Petition - Stop The Dog-Eating Festival In China...

[westiemum]

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/206/893/746/?z00m=27330483&redirectID=1936406804

Self-explanatory. This is a petition to stop the FCI awarding the World Dog Show to China unless they stop the Yulin dog-eating festival.

Whole thing is unbelievable in the 21st century. I tell you its time for the second coming...

[westiemum]

Any thoughts anyone? Has anyone else signed?

[Noelle]

Yes, I have signed. This "festival" is appalling.

[Willem]

Any thoughts anyone? Has anyone else signed?

...some thoughts here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lychee_and_Dog_Meat_Festival ...the comments from Julian Baggini expresses pretty much my own thoughts about this:

quote: "In The Guardian, the philosopher Julian Baggini considered the hypocrisy of western meat-eaters being outraged by the Chinese eating "cute animals", commenting that "the double standards at play here are numerous, complicated, and not always obvious", and that "vegans are the only group who can oppose the festival without any fear of hypocrisy."

I don't like what happens in Yulin, but I eat meat too; not much, but from time to time. I prefer fish, but there are intelligent fish / sea food species too. We have ham festivals and pork festivals here while pigs somewhere else are companions and used as truffle pigs ...

I don't believe that I have the high moral ground to tell people in another culture and country what they have to do regards eating, also if I don't like it.

ETA ...wrt vegans: ...and even they could only oppose the festival IMO without hypocrisy if they don't own a dog, cat or other carnivore they have to feed with meat.

Edited January 25, 2016 by Willem

[Salukifan]

I urge people to inform themselves on subjects before signing and sharing emotive petitions.

The China Kennel Club is the organisation that bid for the World Dog Show. They are at the forefront of changing attitudes to dogs in China and lead the way in dog rescue in that country. Initially they WERE dog rescue. Now a bunch of folk, most of whom know nothing about the CKC, consider that a minority culture practice in that country should be sufficient to shut the CKC's efforts down. What a smack in the face to a dedicated group of people who want to see dogs treated as pets, not food. They are not the Chinese Government. They have no power to shut down the festival.

Do we see similar pushes to deny Spain a World Dog Show even though every year tens of thousands of Galgos are tortured and killed in that country? Nope, there isn't even a murmur. Smacks of racisim to me.

And how do we, as Australians, have any right to the moral high ground given our track record on things like live baiting of Greyhounds.

Think with your heads everyone and consign these sorts of petitions to the scrap heap where they belong.

Edited January 25, 2016 by Haredown Whippets

[westiemum]

Some good comments HDW and Willem. I suppose I still remain concerned at the abject cruelty involved but I do take your points.

[Maddy]

Any thoughts anyone? Has anyone else signed?

...some thoughts here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lychee_and_Dog_Meat_Festival ...the comments from Julian Baggini expresses pretty much my own thoughts about this:

quote: "In The Guardian, the philosopher Julian Baggini considered the hypocrisy of western meat-eaters being outraged by the Chinese eating "cute animals", commenting that "the double standards at play here are numerous, complicated, and not always obvious", and that "vegans are the only group who can oppose the festival without any fear of hypocrisy."

I don't like what happens in Yulin, but I eat meat too; not much, but from time to time. I prefer fish, but there are intelligent fish / sea food species too. We have ham festivals and pork festivals here while pigs somewhere else are companions and used as truffle pigs ...

I don't believe that I have the high moral ground to tell people in another culture and country what they have to do regards eating, also if I don't like it.

ETA ...wrt vegans: ...and even they could only oppose the festival IMO without hypocrisy if they don't own a dog, cat or other carnivore they have to feed with meat.

You can't compare the raising and slaughtering of animals like cows or sheep to dogs because they're entirely different animals with very different needs. Livestock species are usually herbivorous, live in large groups, usually prefer minimal interaction with people and their needs can be catered for quite easily. Compare this to dogs who will fight in large groups, cannot eat the cheaper and more readily available foods cattle or sheep can eat and have a very complex relationship with humans. Their welfare needs obviously aren't even close to being met, judging from some of those photos.

It might be a moral issue for some but for me, it's about welfare. It'd be unacceptable for someone here in Australia to keep 50 dogs in a tiny concrete yard, rarely feeding them and providing no veterinary care, let alone clubbing them to death as a means of slaughter. Even for cows, we have laws to protect the welfare of livestock and regulations for how those animals must be slaughtered. It wouldn't matter to me if it was a cow, sheep, rabbit or dog, their practices are not acceptable.

And on the topic of unacceptable management..

Do we see similar pushes to deny Spain a World Dog Show even though every year tens of thousands of Galgos are tortured and killed in that country? Nope, there isn't even a murmur. Smacks of racisim to me.

And how do we, as Australians, have any right to the moral high ground given our track record on things like live baiting of Greyhounds.

Same thing. I don't particularly care where the show is held but I do think it's important that people understand the difference between moral opposition and opposition based on welfare concerns. Using greyhounds in Australia as an example.. do I oppose greyhound racing for a moral reason, such as the idea that animals shouldn't be used for entertainment? No. Because I doubt the dogs care if we are entertained or not. I oppose it (in its current form) because of the prevalence of live baiting; because in Tasmania, roughly half of all pups whelped are never named- which means the majority of those dogs will end up dead before 2 years of age; and because of certain rearing and training methods that make the dogs unrehomeable as adults. If all of the many and varied welfare concerns could be addressed (which will likely never happen, sadly), I think the sport could have a future.

Could eating dogs be okay if all of their welfare needs were met and slaughter was quick, clean and humane? I guess theoretically, yes. But again, it won't happen so..

Back on topic..

A quick look at the FCI website and I found this.. http://www.fci.be/en/For-Dogs-in-China-184.html so it seems the FCI certainly isn't ignoring the issue or attempting to shirk their responsibilities. And if they and the CKU do follow through with all that, I'd have no problemwith the show being held in China, seeing as there appears to be significant focus on improving welfare long-term.

[westiemum]

Maddy:

[Willem]

https://vimeo.com/151448380 ...Warning!!!! very disturbing footage!!! ...so much about moral high ground!

[Maddy]

https://vimeo.com/151448380 ...Warning!!!! very disturbing footage!!! ...so much about moral high ground!

Videos from the AR folk are always a great example of the exceptions to the rules. If they showed footage of the usual operations of the average processing facility, most Australians (barring the AR folk, of course) would agree that the livestock are handled appropriately and slaughter is about as humane as we can make it. Showing the exceptions, as if it were the standard way things are done, is how most AR campaigns work.

[SkySoaringMagpie]

I urge people to inform themselves on subjects before signing and sharing emotive petitions.

The China Kennel Club is the organisation that bid for the World Dog Show. They are at the forefront of changing attitudes to dogs in China and lead the way in dog rescue in that country. Initially they WERE dog rescue. Now a bunch of folk, most of whom know nothing about the CKC, consider that a minority culture practice in that country should be sufficient to shut the CKC's efforts down. What a smack in the face to a dedicated group of people who want to see dogs treated as pets, not food. They are not the Chinese Government. They have no power to shut down the festival.

Do we see similar pushes to deny Spain a World Dog Show even though every year tens of thousands of Galgos are tortured and killed in that country? Nope, there isn't even a murmur. Smacks of racisim to me.

And how do we, as Australians, have any right to the moral high ground given our track record on things like live baiting of Greyhounds.

Think with your heads everyone and consign these sorts of petitions to the scrap heap where they belong.