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Preparing a Meal of Dog Meat in South Korea

(NEWSER) – For centuries, people have been eating dog meat – neither legal nor banned – in South Korea. Some 30 years ago, chef Oh Keum-il even traveled around North and South Korea, tasting everything from dog stew to dog taffy, to learn the craft of cooking dog. Today, however, customers aren't quite as interested in eating an animal many keep as pets. Oh, for example, served her last bowl of dog stew, or boshintang, this week, closing up South Korea's longest-running dog meat restaurant as young customers avoid the spot and animal activists protest her controversial meals.

Typical Dish of Dog Meat

Though an expert guesses up to 2.5 million dogs are eaten in South Korea each year, "there is too much generational gap in boshintang," says Oh. That's clear for a 30-year-old Korean woman who says she argues with her grandfather about the meal. "Whenever he saw my dog at home, he would say it's the size of one bowl of hot soup," she says. A butcher adds that "dog is not an industry with a long-term future," noting that about 800 restaurants serve it in Seoul, when 1,500 once did. It's sad to see the end of such a lengthy tradition, says Oh, who now plans to open a barbeque restaurant that serves beef instead.

PETITION: "Stop the Dog Meat Festival" Campaign

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) shows TV commercials of abandoned and abused cats and dogs, raising money off of the confusion that it’s a pet shelter umbrella group. (It doesn't run a single pet shelter anywhere.) Maybe its commercials should instead show HSUS's lawyers paying a racketeering settlement with their tails tucked between their legs.

Recently, news broke that HSUS and its co-defendants, including two HSUS employees, have agreed to pay $15.75 million to settle a long-fought lawsuit filed against them under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act – a law that's been used to go after the mob.

The suit stems from litigation that animal rights activists, including an HSUS affiliate, pursued against the owner of the Ringling Bros. circus, Feld Entertainment. In that case, activists claimed that the circus was unlawfully harming elephants in its care, and their key witness was a former Feld handler.

However, as that case unfolded over a decade, a payment scheme was discovered going from plaintiffs and their lawyers to this witness. The court eventually threw out the lawsuit, finding that the witness was a "paid plaintiff" who was "not credible." This paid witness even "lied" to the court.

Feld then filed suit under RICO, alleging bribery, illegal witness payments, and other torts. The ASPCA settled in late 2012 for $9.3 million. And today, the other co-defendants have paid $15.75 million.

The animal liberation movement has long been associated with extremist, bullying, and sometimes even terroristic tactics in pursuit of its radical goal to institute prohibition on how we use animals, whether for food, fiber or entertainment. The FBI cracked down on the terroristic fringe over the past two decades. And the suit-wearing, lawyered-up part of the movement has now had its day in court. It comes up $15.75 million poorer, but with its inner workings exposed, the rest of society should feel better off.

Sadly, the real losers in this case are the thousands of individual donors who gave money to HSUS thinking that they were helping local animal shelters, only to find that their donations are footing the bill for HSUS's mismanagement (not to mention the hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats that needed that money for their keep and care).

SB 648 Would Result in More Killing at Illinois Animal Control Shelters

  

Senate Bill 648 is a disastrous bill for shelter pets. It would prohibit animal shelters from accepting stray dogs or cats unless they were released from animal control. Any strays who come in would have to be transferred to the county or city pound, greatly increasing the number of animals housed at local government facilities. Some of these facilities don't even have adoption programs. This is a huge waste of lives and also a waste of tax dollars.

The bill has other poorly thought-out provisions, such as requiring humane investigators to notify local law enforcement or the local animal control agency prior to investigating neglect or cruelty.

Please take action HERE and send an email or letter to your state representative to ask him or her to oppose this ill-conceived legislation. If you could also CALL your representative today and politely ask that they vote "NO" on SB 648, it would be greatly appreciated.

Together, we can Save Them All.

Sincerely,
Ledy VanKavage, Esq.
Sr. Legislative Attorney

Source: Best Friends

This is funny!

Jaxon

Jaxon, a young, neutered Chinese Crested, and Foxie, a Pom, were found in an empty house, where they'd been abandoned without food, surviving by eating their waste.

If Jaxon were alone, he wouldn't have been discovered in time to save his life: That's because he was devocalized.

But with her vocal cords intact, Foxie could bark loudly enough to be heard, and the dogs were discovered. The rest is what happy endings are made of.

A dog rescue group called Bald is Beautiful pulled Jaxon and Foxie from the county pound, and a kind couple – veteran rescuers and dog bloggers (TopDogBlog!) – fostered them. Another couple drove from Maryland to Chicago to adopt Jaxon, Foxie and a third dog, Maddie.

