Sarah Brownlee - Author

When we think of dogs, the first thought that springs to mind for the majority of people is: “Man's Best Friend.”

 

And yet, in China, a country that has steadily made its way up on the world stage economically as it surpassed Britain as the workshop of the world, this concept of dogs being best friends to humans is alien in some areas.

 

The Dog Meat Torture Trade is a cruel and barbaric practice and yet still unknown to so many people in the international community. Every year in China, an estimated 10 million dogs are snatched from their homes and the streets and subjected to the worst form of cruelty, often tortured before being killed for consumption. Beaten, burned, flogged and dismembered alive, dogs are disregarded as Man's Best Friend, their loyal and loving natures forgotten mercilessly by people who have no qualms about subjecting them to all types of horrors.

 

And many of these animals are pets. Unfortunately, animal welfare laws are practically non-existent in China. Despite the brave actions of activists in China who are doing their best to protect dogs from the cruelty inflicted on them, the Chinese Communist Party continues to show no sign of submerging itself into the civilised world and take strict measures to protect these creatures.

 

In a country where human rights are given so little consideration, it can hardly be surprising that the CCP places no value on animal lives. This is where we in the international community must make a tough choice. Do we accept and embrace China as a modern country, continuing to trade and do business with them, despite their crimes against both animals and people? Or do we take a stand and demand action is taken to protect not just the dogs, but all living beings who suffer at the hands of unscrupulous individuals in a country where the current rulers show no sign of improvement? It is a decision that each and every one of us must decide. A civilised country is not defined by its wealth, but by its actions towards its people and animals. China grows increasingly wealthy in the material sense and yet it remains poor in the spiritual sense.

 

The international community does not always stay quiet. During his term, President Trump banned the consumption of dogs and cats in the USA, and also made online animal cruelty a felony, both sending a clear message to China that such actions are unacceptable. Celebrities such as Ricky Gervais and Dame Judi Dench have been outspoken in their objection to the cruelty, in particular against the Yulin Dog Meat Festival.

 

This Festival which takes place every year in Yulin, China, is in “celebration” of the Summer Solstice. However, it is no more than a mere opportunity for dogs to be tortured and killed, many of them stolen pets. There is a mistaken belief that the festival is cultural and traditional. It is not – it began just over a decade ago.

 

There is nothing cultural or traditional about eating dogs in China. For so many Chinese people, dogs are friends, not food. However, they are silenced by the authorities and justice is rarely, if ever, served when one of their dogs goes missing.

 

We have a duty in the international community, not just dog lovers but all civilised people, to help the people and dogs of China and make it clear that to torture and kill dogs in this day and age is unacceptable. Dogs are known as Man's Best Friend for a reason – their bond with us is a deep and impenetrable one, going back thousands of years. It has evolved to such a degree that they are our unspoken friends and allies, assisting us in ways that no other creatures are capable of and providing a love and friendship that stays with us for a lifetime. That China should so brazenly and brutally disregard this bond is something the international community must not tolerate any longer. Please use your power as an individual to stand up and protect the dogs in China.

 

Related article: How Political Perversion Led to the Dog Meat Trade