Stop Dog Trade Meat in the Philippines for Good !

"The one absolutely unselfish friend a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog. A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be at his master's side.
"He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer. He will lick the wounds and sores that come from the encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens".

The above is a quote from US Senator Vest in 1870 when he was addressing the jury in a court case in defence of a dog. This was a part of his impassioned plea.


The dog has come a long way with humans. The partnership between the two transcends most things. Throughout the years dogs have been bred in the West and Europe for many reasons such as hunting, for herding, guide for blind people and for guarding. Search and Rescue has also been a large part of the role some breeds of dogs play in the lives of humans. These breeds are in particular the Saint Bernards, German Shepherds, Labradors to name a few. After the September 11, 2001 tragedy in New York, the world media called the Search and Rescue dogs "canine heroes" yet these are the same breeds being exported for food.

Ask yourself, do these animals deserve to be left to a fate indescribable at the hands of these cruel and heartless people of our country?
It is up to the people to put pressure on our Government.


It is estimated that around 500,000 dogs are killed annually in the Philippine Islands for human consumption. Eating dogs has been illegal since 1998 when RA 8485 (the Philippine Animal Welfare Act) became a law, but because of a lack of enforcement, live dogs and dog meat are sold openly in the market place and restaurants. Despite this legislative improvement, lack of enforcement remains a serious problem that has to be addressed by the Philippines government if the dog meat trade is to be ended. Corruption within the police force at large is endemic and dog meat traders simply buy off any attempts at upholding the law, often by giving live dogs to police officers for their next meal. In Baguio City, the largest town in the dog meat eating region, uniformed policemen have been seen eating in dog meat restaurants.

Dog meat eating was banned in Manila in 1982, and nationwide in 1998 via Republic Act No. 8485, known as the Animal Welfare Act with exemptions for dogs killed and eaten as part of indigenous rituals.More recently, this national ban was bolstered by the Rabies Act (RA 9482), which upgraded penalties for convicted dog meat traders to include jail time and substantially increased fines as a means of limiting the spread of rabies.

Although the vast majority of Filipinos don't consume dogs, the lucrative trade in dog meat is becoming more prevalent, especially in the Philippine region surrounding Baguio City. Here dogs are treated as nothing more than objects. Crammed so tightly into wire cages they cannot move, struggling for every breath in the stifling heat with their mouths tied shut, bound with nylon string or has a tin can forced over it, On occasion their front legs are forced behind their backs and tied. The dogs are left in this condition, sometimes for days, in the 30 degree plus heat without food or water until the dog meat trader accumulates about 100 animals, enough to fill a truck.
For the trip to the north, the trussed dogs are crammed into wire or bamboo cages so tightly they are literally unable to move. The lucky ones forced against the bars of the cage manage to get some fresh air in the stifling heat.

The dogs in the middle of the load are less fortunate and often suffocate or die of heat stroke. Conditions during the six-hour journey are so bad that on average 40-50 percent of the dogs die before they reach their destination. On occasion, mortality rates during transport rise as high as 90\%. Mortality rates are of no concern to the dog meat traders as the dead animals are processed along with the live ones for the markets and restaurants, and are still profitable.

Upon reaching the slaughterhouses, the dogs are clubbed or have their throats cut while still conscious, their fur is singed off with a blowtorch and the bodies are dismembered and distributed to local wet markets. It is entirely possible that improperly slaughtered dogs are blowtorched while still conscious.

Veterinary observers conclude that based on the above modus operandi, levels of suffering and anxiety are extremely and unacceptably high and consistent for animals implicated in the dog meat trade from the minute they fall into the dog meat traders hands up to and including slaughter. This time frame can be anywhere from 12 -48 hours.


Fortunately, you can make a difference.

Education - Educating the public about the inherent animal welfare concerns and health risks associated with processing and consuming dog meat (such as rabies transmission) is an important activity that can slow consumer demand for dog meat. Network regularly solicits television stations and newspapers to cover the dog meat trade issue, thereby reaching hundreds of thousands of people with our message of compassion. Additionally, we print and distribute educational leaflets and posters in dog meat eating areas, give presentations to veterinarians, schools and civic groups, and when funding allows, run advertisements in newspapers.

Funding local animal shelters - The Philippines is the only country in SE Asia that doesnt provide government funding for spay-neuter programs, and overpopulation of stray dogs has become a major problem that allows the dog meat trade to proliferate. Consequently, the task of combating domestic animal overpopulation has fallen to the non-profit sector. Network funds and assists local shelters that implement spay-neuter programs and find caring homes for stray animals. The funding goes towards the purchase of medications, veterinary care, printing educational literature and dog food. Additionally, Network is in the process of setting up a dog shelter in central Manila. This shelter will rehabilitate and re-home dogs seized from dog meat traders and offer low cost spay-neuter, rabies vaccinations and other veterinary services to underprivileged companion animal owners.


On Tuesday 25th March 2008, a new Law was passed which now has a penalty of 5,000 pesos fine per dog and a mandatory minimum of one (and up to four) year's imprisonment for anyone caught transporting dogs for slaughter or killing them. source: http://www.nscb.gov.ph/stats/statwatch.asp.

Things will not be fixed overnight, but while the Philippines Government continues to work closely with the Animal Kingdom Foundation they have to be congratulated for wanting to come into the 21st Century. It is a shame that countries such as Korea and China are not prepared to follow suit!

Government approved Police raids are carried out ruthlessly on the illegal dog traders and the rescued dogs are taken to the Animal Kingdom Foundation Centre which, as of March 2008, houses 300 dogs. These dogs have been nursed back to good health, and are fully vaccinated and thus free from any disease and available for adoption. Those who cannot be homed because of the trauma they have experienced at the hands of the illegal dog traders remain at the Centre in safety for the rest of their lives. The World Health Organisation supplies rabies vaccine free and it is fully utilised.

Please support these Animal Foundations:
http://sirius.2kat.net/phil.html
http://www.animalkingdomfoundation.org/
http://www.paws.org.ph/site/1/default.aspx
http://www.animalcampaigns.com/index.php/Animal-Welfare-Campaigns/animal-cruelty-philippines-dog-meat-trade.html