It is hard to believe that in this age of food surplus there are people in well-off countries that think nothing of slaughtering dogs for food. When I first read about this I thought this simply couldn’t be true. But sadly, it is a cultural phenomenon in several countries such as China, Vietnam, and most notably South Korea. Interestingly, South Korea actually took steps against dog meat eating in their country when it hosted the 2002 Football Word Cup – but the phenomenon is too deeply ingrained in these societies. And apparently, there is money to be made in the lucrative dog meat trade. It is picking up in the poorer regions of countries such as the Philippines.
Readers may wonder as to why the fuss about dog meat, are we being unfair to goats here? The answer is that dogs are highly intelligent and sensitive mammals – man’s best friend, remember? They bond with us and take care of our property, herd sheep, and even take care of the old and infirm. They are regarded as pets and pets are family. There is a very clear emotional connect that we have with dogs. On the other hand, fish, poultry, goats, and sheep have always been regarded as valuable sources of animal protein all over the world, across cultures, through the ages. Settlements high up in the mountains, such as people in Peru, depend upon insect protein, they don’t have a choice; however those who eat dog meat live in the plains where there are ample sources of protein. They do it just to cling to it in the name of culture, or they do it because they just haven’t given it thought. The Vietnamese consider eating dog meat a macho thing to do. And then you have the usual misconceptions about the medicinal properties of dog meat – aphrodisiac and what not. Women do not as a rule eat dog meat.
If this practice of eating dog meat has indeed become a part of certain cultures, then isn’t it time to outgrow the phenomenon. Surely, places where dog meat is served have other sources of animal protein available to them. Aren’t we supposed to evolve as a society? The Yellow Dog or Nu-rung-I, the dog breed used for meat in South Korea is a highly evolved breed that makes for excellent guard dogs. Many homes in South Korea have these wonderful creatures as pets. The point is that love for pets and having dogs as pets is a universal phenomenon. A Westerner’s perception of and affection for a dog is not going to be any different from what an Asian feels about his dog. There is no cultural clash here. It’s an issue that we all need to take up strongly and resist. It is high time to realize that dogs and humans have been together for more than 30,000 years. This is how strong a bond we share with our canine friends. There are places that have outlawed dog meat, for example – Taiwan. In this day and age, we have moved on to getting our dogs insured.
It’s bad enough that strays lead a miserable existence and many are put to sleep; on top of this we have this willful and often very cruel slaughter of dogs, for what?
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by piyush bakshi, Robin Zygelman. Robin Zygelman said: Say No to Dog Meat (and Cat Meat) http://bit.ly/6bTotA [...]
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by neophyteblogger: Please, pet lovers take a stand. Say no to dog meat. http://www.petinsurance-101.com/2009/11/30/say-no-to-dog-meat-and-cat-meat/...
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As much as I might agree on most of this article, being from a Taiwanese/Chinese background but born in the United States, I have to say that this is a very typical “Westerner’s” response.
Now, I have dogs and even have a line of dog coats – I love them as much as any human member of my family. When I hear about people eating dogs in China and SKorea, I also get sick to my stomach, as do the members in my family.
BUT not everyone in the world regards all dogs on equal levels. Nor is it fair to point out that dogs are intelligent animals that are not “conventionally” thought of as food. Pigs are incredibly intelligent animals that are just as lovable. It is just convenience of this “convention” that dogs are perceived in a way that other animals are not. The emotional connection we feel with our dogs is also ingrained by society and tradition.
For many Hindus, cows are considered sacred. If put in a reverse perspective, they could also say that people in “well-off countries” think nothing of slaughtering cows for food, especially when they provide labor, milk, and fuel.
I am in NO WAY condoning it, but dog eating is not a recent fad. In addition, the dogs that are eaten are not pulled from the homes of their owners. They are herded and raised, much like poultry or livestock. In this sense, many of the people eating do NOT have the same attachments.
The attempts of their governments to deter the dog eating practice stems from globalization. Asia is is rapidly becoming more Western, losing much of it’s cultural identity to adapt to evolving towards a Western ideal.
Had China because a world-dominating empire hundreds of years ago, we today may not have this way of thinking.
Again I DO NOT SUPPORT THE SLAUGHTERING OF DOGS FOR MEAT.
Why are dogs more important than cows, pigs, or chickens? These are all intelligent creatures as deserving as dogs to be allowed to live their lives in peace. Other countries hold cows as sacred and we hold dogs as such. We shouldn’t be judging other cultures until we hold all animals as valuable creatures deserving of health, safety, and happiness.
It is really unfortunate that arthritis is such a devastating ailment that profoundly impacts the lives of an incredible number of Americans on a daily basis.