Article 3: Don't Eat Dogs!

Title: Business booming for the dogsmugglers of the Mekong

By: Peter Shadbolt

Date published: Jan. 25, 2012 Date accessed: Jan 25, 2012

Summary:

The consumption of dog meat in Vietnam and Southern-China is at its peak during the time of the Chinese New Year. The dogs are smuggled across from Thailand into Laos and across the Mekong River into Hanoi. Most of these dogs that are smuggled are usually stolen, domesticated pets as they seem to have collars around them and seem to be trained. The rest of the dogs are picked up from alleys. Dog meat has been considered to be a “warming” food and is considered lucky in Vietnam; therefore approximately 500,000 dogs are sold every year according to the Thai Veterinary Medical Association. These dogs are stuffed into cages and majority of them die due to starvation, suffocation, or trauma. The dogs that are still alive are then “beaten” or “skinned alive” until they die – as it is assumed that stress hormones tenderize the meat. Even though the trade is illegal in Thailand, smugglers receive light sentences of about two or three months in prison.The Soi Dog Foundation and the Thai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to ANials are working to stop such activities by consulting the Thai parliament.

Response:

I’ve always had a pet dog and I never believed my parents when they said that people did eat dog meat. I was horrified as I read about it and heard other people talking about it. This article, yet again reminded me of how cruel humans can be. This case cannot be compared to the consumption of other meat products as most of the other animals are raised in farms and follow such a fate. These dogs, on the other hand, are stolen from homes, temples, and picked off the street. They are further tortured as they are stuffed in cages. This dog situation can be compared to the transport of Africans to western countries during the slave trade! No one wants to be in that position, so why let them suffer? Dogs too have feelings of their own! A family might be waiting anxiously for the return of their dog, knowing little that it is probably in some stew. I think the first thing that needs to be done for such an activity to come to a halt is for that smugglers should receive harsh punishments.

Vocabulary:

A.    Aficionados

a.    Dog meat aficionados claim that stress hormones tenderize the strong-tasting meat, and killing methods range from beatings to being skinned alive.

b.    An ardent devotee; fan, enthusiast; Root: Spanish – literally, amateur, past participle in –adoate of aficionar to engender affection

c.    Having once been a missionary school, Woodstock has a lot of Christian aficionados.

B.    Nouveau riche

a.    Traditionally the time of peak demand for dog meat in Vietnam, the dog smugglers of the Mekong work deep into the night shipping thousands of animals -- sometimes dozens to a cage -- across the river border with Laos to be trucked on to the dinner tables of the nouveau riche in Hanoi.

b.    a person who is newly rich; Root: French – new rich (person)

c.    (cannot think of a way to relate it to school) You can immediately tell a nouveau riche Tibetan as they still lack etiquette and proper manners.

C.   Boon

a.    The recent floods in Thailand have also been a boon for dognappers for whom lost and displaced dogs are an easy target.

b.    Something to be thankful for; Root: Old Norse bōn prayer; cognate with Old English – bēn

c.    The announcement of a fair-weather holiday was a boon for students that had an exam that day.