Friend Or Food Campaign Against Dog and Cat Eating in China Animals Asia Foundation August, 2008

1. Friend Or Food? Campaign Against Dog and Cat Eating in ChinaAnimals Asia FoundationAugust, 2008

2. History of Dog and Cat Eating Ancient China Dog meat eaten as part of a ritual sacrifice feast amongst a handful of tribes. Republican China 1912-1927 Dog eating banned under Sun Yat-sen. Mao�s �Great Leap Forward� 1950s Dog meat is considered a famine food Deng Xiaoping�s �Reform and Open Door Policy�1980s Increased wealth leads to promotion of dog meat by traders. 1990s Attempts to industrialise dog farming, dog eating increases, but still not daily cuisine. 2000 Large-scale industrialisation fails due to difficulty with disease control. 2004-Present Trade reverts back to system of small-scale cottage industry but large-scale manufacture of dog meat products appeared.

3. Dog Eating in China Today Although dog meat is still not a daily staple, dog eating has never been as prevalent in China as it is today; Two contradictory trends: Dog eating is growing disproportionately amongst certain sectors of the population - such as young, urban professionals. But as more and more people begin to keep dogs as pets, dog eating amongst young professionals, particularly in large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and even Guangzhou, is actually decreasing. Both dog and cat meat are thought to have �warming� effect in China, so autumn and winter are the seasons for dog and cat eating;

4. A dog meat restaurant in Wu Han slaughter the dogs by the street. This practice was criticized by local newspaper as �too blooded and too cruel.

6. Dog Eating in China Today Although you can find dog meat in restaurants in almost every regions in China, dog eating are especially popular in certain areas: Guizhou, North East, Guangdong, Jiangshu, Zhejiang ect. Some local government even through holding dog meat festival to attract tourists; Compared with dog eating, cat eating area is limited within Guangdong areas; According to our survey, most people eat dog meat for their better taste as well as its benefit to health; Unconfirmed estimates are as high as 100 millions dogs eaten per year;

7. Dog Farming While it began as cottage industry, there was a push to industrialize the dog meat trade; Large-scale farms cropped up in a number of provinces during the late 1990s; The vast majority of these business failed due to high overhead costs and an inability to control the outbreak of diseases; The industry now moved towards a system of scattered smallholdings with farmers either sending dogs directly to market themselves or operating through a network of middlemen who gather dogs from the countryside and transport them into cities;

10. Dog Farming in China Purebred stock was being introduced on met dog farms, the industry seems to have swung back in favor of local mixed breed dogs in recent years; National level government documents officially encourage the introduction of more purebred dogs in addition to higher standards of breeding and husbandry; A lot of dogs had been the pets stolen from family in the live animal market. Dog or cat being stolen or poisoned are frequently reported during winter period; Dog and cat meat industry exist legal grey area in China. The legal status of dogs varies from province-to province, even from county-to country; The industry is still controversial, not only among general public but also local government officials; �Dogs have emotions like people so this is a controversial industry� An official of Hezhou government, Jiangxi Province

11. Growth of Auxiliary Products Industry Market for processed products such as vacuum-packed and canned dog meat appears to be growing rapidly; Fan Kuai Dog Meat Product Co. Ltd is a large comprehensive company whose operations include dog raising, dog meat production, scientific research. Founded in 1994, the company produces 300 tons dog meat products every year and the products are being exported to Russia, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore. - From the website of Fan Kuai Co. Ltd in Pei County, Jianshu Province

12. Frozen dog meat also has been spotted in supermarkets throughout the country;

13. The cruelty is horrendous�

18. Campaign in Chinato end dog and cat eating

19. Friend or Food?Our Tactics

20. Key messages: Dog and cat are the best friend and helper of human being, they should not bee seen as food or fur; Eating dog and cat won�t bring any extra benefit to your health, instead there is potential threat to health; Dog and cat can�t be farmed or slaughtered humanely for food. Eating dog and cat means cruelty to these animals; Everyone can help to improve the living condition of dog and cat .

21. Dr. Dog China Started by Jill Robinson in Hong Kong in 1991, over 300 animal therapy dogs across Asia are proving that companion animals are wonderful friends and helpers. 2004, Dr Dog was introduced into mainland China and started visit in Chengdu in Novemver; At present, over 70 Dr. Dogs are visiting elderly house, disable kids center, orphanage and school in three cities � Chengdu, Guangzhou and Shenzhen; Over 500 media coverage including programs of CCTV, China�s national TV station ;

25. Professor Paw Inspire school children to love and respect animals whilst learning English.

26. What else do you need to do? (Let the children guess) That�s right - brush their fur. This is a great way to spend time with your dog and become good friends. It feels nice to have their fur brushed so they will love you even more! What about a bath? Do dogs need a bath every day? (Let the children guess) Actually they only need a bath once a month - otherwise their skin can get itchy. What else do you need to do? (Let the children guess) That�s right - brush their fur. This is a great way to spend time with your dog and become good friends. It feels nice to have their fur brushed so they will love you even more! What about a bath? Do dogs need a bath every day? (Let the children guess) Actually they only need a bath once a month - otherwise their skin can get itchy.

27. Friend or Food?

30. World Animal Day Celebration Dr. Dog Walk in Harmony and Annual Dog Achievement Award Through highlighting the contribution of dog to society and exposing the plight of companion animal, to increase the public awareness about the issues and change people�s attitude. We have successfully held the event for two years in Chengdu. Last year more than 100 dogs and 200 dog owners took part in our event and pledged not to eat dog and cat forever; More than 30 groups around the country joined the celebration in 2007;

33. Friend or Food? FOF Education Grant � RMB 50,000 for the first year Through providing financial support to encourage local groups take initiative, starting their own localized education programs (road show, school education);

39. Guangzhou Stray Cat TNR Program Funding local group to implement the first stray cat TNR program in Guangzhou, the capital city of cat and dog eating; Introducing the effect way of stray cat population control in order to eliminate the animal abuse related to the problems of stray cats; The pilot program is targeted to neuter 60 stray cats (around 70% of total number of stray cat in a resident community) Will expand this program to more cities in the coming year

41. Through this program, a lot resident changed their attitude towards stray cat. An old lady who didn't like the cat asked the volunteer not to release the cats back after desexing them. But after being told that the cats will help control the rat's number in the area, she changed her mind.

42. Government lobby Through negotiations with local governments to promote policy changes; Vet outreach program Help the local vet clinic to improve the professional and welfare standard through outreach program by our vet team in Chengdu bear sanctuary;

43. Thank You!