.

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Yes, it's a big problem - not only for the dogs themselves - but also for humanoids (esp children) and other animals who are attacked.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/revealed-shocking-scale-brutalit...

“Owners are training these dogs to fight and they are ripping these other dogs apart"

First, imo legislation needs to be changed so that dog owners can be charged when their dog savages or kills another animal - at the moment police brush it off as a "civil matter". This happened to our neighbour who had a Rottweiler off its lead run into their garden & savage their cat.

Second, I think it would be beneficial to bring back dog licences. If a rod licence is required to go fishing, then it seems ludicrous that no licence is required to own an animal that has the potential to kill and maim.

You only have to look at listings of dog rescue centres to see them top heavy full of Staffies and other type of 'fighting' dogs that are used for "image".