CNN REPORTED   Tuesday night about an on-going mass slaughter in China of 10,000 dogs for the “Yuling Dog and Lychee Festival” for residents and tourists to eat “dog meat”.

Can we really do this to “man’s best friend”?. Apparently, yes in China , where it is believed  that at least 10 million dogs are slaughtered every year for human consumption. Worse, many of them are caged, battered and then  killed in ruthless abandon. 

The Yulin Chinese are adamant- they say it is a cultural thing- eating dog meat in a variety of ways, gulped down with lychee pure wine- a fruit that abounds in China.They say the other cultures are hypocrites- and should also stop eating meat from cows, sheep, rabbits and ” no turkeys on New Years and Thanksgiving Days.”

Most of the dogs are stolen pets and strays and bought per piece by slaughter houses. To the Yulin Chinese, dog meat fights colds, improves circulation and brings good luck. So do many pills and food supplements- so why dogs?

Most of who us who love dogs or have dog pets are sick about  this strange gustatory inclination. To many of us “dog remains to be man’s best friend.” It is joked about that when the wife shouts at the front door and the door barks at the back door to gain entry , one should open the back door. Because the dog keeps quiet once inside the house.

This is , of course, not true, but the joke thrives to emphasize man’s love for dogs.

A dog is said to have the intelligence of a two-year old human , can understand at least 165 words and is an expert in body language.  Dogs are said to have emotions, but unlike humans, scientists claim that when dogs express emotions, there are no ulterior motives. The love their masters unconditionally.

Thus, John Bisling says ” The dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than himself.” M.K. Clinton adds: ” The world would be a nicer place if everyone has the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog.”

A dog has feelings and know when you are sad or as  one member in the family passes away. He knows when you are sad and can just sit quietly in the corner and watch you recover or will try to get physically closer to provide comfort. Our 16-year old Maltese Terrier named “Arthur” does not ,at all, feel like a King Arthur but serves his masters.

He barks at strangers , fearing they might harm the masters. He can sense if the master is scared and will defend the latter with his life. (A great deed that even some security guards will not dare do). An old  dog named “Noisy” (for that is what he was) was earlier  lodged in a cage fronting the gate for 10 years-and we had no incidents of theft and intrusions ever. You may feed a dog three times a day but he watches over his masters 24 hours, 7 days a week  (rain or shine, sick or not)unto “Noisy’s” own death.

Sadness engulfs Arthur’s face when he sees the masters’ travel luggage- as he knows he will be orphaned for a while. Arthur can  also sense the master is leaving and rushes to the door step for the traditional blessing like a true child to the family born.

Masters are warned, though, not to bring negative emotions like anger and revenge as dogs are so sensitive as to be affected almost as much like humans are. It is not true,as well, that cats and dogs always fight. Arthur has a best friend -and he’s a cat aptly called Kitkat.

One must not forget that tale about a cat that strayed into a household in Bulacan and befriended the pet dog. When the dog became terminally ill, the cat stayed beside him and pawed his feathers until his last breath.  BFF, they were.

A loving dog who departs from a household casts a pall of gloom over the area. For as Dean Koontz declared:” Once you have a wonderful dog, a life without one, is life diminished.” And Will Rogers adds:” If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they are.” There.

Lawyer Jun Amora once had a mini Pinscher dog (Chilokoi) and a Golden Retriever (Golda). who had  difficulty going up and down two flights of stairs. One morning, Amora spied the two from a distance and saw the smaller Chilokoi literally teach the hulking Golda how to ascend and descend the stairs. Big Brother’s House?  Chilokoi was smart enough to  also be able to open the car’s power window by pressing his foot on the control.

Chiolokoi’s boss was Jaz, Amora’s kid, and when the lawyer tried to discipline the child for a misdemeanor, the door barked at the parent. Dog’s also have priorities in loyalty, it seems. At an old age, the poor dog was ran over a tricycle as he developed catarcact in his eyes due to advanced age-and couldn’t see as well.

It is  with these stories -and we are sure our readers have hundreds of  other similar dog stories- that appall us why dogs should be killed for food. To start with-  there are 3 x more chicken in the world today  than the 7 billion humans on earth.Why, the poor dogs?

Dogs reportedly  can know a man’s intention and one can therefore fathom the deep fear that engulfs the dogs  when they are herded inside a cramped vehicle towards Baguio and Benguet for a mass slaughter. Seventy of them die from  suffocation before arrival  and the rest battered to death by a  wooden bamboo until they expire into the burning cauldrons.

In fairness, therefore, to China, ten other nations also continue to patronize “dog meat” including some areas in  the Philippines,  Indonesia, Korea,  Polynesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Antartica and some parts of Switzerland.

We, therefore,  enjoin all our  readers to report to authorities any attempt of cruelty to animals especially the lovable dogs. Also, under the revised Meat Inspection Code of RP ( RA 105361)  dog and other meat of non-food animals are considered “hot meat” and are  illegal for distribution.

One can also get guidelines from Animal Kingdom Foundation and PAWS. To show disgust with the Canine Carnage at Yulin, follow  hash tag #StopYulin2015.

Our Creator made dogs for many reasons which do not include them as part of man’s menu.Let’s stop this cruelty to Man’s Best Friend.

For comments: email to dejarescobingo@yahoo.com or bohol-rd@mozcom.com