National assembly votes to end trade in dog meat, thanks to its canine-loving leaders
“When you’re at a restaurant, you don’t really see the process, but that changes once you’re at a farm and see how horrible the situation is, how badly the dogs are treated and how they carry all these diseases … stuff that makes you feel that this is wrong in so many ways.”
Over the years, activists have documented the cruelty of the industry. Dogs are subjected to deplorable conditions, confined to cages amid putrid surroundings infested with diseases and faeces, and often left with untreated wounds. They are fed discarded food waste, often containing harmful ingredients. They are strangulated by hanging, beaten, or even electrocuted, sometimes over prolonged periods.
Breeders, many of whom are older and see the dog meat trade as a way out of poverty, argue that conditions have improved in recent times.