Yin Ee Kiong

    THE hot dog is one of America’s favorite junk foods alongside hamburgers. Yet, you don’t see hot dog franchises in China.

    The reason is that China has her own idea of what a hot dog is and it is not a sausage inside a roll.

    “Dogs ‘killed for eateries’” (Shenzhen Daily on Nov. 19-21) reminds us that the cold season is upon us once again. The perception that eating dogs keeps us warm has made dog meat a seasonal favorite. Whether there is any scientific evidence for this or it’s just an old wife’s tale, this is open season on dogs — dead or alive.

    Apparently, there’s a lot of dognapping going on (my neighbor’s included) at this time of year. And, according to the report, even dead dogs are not left to lie in peace.

    Last year around this time, Shenzhen Daily showed an overturned truck loaded with caged dogs. It would seem that this is an industry — supplying dog meat for the table.

    If that is the case, then one has to ask if there is any proper supervision of the industry. How are dogs reared for the table; how are they slaughtered — whether this is done in abattoirs and whether the dogs are checked for sickness and disease before they are passed fit for human consumption. The authorities just cannot let contaminated meat — whatever it may be — to be sold in the market or served in restaurants.

    Westerners are invariably turned off by dog eating. However before they point an accusing finger let it be known that the Chinese are not the only ones who eat dogs. Northern Nigerians love dogs (the Southerners prefer cats), Koreans, Vietnamese, Filipinos (they also eat cats) and others think nothing of eating our four-legged friend. And if we protest eating domestic pets, what about horses? The French and Belgians love horse meat. Italian salami is donkey meat.

    It’s a cultural thing those who eat dog meat would cite in defense. But then it was a cultural thing for the tribes of Papua New Guinea or the Bataks of Sumatra to eat humans. Does that make it all right then?

    It’s not just dogs or cats, but also whales, tigers, bears, armadillos and sharks (fins) that we should think twice about eating. Some because they are endangered and some because it’s a waste when only the fins are taken and the rest of the fish is discarded.

    Do we have the right to eat anything we fancy? Unless legally prohibited what is to stop us? But when put another way: do we have to eat anything and everything just because it’s not illegal to do so? The answer is not so straightforward.

    More pertinently, do we have to eat man’s best friend? Dogs are pets, companions, protectors. They are also used for herding, police work, guide dogs for the blind and such. Dogs are loyal, they are always happy to see you. Even when you come home drunk in the wee hours of the morning they don’t complain. They don’t grumble if you feed them late.

    They are ever willing to go out when you want to, or just stay home, they don’t make demands on you. It has been proved that those who keep dogs live longer. A dog is the best friend you can have. Would you eat your best friend?

    Dogs are not pigs, chickens, goats or cows reared for the express purpose of meat for the table.

    Eating dog is one thing, but my observation is that, generally, there is little concept of animal cruelty in China. The public needs to be educated not just against eating dogs but also about cruelty to animals in general. I remember very well the picture of the idiot who dragged his dog behind his bike at speed (Shenzhen Daily, Feb. 23). In England, he would have been charged under the Cruelty to Animals Act. It is time China had a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — if there is not one already.

    Cultural changes take time but, as China becomes more affluent, I sense people’s attitudes toward dogs changing. I see more and more people owning dogs as pets. They spend a lot of time and money on their dogs. The pet industry is growing very quickly and pet shops are a common sight now. And, what about the lady in Xi’an who spent a prince’s ransom to buy a Tibetan Mastiff and then chauffeured it around in a limousine? Maybe the Chinese are becoming as eccentric as the English.

    While most of us won’t go that far, things are looking up for man’s best friend in China.

    (The author is a Malaysian published writer and editor, who has lived and worked in 10 countries.)