Opinions

Laura Kelsey drsexysex @yahoo.ca

You May Be Wearing Dog Fur

Laura

Kelsey opinions editor

Bo took wolves and, over centuries, bred the wilderness from them. Within their canine selves, we instilled a sense of loyalty and service to mankind. So, after all the work we have put into making dogs the perfect people companion, it’s only natural we view them differently from other animals, such as livestock.

But thinking of dogs as pets is a very Western view, as in many countries dogs are still considered just another source of food and fur. In poorer places in the world, people do not have the luxury of caring for animals that are of no concrete value to them. Dogs are not human; therefore, they are fair game for dinner— meat is meat.

But even if someone were to argue the merits of eating a creature we worked sq hard to tame, the treatment dogs are receiving overseas—and here in North America—attests to total disregard for their existence and total disrespect to their loyalty.

The recent high-profile case of football star turned dog-fighter Michael Vick woke many Americans up to the reality of dog abuse, and broke many hearts with its truth. But what many Westerners don’t know, or don’t want to know, is the foul treatment of man’s best friend goes far beyond the fighting ring, and the end result of abuse may end up on their parkas.

Dog fur is an _ exportable commodity in Asia. In 2000, the United States passed the Dog and Cat Protection Act, which prohibits the import of products made with dog and cat fur. Other countries have also banned dog fur, including Italy, France, Denmark and Australia. But Canada has not. Not only that, but Canada also does not have labelling requirements for fur coats and items, so consumers, thinking they have made a more humane choice by buying an item with faux fur trim, may actually be wearing German Shepherd around their necks. Sometimes it’s easier to skin a dog than to make faux fur.

But it isn’t just the fact that humans are killing man’s best friend; it is the way the slaughter is being carried out. America’s Dog and Cat Protection Act states, “The methods of housing, transporting and slaughtering dogs and cats for production are generally unregulated and inhumane.” Many could argue the same for North American livestock, but because Fido has a place

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at the foot of the bed he gets this special exclusion from being processed. But it’s more than that: Dogs work for us, they depend on us and many humans depend on dogs as their sole source of companionship. To turn around and stab them in the back (literally) is the ultimate betrayal.

A large number of the dogs used for fur and meat in Asia are strays or even pets, and their human-induced friendly nature makes them easy targets for thieves. According to Humane Society

International, “Investigators witnessed firsthand the brutal slaughter of domestic dogs and cats in China and other Asian nations. What we found shocked people. Many of these animals are raised in cold, unsanitary breeding compounds. Some are strays. Others are obviously pets who were most likely stolen.”

The Internet is littered with images and articles on the abuse of dogs overseas. The photos can cause tears and anger, but there is one especially abhorring video that should cause action, and it stars the unfortunate raccoon dog.

Raccoon dogs are not pets, but

a wild species of canine living in Asia, and have luxurious coats and large litters of pups that make them perfect breeding stock for the fur trade. Sometimes sold under the false name of “Asian Raccoon,” this species was recently uncovered to be present in a number of prominent fashion lines, like P. Diddy’s Sean John and Jay- Z’s Rocawear.

According to animal welfare advocates, countries like China have little or no legislation prohibiting inhumane treatment, confinement or live skinning

of animals. This is apparent in the videos easily accessible, but rarely viewed, on sites like YouTube. One such video shows just how brutal the last minutes of a raccoon dog’s life can be: It starts out bad, and ends so much worse.

The raccoon dog is flung to the ground in an attempt to render it unconscious. But it is still moving, so the butcher strikes it over the head. Gasping for breath and continuing to struggle, the creature is strung up and skinned. It still moves as its flesh is peeled from its being, and its eyelids are torn off in the process. Now, completely skinned alive

with muscle and sinew exposed to the world, the raccoon dog is tossed into a pile of dead dogs. In a last ditch effort to live, the animal lifts its head, a bloody and grotesque version of the creature it was before, and looks at the camera.

The lengths the fur industry has gone to deceive the public about this cruel reality indicates their guilt.

From Britain’s extermination of wolves, to packs of dingos eating babies, human and canine histories are gorily intertwined. Humans have betrayed

PHOTO BY LAURA KELSEY

dogs just as dogs have attacked people. But humans have conquered the world, and there is no need for these primitive, disgusting crimes of fashion.

According to reports, such as Fur Report 2005 by Care for the Wild International, fur farmers in China hold 1.5 million raccoon dogs captive at any one time. Canadians, consumers and government alike, should be taking steps to ensure they are not contributing to the demand of this brutal practice by writing to politicians, spreading the word and, of course, not buying fur.