K9 Perspective

The magazine your dog would want you to read

Editorial: April-May 2008:

No excuse for New Zealand
lack of concern on imports

IN caring western countries now there is a ban on any imports that contain dog and cat fur or skin. Trade from China has a very high content of such product as everyone knows, and is capable of false representation on a huge scale in order to get their products on to the market. The USA was the first to ban such goods, followed by Australia and Switzerland. Within the European Union Italy, Belgium, Denmark, France and Greece have already established bans and Britain (which made a feeble excuse when reneging on its first promise to ban such imports, saying that the “authority would have to come from the EU” then sitting back as one EU country after another established bans on their own behalf) is set to follow early next year.

Why, then, is New Zealand lagging so far behind? Usually it is a country that does not like to be seen as lagging behind Australia in anything, least of all its ability (because of low population) to keep up with the latest technical and morality issues?

The answer is simple. New Zealand has become so committed to Chinese trade in the last 10 years that to ban anything from there would mean emptying the retail shelves – and most of the goods leave a lot to be desired. New Zealand shoppers are getting a raw deal. They pay no less for the goods than for the same product from any other country, but they have no choice because NZ manufacturers get their product made in China – because it is cheaper! And wholesalers buy from such manufacturers – because it is cheaper. The manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers are winning as they all get a bigger cut, but the buyers pay large prices for cheap goods because there is nothing else! Such is the nature of New Zealand’s commitment to China.

It is time for that country to look to its morals instead of its bank balance. Please all New Zealanders take a look at the Sirius website http://sirius.2kat.net/ and watch in horror at the way these dogs and cats are treated and killed. These are OUR animals that OUR moronic breeders have sold into that country! It is nothing to do with culture, only money! This is OUR culture they are corrupting – they never had the types of dogs they are now slaughtering until western breeders sold them to Chinese dealers. Large or small breeds, crossbreed or purebred, it is all the same to them!

Just as I said in my last issue “the puppy farms will never stop until people stop buying puppies from them” the same is true of China’s fur and skin trade: “they will never stop murdering our dogs and cats until all western countries stop buying from them”. And this must not be a token signature by some evasive government official. People must see that goods are being tested regularly and any with canine or feline DNA must be returned to China immediately. China must be made to see that as long as there is even one sample of banned product in a shipment the whole shipment will be returned. They will soon stop using our lovely dogs and start trading legitimately.

No doubt China would undertake to test its own product before it was shipped, but would we feel comfortable with our politicians taking their word? Do pigs fly?! PROOF must be a requirement and ongoing commitment to trade.

If you are strong enough to view the video of dog slaughter on the Sirius website (are the people engaged in such killings worthy of being called anything other than barbaric sadists?) you will want to know what products are made in China that use the remains of such slaughter. First there are dog chew bones – yes, you are cannibalising your dog to give it these things. It is not enough to have “Made in NZ” or “Made in UK” or such on the label. You must know where the skin is sourced and if you can not see that on the label, then do not buy them! This applies to all types of rawhide chew that are available for dogs.

Second, there are fur coats and fur trimmings on all sorts of garments – these are often falsely labelled with fictional fur types. Then there are soft toys, often made with cat or puppy fur, and giftware with fur covering or fluffy balls attached, furry hair accessories, gloves and hats. And one of the largest is of course shoes. A huge percentage of shoes from China are made from dog skin. Again, they are usually called something else (nothing a western shopper would recognise) or there is no attempt to put any source on the label at all. If it is made in China or source unspecified then don’t touch it.

Finally there are the rest of the leather goods – bags, handbags, briefcases, hats, gloves, belts, wallets, stationery covers, glasses cases, waistcoats, jackets – anything at all made of leather or fur. If they came from China then don’t buy them! It is only the purchase power of the people that is going to stop this abhorrent trade. Please get the message out to as many friends as possible and lobby your government as much as possible.

And one last thought – considering the huge slaughter of dogs with iron bars that went on in the streets (and homes) of the towns near the Olympic site … you do not really need to patronise the Games do you? - Elezabeth