Has anyone heard about the Yulin dog eating festival in China

[Beringia]

I took the plunge after seeing a post about it on Facebook and it was the worst animal abuse story I have ever heard. They boil dogs alive, skin them alive, beat them to improve the taste of their meat. I read several threads about it on Quora and people saying dogs are different especially because they have a unique bond with humans, where they truly love humans. And then many Chinese saying it is a cultural difference and Westerners eat pigs, sheep and cows. But there is absolutely no defense of torturing the dogs. Many people said, the festival will probably eventually end and that younger Chinese are not as into eating dog meat as the older generation.

[steventh]

1. Terrible. Lisa Vanderpump has been organizing protests against it for years.

She opened a shelter and tries to save as many dogs as she can. She made a documentary. There's a trailer on youtube. I had to stop watching at 28 seconds. Terrible.

[Beringia]

3. Nice to know

I cannot watch the live videos either.

[California_Republic]

2. I don't think any animal deserves protection over another

Veal is sad.
Chickens stuck inside their whole life

We don’t need to go to China to find animal cruelty

[Beringia]

4. That's true

I try to be aware of the bigger picture of animals in the whole world, at least to be informed about each situation of abuse.

[Beringia]

5. Also I do think it helps to bring awareness to these issues

Many people react to having a stigma of wrong behavior and will change. Younger Chinese will read about this on the internet. I think we can influence China to advance in their treatment of animals. Right now China has no laws at all against animal cruelty.

[Duppers]

8. I very much support your post!

Yes I have heard and seen pictures of China's dog meat festival. It breaks my heart.

(There's more I'd like to say but I'd be accused of things.)

[Beringia]

10. Thanks!

[Duppers]

9. If you don't differentiate animals

Then why would you differentiate people from animals?
We're just a different animal. Do we
deserves protection over other animals? Other primates?
Would you differentiate bonobos or mountain gorillas?

You're a vegan, I would guess. That's a strong stance that I've failed to employ, so the 2nd, lesser evil choice in my mind is to differentiate. I feel sad feeding red meat to my dogs, but I do. I feel less sad about the chicken. But also am sad for the little mouse my husband caught in a trap. At least it wasn't an F'n glue trap.

I'm all over the place here, so I'll shut up.

[athena]

12. This is self-serving nonsense.

Just because you cause some suffering to animals doesn’t make it OK to cause thousands of times more suffering.

Veganism is not about being perfect. It’s about reducing the suffering one causes animals as much as possible. When you go vegan, you avoid causing the torture and killing of hundreds of animals each year. That is not undone by killing a fly or a nasty-looking spider.

[msongs]

6. americans boil live lobsters and other shell animals. nt

[Beringia]

7. Yes I read that point being made, also cruel

For me personally, boiling a dog is much more cruel, it takes about 2 hours, from what I have read.

[athena]

11. All these threads about what's happening to animals Americans don't eat

seem incredibly hypocritical. I often wonder if the poster of such a post eats pigs and chickens. No one who pays hard-earned money to support the torture and killing of pigs, cows, and chickens is in any position to criticize other countries for torturing and eating dogs, cats, or horses.

If you care about animals, first look at your own actions. Stop eating animals. Stop paying for their exploitation. You will find, after just a few weeks, that you feel more peaceful and in harmony with nature than you ever have. And you will know that no matter what horrible things may be happening out there, at least you are not a part of it.

[Beringia]

13. I don't think awareness can ever hurt.

It could lead to someone becoming a vegetarian. Your post is so rude.

I should add I do eat a hamburger very rarely, which I feel guilty about and am trying to stop. But reading about animals only brings me more solidly to not eat any animal.

[athena]

14. Veganism is not about guilt. Quite the contrary.

Feeling guilty does nothing for animals. It only makes you feel better about yourself. You support the torture and slaughter of an innocent animal who wanted to be free; you enjoy your burger; then you talk online about how guilty you felt to distinguish yourself as superior to everyone else who ate a hamburger today.

This is the vegan, vegetarian and animal rights forum, and the vast majority of the threads are about dogs, cats, and whales. After years of watching it without saying anything, I finally decide I’ve had enough of the hypocrisy, and I’m criticized by a non-vegan for being rude!

There is nothing rude about pointing out hypocrisy. Anyone who is driven to keep supporting the torture and killing of animals because of my post is just trying to shift the responsibility for their actions onto others.

It’s not that hard to say no to exploitation and suffering. If you really want to do the right thing, you will do it.