Supporting the animals who love us
A rally being held today calls on the government to ban the dog and cat trade. Show you care by joining in
For the first time, dog and cat rescuers throughout the country are banding together to publicise the dog and cat trade and to request the government to pass regulations that stop this business.
We'll know how much support there is today when a walk rally, organised by numerous groups of rescuers, will take place at Lumpini Park.
The walk starts at 2pm in front of King Rama VI's statue opposite the Dusit Thani and ends at CentralWorld.
Everyone is invited, even if you don't own a pet. Dogs are invited too. Just please wear white.
The rally is in response to the recent rescue of nearly 2,000 dogs destined for a "neighbouring country" to supply restaurants specialising in dog meat.
It's hardly news that dogs and cats in Thailand are routinely rounded up and either killed in this country or in another country for their meat. At least once a year the story appears in local papers and the public is outraged, but in a few days, the story disappears.
People like to say the eating of dog meat happens only in the North or Northeast, but I've heard reports of restaurants and even street vendors in Bangkok offering grilled dog meat or dog stew or whatever to the public. Some people don't even realise what they're eating.
Other people take a live-and-let-live approach to the dog meat trade. "I don't eat dog meat," one person told me, "but I think that anyone who wishes to eat it should be allowed to."
A former provincial governor expressed the same opinion a few years ago, saying, basically, if people want to eat dog meat, they can, but they should make sure that the meat is safe to eat.
Another person with a similar opinion had one reservation, however. He didn't mind what people ate, but he felt that the dogs should be killed humanely.
Right now, the dogs are slaughtered by men with heavy sticks that crush the animals' skulls. The men try not to hit the body, I understand. Dog and cat skins also provide a lucrative trade.
In fact, I suspect that the dog trade continues not so much for the dog meat but for the skins, which, once they're processed, cannot be easily distinguished from cow skin.
People have their own problems, with the unsteady economy, political changes and the need for educational and health reform. They may feel that the dog trade is just a trifle, not much to worry about.
It is something to worry about, though, when animals bred to be an emotional support for their owners are tortured, skinned and eaten for the benefit of people who lack even a touch of compassion.
By harming animals in this way, these people have lost their humanity.
