Blonde By Nature

A continuation from Do We Not Bleed? A Look At China’s Treatment of Animals.

The following is a description of a St. Bernard…

They are extremely gentle and friendly and very tolerant of children. [They] are slow moving, patient, and obedient. Extremely loyal [and they] want to please. Since [they] are so large, they should be socialized very well at a young age with people. They are highly intelligent and easy to train; however training should begin early, while the dog is still a manageable size. [They] are a great watchdog.

- St. Bernard temperament, Wikipedia

The American Kennel Club’s St. Bernard breed standard says that they have a “most intelligent expression.” In fact, the Saint Bernard Club of America (SBCA) dates back to 1888 and is one of the oldest breed clubs recognized by the AKC.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? As reported by the Chinese Newspaper Orient Express roughly 10 years ago, “Despite the Chinese government’s constant declaration of its extraordinary achievements in environmental and wildlife protection, some government agencies recently are promoting the import of Saint Bernards for food.”

This news was released when Chinese agricultural “experts” found that the St. Bernard is the best breed for massive breeding (females gives birth to 9-12 pups) and killing for meat. They are naturally disease resistant, are not active, grow in size quickly – on average gain 1 pound a day. When are they ready to eat? In 3 to 4 months. China Central Television in Beijing reported that these “Big Dumb Dogs” are not aggressive and therefore the breeders do not need to worry about getting attacked because they are trained for rescuing humans in the winter.

The news of this St. Bernard eating was so shocking to Westerners that a desperate call to Sign-A-Petition email circulated quickly. As a result a reputable online Urban Legend Reference Guide Snopes.com had to do a file on it claiming it’s authenticity.

SO WHAT? Asia is known for eating many foods that North Americans or Europeans find as “odd” and truth be told there are lot of cultures off the internet grid that eat different meats as well. To that end, the inhumane killing and eating of millions of dogs and cats is a type of meat that is hard to grasp for Westerners. But don’t be fooled because these practices have made their way into the Asian cuisine in the Western world, e.g. Vancouver, Canada. However, to clarify what is being questioned here is not cat/dog-eating practices but the way in which they torture these animals and the lack of law.

The long and painful death of these animals stems from the belief that the adrenaline rush of the animal improves the flavour of the meat and there is nothing protecting animals against such brutality. Further to that it is not just one day of torture that these animal endure – it is their entire life. Now, I will not claim that any country is perfect in it’s slaughtering methods, however, there are laws here where there are no laws there.

HERE there was the biggest beef recall in US history when the US Department of Agriculture discovered the truth behind Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company in California and their animal treatment. You can read more about it here: Animal Cruelty and the Biggest Beef Recall In History. The repercussions for this abuse was HUGE.

THERE animal torture is common as beef eaters in North America and within the most populated areas in China such as Guangzhou it is at its worst. As we are here and they are there, we must depend on people like Annie Mather, Executive Director and Head of Media of Animals Asia, for market observations….

There is such a crashing lack of dignity in these live animal markets - you see whole families not only working in such a place but living there, small children running around, sliding around in the blood, the screams of the animals, a sort of everyday background noise…. living in a soulless hellhole, but not knowing it.

Click here for further descriptions or here for Annie’s indepth report in its entirety. Another such undercover investigative report by One Voice: China’s Dog Trade Industry describes similar behaviours in restaurants and an example of a typical factory kill.

Animal Asia Protection Network has further details regarding the dog food industry as well as imagery.

WHAT NOW? Dogs are proving to be of intrinsic benefit to humankind all over the world and as a result, have made a valuable place within our society. Programs such as Asian Animals Foundation’s Dr. Dog are making a large impact on Asian society in a really great way by using the dogs for educational therapy. Other organizations such as Chinese Companion Animal Protection Network, Act Asia, and Animal Protection Network are working hard to change perception. You can check out any of these links to find the right organization for you to help fight for new Asian law.

The next article will show another example of the Chinese treatment of agricultural products/animals.

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