My Friendly Pets

You can tell from the picture above, that this is a terrible scene. In 2006, over 50,000 dogs were slaughtered in the hopes of preventing the spread of rabies in China. China is a country that is quickly developing western ways and growing economically because of western products and money from the western countries. However, due to a lack of support in the health care infrastructure in China, the spread of rabies has been touted as one of the top health problems facing this country. In China, only about 3% of the dogs are vaccinated against rabies and in 2005 there were over 2000 deaths from this disease.

As a result of the growing concern of this disease, Chinese authorities have allowed the brutal and cruel slayings of these dogs to take place. These dogs were not euthanized, so that they would go into a peaceful slumber resulting in their death. No, they were taken and beaten with clubs until they not longer moved. Some dogs were taken directly from their owners while on a leash and beat until they dropped and died. Most commoners in China condemned this practice for its brutality. They felt that it was the government’s fault for not taking more preventative measures against the outbreak of this disease.

While dogs are revered and respected in countries in the West, dogs have struggled and had a difficult time surviving in China. Dogs have long been eaten in China; hence chinese food jokes. In 1949, when the communists siezed power in China, dogs were seen as symbols of the buorgeois and became objects of disdain. In fact, they were treated as pests to be hunted and killed. Although these attitudes have softened a bit, dogs are still not held in the same regard that they are here in the states. People who own dogs in Chinese cities are held to very strict rules and regulations about the size and number of dogs allowed. They are also subject to large registration fees as a means of limiting dog ownership. Dogs in rural Chinese households now top 70%, but this fact is linked directly to the increase in rabies found in this country. Human health and especially animal health have not been priorities held by the Chinese government. Only when they recognize that the quality of life for all, man and beast alike is of utmost importance will the barbaric practices of the Chinese government against dogs come to a halt.

Check out a previous entry where I wrote about World Rabies Day and its impact on the world.