Foxie

Now 4 years old, Jaxon is living the good life with his foster siblings in a loving home. And Jaxon is extra lucky: His adoptive mom, a nurse, knows how to manage the consequences of devocalization. Adopters who don't – or who don't even know their animals were devocalized – may unwittingly cause their deaths.

Becky waters Jaxon's food to ease swallowing so he won't die the terrifying way other devocalized animals have, choking on food.

And she monitors his play, because though he loves to do "zoomies" in the yard with Maddie, Jaxon becomes winded after a few minutes as a result of devocalization.

He coughs after drinking water and intermittently throughout the day and night, sometimes so badly, his family worries he won't be able to catch his breath.

Becky says, "No animal should ever be devocalized. It's especially odd to us that Jaxon was, because he barks only when one of our cats is near him. He doesn't even try in doggy park."

But that didn't keep someone from having his vocal cords cut.

(CNN) – The "lowest places in hell" are reserved for people who force animals to fight, an Alabama district attorney said Monday after announcing that more than 350 pitbulls have been rescued from a massive illegal dogfighting ring.

They rescued 367 pit bull terriers in Alabama and Georgia. Authorities arrested 11 people on Friday for violations of the federal dogfighting and gambling statutes.

Warrants were executed and arrests were made in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Texas. The dogs were taken to temporary shelters in undisclosed locations.

"It's really a sad day to me and a sad day of affairs in the state of Alabama to have to even indulge in this type of criminal activity and prosecution," said U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr.

"I believe if Dante were alive today and were rewriting 'The Inferno,' that the lowest places in hell would be reserved for those who commit cruelty to our animals and to our children." He was referring to "The Divine Comedy," the epic poem by Dante Alighieri.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Montgomery, Alabama; the Auburn, Alabama, police; and the FBI teamed up with the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to investigate the dogfighting and free the canines from captivity. The result, the ASPCA said, was believed to be the second-largest dogfighting raid in U.S. history.

"Today, we ended the torture of hundreds of abused and neglected dogs," said Matt Bershadker, president and chief executive officer of the ASPCA.

Many of the dogs appeared emaciated, the ASPCA said.

"In one yard, 114 dogs, the majority tethered to heavy chains, sat in 90 degree heat, scratching at fleas, with no fresh water or food visible anywhere on the property. Some appeared to have no access to water at all, and many exhibited wounds, scars and other conditions consistent with dogfighting," the ASPCA said in a statement.

"Makeshift, filthy doghouses – many improvised from plastic and metal barrels and others made of chipboard with rotting wood floors and rusted metal roofing – provided the only shelter in the sweltering heat and humidity.

Some dogs pulled at chains and cables that were tethered to cinder blocks and car tires. A female dog did her best to tend to six puppies, just weeks old, with no food or water, in a pen littered with trash and feces."

A 30-count federal indictment charges that from 2009 to 2013, the 11 suspects conspired to promote and sponsor dogfighting and to possess, buy, sell, transport and deliver dogs for fighting.

Agents seized $500,000 from dogfighters.

"These defendants were betting between $5,000 and $200,000 on one dogfight," Beck said. "These dogfighters abuse, starve and kill their dogs for the supposed 'fun' of watching and gambling on a dogfight. Their behavior is deplorable, will not be tolerated, and will be punished to the full extent of the law."

Beck said the suspects, if convicted, could face "lengthy" prison terms.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/26/justice/alabama-dog-fight-ring/index.html

Dogs that chew on plastic training devices and toys may be exposed to hormone-altering chemicals, according to research at Texas Tech University.

The researchers found that Bisphenol A (BPA), Bisphenol S (BPS) and Phthalates – ingredients of hard plastics and vinyl – readily leach from bumper toys, which are used to train retrieving dogs.

The new study is one of the first to examine dog products as a potential source of exposure for pets. No one knows, though, whether the traces of the chemicals pose any health risk to dogs. Previous research has focused on the risks to infants and toddlers from baby bottles, toys and other items that contained the chemicals.

"A lot of plastic products are used for dogs, so to understand the potential for some of the chemicals to leach out from toys is a new and important area of research," said veterinarian Safdar Khan, senior director of toxicology research at the ASPCA's Poison Control Center in Illinois. Dr. Khan was not involved in the current study.

Philip Smith, a toxicologist at The Institute of Environmental and Human Health at Texas Tech, became interested in chemical exposures from bumpers after using them to train his own Labrador retrievers.

Retrieving dogs often are trained with plastic bumpers, which when chewed can leach hormone-disrupting chemicals.

