Defenseless and trusting dogs – many of them stolen pets – are rounded up, transported and slaughtered under appallingly cruel conditions. With their snouts tied shut and their front legs bound behind their backs, many suffocate to death during transport, while the survivors have their throats cut while fully conscious and sensible to pain.

Network for Animals has been instrumental in achieving strong legislation that outlaws the dog meat trade. Our team in the Philippines works tirelessly to apprehend dog meat traders who operate in violation of the law, facilitates local authorities cracking down on dog meat restaurants and educates the public on the dangers inherent in consuming dog meat.

History
Dog meat eating has existed as a long-standing cultural phenomenon in the Northern provinces of the Philippines, traditionally associated with celebratory events and rituals of mourning.

Historically, ritual dog meat eating accounted for a relatively small number of animals. However, over the past 25 years, dog meat eating has rapidly proliferated for commercial rather than cultural reasons. Today, a multitude of restaurants exist exclusively to sell dog meat, and current estimates indicate up to half a million dogs are slaughtered and consumed commercially every year in the Philippines.

The majority of dogs are sourced in the provinces of Batangas and Laguna to the south of Manila and are transported live to the provinces of Benguet, La Union and Ilocos Sur where they are slaughtered and consumed.

Legislation
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.

While many individuals within the dog meat trade have been arrested and prosecuted successfully by animal protection organizations working in conjunction with police, a lack of enforcement and judicial tolerance of dog meat eating are endemic, allowing the industry to thrive.

Animal Welfare Violations
Despite extensive international publicity highlighting endemic cruelty, dog meat traders remain indifferent to animal suffering and are resistant to any change that would improve welfare.

Dog meat traders acquire animals by routinely stealing pets, rounding up strays and purchasing unwanted dogs. Upon acquisition, the dog's muzzle is immediately 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.

During transport, 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 transport 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.

Dogs are slaughtered in make shift slaughterhouses, by being clubbed or have their throats cut whilst 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 whilst 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.

Rabies Transmission
About 10,000 dogs and 350 humans die of rabies in the Philippines each year.

Consuming an infected dog is a high risk activity and can cause the transmission of the rabies virus to humans. Because dog meat traders routinely source stray dogs, the threat of rabies transmission from dog meat is very real.

On February 1, 2006 the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that a 4 year old girl, who was given dog meat by her neighbours, died of rabies and encephalitis. Her father said she had developed high fever and symptoms of rabies shortly after eating the meat. She was rushed to hospital but died within a few hours.