Halt all dog suffering in the People's Republic of China!

A video surfaced on Facebook illustrates the deplorable treatment of dogs in China. Please show your support and sign the petition to ensure this cruelty ends as soon as possible, because it is my firm belief that no living creature should be allowed to suffer in this way. Be a part of the change and help improve animal welfare in China!

Most of you have probably heard of the Yulin dog meat festival, hosted in southern China every June, to mark the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Over 10, 000 dogs are brought from all over the country and inhumanely cooked for meat. Their suffering cannot be described in words. Despite numerous protests, the festival has been allowed to continue each year (authorities actually did not even bother to take any action whatsoever, claiming that, in fact, that festival does not exist, but is actually an informal gathering of dog meat lovers).

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But dog meat is thriving all year round in China. Dog traders have already got back to work, hoping to pick up business where they left it before the festival. Countless dogs are snatched off the streets or stolen from their beloved owners and sold to private cooks, restaurants or to public markets.

The video attached to this petition is extremely difficult to watch, so please use caution when deciding to hit the play button. It shows how a couple of dogs that are hit with a bat, before being doused in flames while still conscious. This is all done to ensure the meat is kept fresh. The secret for a tasty dog barbecue in the Chinese vision is to ensure the canines suffer as much as possible before the meat is removed, because the adrenaline that pumps into their bodies tends to soften the meat.

This sickening display of inhumanity can be found not just in the rural parts of the country, but in open markets all across major cities, including Beijing, the capital city. Dog meat is regarded as a culinary tradition by many Chinese, in spite of the significant rise in pet ownership over the past decades.

Meanwhile, central authorities are doing nothing to stem the vile dog meat trade. Although dog meat is still legal, current laws require that all vendors present ‘health certificates’ for the meat they are selling, however, because the dogs used in the trade are strays or stolen pets, such documentation does not exist (or at leas is not genuine). Vendors have been blatantly ignoring the law for years now and state officials have ignoring the problem continuously.

Beside the moral issue of the story (dogs are pets, not food) it is important to point out that dog meat poses significant health risks for the general population. Diseases such as rabies, parasites like E.coli or salmonella and bacteria such as cholera can seriously endanger the human life. China is actually the country with the largest number of rabies infections to humans on Earth. Placing the financial interests of a handful of dog meat traders about the health of the population is something completely unethical and unacceptable.

Please be part of the change and ask the Chinese government to implement animal welfare laws and outlaw the despicable dog meat trade as soon as possible. Help take dog meat off the menu by signing and sharing this important cause.