China to ban eating dogs, cats

this urks me. i just believe in that dogs and cats are pets and not food. but if a vegetarian was talking, then this would turn into a bigger discussion. but, that is what i just think.

To calm_incense and others. Im not saying that any of those things are right. Im saying is that we need to look at ourselves the things that we do. Before we go and act "high and mighty" on other cultures, telling them what to do and not do. It just seems that no one cries foul over the things America and Europe does. wheres the outrage over what happened during the Alantic Slave Trade or whats happening to Palestinans in Gaza? No shows there outrage. But if china or some other 3 word country does something even as small as eating dog the world treats them as godless savage communist or whatever government they follow.

Well said Calm Incense.

EcoNut and others, there are many parts of many cultures that unnecessarily make people or animals suffer and/or die... just for the whims of people. Tradition doesn't make it right and it's not right in any culture.

I disagree with causing dogs and cats to suffer and die, I disagree with causing any living creature to suffer and die.

Don't cause the suffering you wouldn't want inflicted on yourself. It's not rocket science.

China needs to stop trying to please the west. You will never be good enough for them. Do what you need to do for your country.

I find nothing wrong with eating dogs if thats what your culture does. No one the right to destory someones culture. China has the right to eat whatever it wants. for poor people dog is a easy economical meat to find. Why do some Americans and "white" Europeans feel that the have the moral right to tell people what to do. It pisses me off to see how Europeans have such disreguard for countries and cultures and food traditions that were here longer than there cave dwelling rock hitting civilizations even came about. If a bunch of Europeans ate dog or cat. Which for hundreds of years they killed simply cause they thought they were witches. If they ate it no one would say a damn thing about it. This isnt about animal rights, its about Europe and "white Americas" need to control everything other countries do. China should be able to eat whatever the hell it wants! China doesnt tell Europe or America how it should do things and niether should they. Look at how America and Europe wastes food. We throw away pretectly good food and vegatables, we come into peoples countries and destroy there land for farming and kill off all of there game and rape there natural resources. But thats ok. Because were white and we control the f****world and were better than you. Im a black man I sure hate it when a bunch europeans try to tell me what I should and should do. My race and land just like China has been around longer than europe was a thought of. Our ancestors ate dog and other animals for thousands of years and have never had any problems till Europe said it was wrong. I for one dont eat eat dog or cat. Ive never tried it. I would love to try it one day maybe, who knows. Ill try anything once. Im not racist but I really think there is a double standard here. China I say f*** Europe and America do whats best for you. If you wanna eat dog go ahead. If you dont, dont.

People seem to forget that meat eating is completely unnecessary to live healthy and happy lives. The grains and plants given to animals (to feed comparatively few humans) are enough to feed everyone on this planet now. No-one needs to starve so why feed animals when people should be fed?

Scare-mongering by showing pictures of people starving in Africa or other parts of the world is ridiculous at best. People are not starving because vegans are feeling morally superior, it's happening because of greedy people in their governments and greedy people all around the world who think their right to eat meat is above another person's right to eat.

But, as a friend of mine once said, "Dog taste good." Then again, "Mary had a little lamb." and Charolette's "Some pig" and ain't those cow faces sweet? Bambi? As another friend told me way back, "I can kill a tomato." The secret life of plants? Can you hear the grass screaming? If only everyone thought (and ate) like me.

Only the well off will have the choice. The worlds population is growing exponentially and global food supplies are diminishing - give it 20 years and westerners will be eating dog too.

ah damn

China is white washing the worst record of human and animal rights

pure political move.

calm-incense! r u 4 real? i bet u r someone who yelp's at a paper cut,i would like to hear u scream being skinned alive! or thrown in boiling water 2 tenderize the meat,and what the hell does Palistine have 2 do with this article? remember God created Man and Beast and we must respect each other's space not abuse and destroy,I have been a dog owner for many year's and know their intelligence and know they feel pain--if u remember a few year's ago a group of Animal Right's went to China,and saved some dog's from being mutilated,and brought them back to Canada 4 adoption-think again who is barbaric and genocidal----CHINA!!!!!!!!!!!

I love dogs and cats, but starving is worse than losing Fido to the soup kettle.

OK meateaters unite, I don't agree with eat'n dogs and cats, but that is what they do to live. We treat they like babies, but let something happen that there isn't any food. People will eat dogs, cats, frogs, turtles, hamsters, and whatever it takes to live.

a large number of my friends of the western deserts eat dog. i don't like it myself and resent when its the only thing to eat. cat is a terrible thing to eat, nobody should try it. i tried to cook mountain lion that a rancher had killed and the stink ruined the kitchen for a week.
the rule of eating things with faces goes like this; if it eats meat and has four legs it is unsavory, if it eats plants its all good up to the balls.
omnivores like pigs, bears and people are said to taste like pork.

