Kennel Club Statement Regarding the World Dog Show 2019
The Kennel Club fully condemns the sale and consumption of dog meat and the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, held in China. The trade has long been associated with a large number of animal welfare violations, which include neglect towards the animals’ physical and mental needs, as they often live and are transported in crowded conditions without sufficient water or food. In addition, slaughtering methods are brutal with no regard to the welfare of the animal and the suffering caused. As such we have long lobbied for a ban on the sale of dogs for consumption as part of our extensive political work.
We are aware that the World Dog Show, organised by the FCI, is being held in China in 2019 and the Kennel Club will not be attending the show with its roadshow stand.
The consumption of dog meat has long been a cultural phenomenon in certain countries, and one way of helping to reduce trade in dog meat is to promote dogs as companion animals to be loved and cared for. The huge increase in interest in dog showing in China will result in more people seeing them as pets first and foremost and the Kennel Club hopes that the show, attended by dog lovers, will help people to see dogs as creatures that can provide their owners with unconditional love and companionship.
As part of the Kennel Club’s campaign against the dog meat trade, we contacted three of the major Kennel Clubs in China a few years ago to seek assurance that they were taking an active role in lobbying their own government against the trade, to protect the welfare of China’s dogs. Each of them confirmed that they were carrying out work in this area and promoting dogs as pets and companions and actively trying to have the trade outlawed.
The Kennel Club continues to lobby the UK Government, raising awareness of the issue with the European Commission and Parliament and works with other welfare organisations to apply pressure on foreign countries to end their dog and cat meat trade or to better enforce the bans currently in place.
Get involved:
- Write a letter to the Chinese Ambassador to the UK, Her Excellency Madam Fu Ying, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the UK, 49-51 Portland Place, London W1B 1JL asking her to help end animal suffering in China by contacting the Chinese Government and urging them to introduce animal welfare legislation to outlaw the eating of dogs and cats.
- Write to your local MP to raise dog and cat related welfare issues to the Government.
- Contact the Kennel Club for further information: call 0207 518 1020 or Get Involved.
- Contact Animals Asia Foundation for further information call 01579 347 148 or visit www.animalsasia.org.
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