I was sickened to learn recently about the dog and cat torture taking place in the East. Dogs and cats are not only used for meat, but also for the more lucrative fur and skin industry which is shocking enough, but even more reprehensible is the cruel and ruthless way they are man-handled and butchered. Yes, these unfortunate  animals  are  being commercially  farmed in atrocious conditions,  captured as  strays or worse still, stolen from loving pet homes!
Once the dogs and cats are collected, they are jamb-packed into wire crates where they can hardly breathe while being transported on long, torturous trips to the slaughter houses. Denied food or water, together with the stench of fear, excrement and blood, their screams of terror fall on the deaf ears of filthy, loin-clothed men who ’silence the lambs’ with sharpened metal stakes.

At their destinations, it gets worse. Dogs are tied up so they cannot move and then stabbed in the groin as not to spoil the pelt. And as they bleed-out panicking, they strangle themselves with a wire noose which tightens around their necks and chokes the life out of them …  and if death does not come fast enough, the torture is made even worse when they are skinned alive!

Torture of man’s best friend

And these are the very animals which are man’s best friend because of their sensitivity to our moods and their devotion to serve.  These are the most versatile of all creatures which rescue us in peril, comfort us in distress, guard our families, protect us from harm and trust us unquestionably till the end.  These are not production animals but highly evolved and highly intelligent little beings with superior brains and emotions to match ours … what are these barbarians thinking by inflicting such cruelty and torture on these defenseless animals?!

China, Phillippines, Thailand

It’s estimated that a minimum of 30,000 dogs a year and 500,000 cats per season are processed in China’s thriving industry with the Phillippines and Thailand probably on a par. Most prized for their coats are German Shepherds, Labradors and Golden Retrievers although any breed or mix is used for leather and a wide variety of other products.

What are they used for?

Dog and cat fur is used for coats or trim and is often labelled ‘Lambs Wool’ or ‘Special Fur’. Skin is used for drums, raw hide products, chews sticks, handbags, car upholstery, shoes, gloves, wallets, belts and other small ‘leather’ articles.
The meat is used in animal feeds, lard, aphrodisiacs and medicinal compounds.  These are but a few of the uses.
The shocking fact is Europe and USA are consumer markets and one can only guess these products and bi-products filter through to  the rest of the world which includes us!