Good on them. Every little bit counts!

They should stop skinning them alive too.

This is definitely all about image...but i'm going to appreciate being able to tell my friends to knock off the "asians eat dog" jokes...

Damn, that white one in the middle looked tasty :(

When labmeat becomes widely available we can eat all the dog/cat we like!

Guess China's going cold-turkey for a while..

OMG this is great news!! I didn't think it would happen in our lifetime. So glad that tradition is ending. After seeing Laura Ling's Vanguard piece on it I was sickened.

i think china should ban eating dogs and cats if china wants too, i hope they are not doing it because of the western influence.

I would be a lot more impressed if the Chinese government kept allowing people to eat dogs and cats but instead conferred upon its people the rights contained in the U.S.'s Bill of Rights (even if they left out the Second Amendment, which I don't see China adopting any sooner than 500 years from now), along with establishing a judiciary with a scintilla of independence from the national government. My (as yet unborn) grandchildren will not live long enough to see even half of those rights adopted in China...but a man can dream...

Great News! Thanks for posting!

we can't force everyone to stop eating meat but we could at the very least treat animals with respect. I'm not saying pamper them like lap dogs but maybe we should bring back the farms of yesteryear. Dose chicken taste any better after its been held in filthy overcrowded conditions?

never mind these freaks eating cats and dogs, how about making the practice of eating fetus's illegal, yay the critters got some rights, how about all the humans?

and never mind the fact these monsters sell us trinkets full of lead, but its prety hard to tell the loan shark to stop hurting those you love when you cant pay and you keep asking for more, is this a subtle sign of things to come?

i urge you to read the art of war, no not the movie! the 6th century BC war manuscript written by sun tzu, then you might have a glimpse of the nature of these infidels, remember mao zedong? as a comparison hitler was responsible for the death of 16 million citizens, mao zedong was responsible for 50-70 million deaths of his own people, im sure hitler would of been proud.

wake up people, this cats and dogs jive is just a smoke screen!

calm-incense----For your information Canada does not have a overpopulated Country,second i would loved to see a Chinese abused and eaten like those poor creatures have been for so long,i am not genocidal,but innocent animals cannot protect or fight for their right to survive like human's can every China-Man should feel all the pain of all the animal's that were killed!!!!!!!!!!1

if we are talking about eating animals according to their intelligence, I got a bunch of buddies that are fixn to be all-u-can-eat specials.

I think that now it's the dog's and cat's turn to feed upon the Chinese people and get rid of the surplus population!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Praise God.

The same treatment dogs and cats get cows, pigs and chickens get, but you don't see anyone banning that, meat is meat as far as i'm concerned, if the wolrd so happens to go to the zombies, Note i will eat your cat Fiffy or your Dog Fuffy with no mercy.

This is pointless, if you're going to eat pigs and cows, what's wrong with dogs and cats? I wouldn't eat dogs or cats because I view them as companion animals, but I understand that as what it is, completely cultural. They shouldn't make the practice illegal, they should make sure the animals aren't terribly mistreated before they are killed.

well at least it's a step in the right direction

At least I can still eat dolphins, elephants, toucan birds, and whales. Organisms consume other organisms for energy. Why is that so goddamn difficult for you guys to understand?

This is a great thing! Now, we just have to wait for other animals to be put on this list!!

Hell... it is About Time id Say Personally but as to the Fact that People hate Eating oR Love Eating meat is a Fact that will Remain as Long as Gods and Human Morals... Dogs are Mans Best Friend... Pigs are Filthy animals... Chickens serve us Nutritious Meals wile Alive, Cats are Worthless Selfish animals... and The World keeps Turning and Burning and Gays Exist only Because of Sex... in the Words of Mr.Stern "Gays, Straights, its All About Fucking and its ALL Disgusting"... Food is Food Gays are Gay but God Will Above all this Nonsense still Remains...

Can you say publicity stunt?Of course this is a thing to try to make the western world hate China less,but until China denounces communism & Tibet is no longer under Chinese rule,people will STILL find reasons to hate China! China has been eating just about everything,including species that are STILL somewhat unknown or thought to be extinct to most of the world! It seems very strange that after a few thousand years, that China would suddenly decide to ban eating ANYTHING really,but then China is a strange place!

