Trading in dog meat 'abhorrent'

ELLY Maynard of Tauranga, appalled after hearing that Asian countries are attempting to buy Saint Bernard and other large breed dogs to provide meat on their tables, has declared war. Claiming to be 'small but feisty', she has launched an international petition to 'try to stop such an abhorrent practice'.

Her aim is to collect at least a million signatures to present to the United Nations. She said she could not bear to think of the suffering of these animals, many of whom are skinned, or hung up and their fur blow-torched off, while alive - in the name of their imagined aphrodisiac qualities.

The Swiss branch of the International Association for the Protection of Animals has already called on the Swiss government to prevent the sale of Saint Bernard dogs to Asian countries - especially China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Korea and the Philippines.

Already Mrs Maynard has made large inroads towards her target number of petition signatures. Twenty-eight countries have now accepted the petition and its implications. Many people have been appalled by the reports that are beginning to come in on a regular basis and evidence that there are Asian groups starting puppy farms - right under our very noses in New Zealand, and at a time when the rest of the civilised world is waking up to them and banning 'production line' dog breeding.

As well as the story of one showdog owner we have the story of another showdog owner who was approached by an Asian man and woman at a show (they had been taking photographs for some time) and asked if they had any dogs for sale. The owner said she had none, but she knew of some puppies that would be ready in about two weeks if they wanted to contact the breeder. The Asian man just said "no, no puppies, only big dogs", and hurriedly walked away.

From Tauranga comes the story of a boarding kennel owner who was approached by four Asian men in a car, who came in and asked if there were any dogs for sale. The kennel owner explained that this was a hotel for animals, not a shop. The men left, but were obviously just 'cruising' for dogs.

Over the last few weeks it has become obvious that it is not only the large breeds that are sought. The more protective breeds are often used for dog baiting and fighting - the longer hair breeds are sought for their fur (a recent report from Moscow, after its fashion shops were berated for selling clothing made from dog fur, claimed that the clothing was from Mongolia and was dyed and sold as various wild animal furs - supposedly the retail buyers did not know until they had bought the stock), and the larger breeds - or almost any breed they can get - for the table. There is no excuse for this exploitation of an intelligent, loyal companion and worker animal. Most of those bought for the table meet a horrible death, often in pursuit of imagined 'aphrodisiac' qualities which makes one wonder whether dog-eating Asian males are becoming incapable of logical thought, in light of the fact that there are many very efficient both herbal and chemical aphrodisiacs on the retail shelves (have they not heard of Viagra?).

The most disgusting part of these stories is that those who have invested in the Kiwi puppy farm/s regard themselves as businessmen ... but are nevertheless happy to lie, cheat and deceive New Zealand breeders in order to obtain their stock, then hide them away from the breeders who usually keep track of their dogs. This must be how businessmen conduct themselves in Asia?

There is reportedly one puppy farm in Pukekohe, the owner known to have bought at least 12 dogs of varying breeds (pedigree) over the space of a couple of months, then gone to Australia and tried to buy Saint Bernards among others, then come back to New Zealand and recently has bought a Dachshund (these are just the dogs that he is known to have bought).

All of these breeders have been told their dogs are going to good homes in Singapore, but for the very few that have actually gone there, their destination (the home address registered with the Kennel Club) is that of "Waggies" pet shop. A recent report from Singapore contacts said that shop had three NZ Labradors for sale - all confined for at least three weeks to cages so small that they could not even stand up properly.

A new worldwide group has recently emerged that is a combination of all rescue groups. Called Asian Animal Rescue Response Force (AARRF) it is on permanent stand-by for rescues from Asian countries. New Zealand group Helping Animals from New Zealand (HANZ), is a participating country in the AARRF network.

If any breeders out there have potential owners (buyers) contact them from Asia, and they wish to check that the person and the address are genuine before selling pups, please phone your local breed club, the SPCA, Kennel club, or contact Sirius Global organisation for Animals at: http://sirius.2kat.net/

You need to remember that dogs are disposable all over Asia - that the 'in' breed of the moment may be 'out' in a few months and status-seeking Asians will discard it on the street to make way for the new status symbol. Once on the street, if not eaten, the dogs are rounded up and gassed, or in the case of Taiwan they are not considered worth the gas - they are just rounded up into a pit and buried alive. Please take care and check EVERYTHING if you contemplate a sale in Asia.