22 Dogs Rescued from Slaughterhouse Used by Shanghai Restaurants Ahead of City's World Dog Show

On April 30 theWorld Dog Show, a “joyful gathering for dog lovers and lovely dogs across the world,” starts in Shanghai, China.

The presence of a celebratory canine event in a country where some still sell and consume dog meat, has many animal lovers outraged.

HSI’s Chinese activist partner recently visited one of the slaughterhouses in Peixian and discovered 22 flithy, injured dogs that the animal organization believes used to be people’s pets because they also found a pile of “pet collars discarded in the corner” near where the canines were caged.

HSI’s Chinese activist partner was able to negotiate the release of these 22 canines, many purebred dogs, and is currently caring for the pets. The fact that some dogs in China end up in slaughterhouses, while others are brought to the World Dog Show, is a double standard that doesn’t go unnoticed.

“This investigation exposes the horrifying way that millions of China’s dogs are abused for the meat trade while others are pampered for the pet trade, with those two worlds colliding when pet dogs are stolen from back yards and the street to be brutally killed for human consumption. The slaughter operation where the 22 terrified dogs were rescued could easily have supplied the Shanghai restaurant that claimed to get its dog meat from Xuzhou,” Dr. Peter Li, HSI’s China policy expert, said in a statement.

“Most people in China don’t eat dogs, and in fact the World Dog Show in Shanghai is a prime example of a growing, younger, and more affluent Chinese population who love their canine companions and despise the dog thieves who steal their friends for the meat trade,” Li added. “It also demonstrates the huge economic benefit to China of this booming pet care industry, versus a dog meat trade that acts only as a stain on China’s international reputation. We urge China to act to end its brutal dog meat trade.”

Humane Society International

The double standard in Shanghai’s treatment of canines has already caused the United Kingdom’s Kennel Club to boycott the World Dog Show.

HSI hopes this backlash to China’s dog meat trade encourages the country to shut down the dog meat industry ahead of June’s Yulin Dog Meat Festival. The annual event, which celebrities likeSimon CowellandLisa Vanderpumphave adamantly spoken out against, celebrates the consumption of dog meat and leads to thousands of canine deaths each year.

source: people.com