The Chinese are showing their first sign of weakness and animal inequality, no war in the foreseeable future. It's all just a conspiracy! Dogs and Cats are spared the indignity that Cows, Goats and Sheep suffer on a daily basis. What makes eating dogs and cats so different from munching all other "domesticated" animals? Farce.....

its just a PR move to improve their world standing, especially after they have taken so much criticism over the Google issue.

will they shutdown tyson and cargill too... or at least try lol

ewwwww. Did you know that many americans still make dog stew?

The whole world seems to be attempting, albeit very slowly, to move away from cruelty to animals. This is always punctuated by awful stories of mistreatment in slaughterhouses and the like but there have been many improvements in Western countries. That China is finally taking the step of legally banning the eating of cats and dogs is an almost mind-boggling shift for that country towards progress and we should be pleased at this step. First get people to stop the crating and the cruelty, then you can deal with the moral subtleties of which animals are eaten. In this instance I think they banned the eating altogether because the only people who eat cats and dogs cannot, by their lower station in life, be separated from the cruelty of it. If it cannot be made humane it must altogether be banned and I imagine that's what the thinking was.

Is this about some new found morality? Anyone who has watched the series 'Cooking in the Danger Zone' Dog Farms (LinkTV.org) would find it difficult to believe that they are willing to give up consuming dogs.

What about the hundreds of thousands of dogs that are killed every time China decides to 'cull'... government officials (police) were throwing dogs to their death from high rise windows, burning them alive in groups...

Then there is the FUR industry. Methods include being anally electrocuted and skinned alive; not even puppies are safe.

The common excuse of 'traditional medicines' is most pathetic... NOTHING should allow humans to willfully inflict pain and suffering to other sentient beings.

Read National Geographic 2010 Jan Issue
Asia's Wildlife Trade: Trafficking in Wildlife (page 101)
"Time and again I found experts eager to take me to see atrocities: bear cubs in Vietnam dipped in boiling water to intensify 'life force' in bear-paw soup."

So they won't eat the dogs but they will continue to tear their hides off and put them on our trendy winter coats as "faux fur" trim. unconscionable. way to go china.

Eat the rich.

Exactly. Why should years and years of culinary tradition in a country be compromised because of outside beliefs? If China wants to do something about how the animals are treated before slaughter, that would be a MUCH more viable law. However, it does seem to be a monetary issue; a law such as that would entail rigorous inspections that may not be able to be upheld. Simply banning the eating of both entirely would be a much easier and broader alternative. But it's not like China's economy is -that- bad off, anyway... just seems they cut corners and sacrificed their culture for the appeasement of interest groups.

Don't get me wrong- animal cruelty is disgusting and should be treated as such. But if a country eats certain animals, as long as their conditions are kept as good as possible before slaughter, and the slaughtering is humane (killing them before boiling or skinning, for instance), I don't see what the problem is.

A question: What, exactly, is going to happen to all of the cats and dogs that are currently being raised for food that can no longer be used as such? I see rampant stray problems in the near future.

i don't think they have to ban eating cats and dogs, just not treat them so bad before hand.

Now China's pets have as many rights as China's citizens!

Drat! And I was SO EXCITED to hunker down to a JUICY frikkin' Turdoggen-Catduck-Horsemouse stir fry...Now how will I be able to consume ethnicity?

I don't have a problem with eating meat (I mean, look at nature; wolves and other animals do it too). It's the cruel way these animals are treated before they die and how they kill them, and I'm not just talking about cats & dogs here... this happens in America's meat industry too. They shouldn't ban eating cats and dogs "because it's cruel," they should ban the cruel treatment of ALL animals.

History will remember this moment, for it(the ban) will surely swell the ranks of counterrevolutionaries and bring about the fall of the PRC.

It's pretty obvious this was done to improve China's reputation with Westerners.

It's not so much about what they are eating (dog/cat vs. cow/pig), but how they are treated - dogs & cats put in tiny cages, sometimes w/ legs broken, dropped alive in boiling water, etc. - severe cruelty. Yes, lobsters & crawfish suffer similar fates - cruel, as well, but, yes, they aren't as "cute." Go figure.

now they can only survive on rats, donkeys and horses ... poor people ...lol

All animals are worth saving....unfortunately, humans are idiots and so when they do things, they are typically done in an unreasonable and stupid manner with idiotic reasoning, as is typified by the ludacris law to start with dogs and cats instead of making the ban have a larger umbrella....