"Some of the dogs are exposed to plastic bumpers from the time they are born until the day they die. We all want our pets to be healthy," said Smith, co-author of the as-yet unpublished study, which was presented this month at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry conference in California.

"A lot of plastic products are used for dogs, so to understand the potential for some of the chemicals to leach out from toys is a new and important area of research," stated Dr. Safdar Khan.

In humans and rodents, BPA, BPS and phthalates have been linked to a number of health issues, including impaired development of reproductive organs, decreased fertility and cancers. The United States and the European Union have banned some phthalates in children's toys, and in July, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups.

The researchers, led by Kimberly Wooten, a graduate student in environmental toxicology at Texas Tech, studied factors that affected how much BPA, BPS and phthalates leached from plastic bumpers into dishes filled with artificial dog saliva.

They tested orange and white bumpers from two unidentified makers. The bumpers subjected to simulated chewing leached more BPA, BPS and phthalates than brand new bumpers and those left outside to weather for a month.

Researchers said they suspect that the levels of chemicals observed from the bumpers would be considered very high when compared with children's toys.

Since simulated saliva was used, it is difficult to say how much actual leaching would occur in a dog's mouth, the researchers said. "We don't have enough information at this time to begin to estimate actual exposure," Smith said.

Smith said they suspect that the levels of chemicals observed from the bumpers would be considered very high when compared with children's toys.

Using artificial saliva, researchers simulated a dog chewing a bumper.

The researchers also looked at phthalates, BPA and BPS from pet toys sold through major retailers. They found higher concentrations leaching from bumpers than from other toys but preliminary results suggest some store-bought toys might have leached other hormonally-active chemicals.
A previous study by the Environmental Working Group found that dogs' blood and urine contained the breakdown products of several phthalates at levels ranging from 1.1 to 4.5 times higher than the average found in people.

"Dogs are closer to the ground than humans, so house dust is another potential source of exposure to environmental chemicals," Dr. Khan said.

But little is known about any potential health risks for dogs exposed to hormone-mimicking chemicals.

Since little toxicity data exist for dogs, it is difficult to evaluate risks, Smith said. Nonetheless, "consumer education about potential risk seems to be warranted based on our data," he said.

Over fifty years ago, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring warned us of the threats to life attending widespread use of chemical pesticides. As a result of her effort, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was founded in 1970 and DDT was banned in 1972.

Nevertheless, we did not curtail our domestic reliance on toxic chemicals for pest control. The yearly amount of pesticide sold is now more than double the amount marketed in 1962 when Silent Spring was published.

[Ed.: Rather than inspiring us to govern ourselves and get back to natural processes, another meddling government bureaucracy was born with no improvements – i.e., business as usual.]

Pesticide residues in our food and in the environment reflect years of chemical production and use. We face the continuing problems of the toxic by-products of manufacturing, runoff from outdoor applications, ground water contamination, and finally disposal of unused material as hazardous waste.

Pesticides are used in virtually all public buildings, golf courses, schools, restaurants, hotels, hospitals and private homes as well as in agriculture and forestry.

Carson described the detrimental effects of pesticides on animals including robins, caddis fly larvae, quail, salmon and cats. Silent Spring shows clearly how deeply caring and fiercely protective Rachel Carson was of wildlife. Her concern extended to pet animals as well.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in dogs and cats today. Compared to humans, dogs develop tumors twice as frequently.

The incidence of cancer in domestic animals has risen dramatically in the past several years, especially in dogs and cats. Some 70 types of cancers have been identified-one reputable source indicates that 47% of dogs over 10 years of age now die of cancer.

No one cause has been attributed to this rise, however, several factors have been implicated. These include environmental factors, such as pesticides and herbicides, increasing longevity, diet, genetics, viruses and more.

2,4-D and Increased Cancer Risk

A 1991 National Cancer Institute study found that dogs whose owners' lawns were treated with 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid), four or more times per year, were twice as likely to contract canine malignant lymphoma than dogs whose owners did not use the herbicide. Incidentally, malignant lymphoma in dogs is considered very similar to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in humans.

Studies in rats have demonstrated that 2,4-D can migrate into nervous tissue and concentrate in certain areas of the brain. Not too surprisingly, behavioral changes have also been observed in treated rats (Evangelista de Duffard, 1990).

This herbicide was a component of Agent Orange, and is the active ingredient in many herbicide products on the market.

Insecticides Associated with Bladder Cancer in Dogs

A statistically significant association between exposure to topical flea and tick dips, and the occurrence of bladder cancer in dogs has been found. The risk of bladder cancer was increased further in dogs living in proximity to areas sprayed regularly with insecticides for mosquitoes.

An increased rate of bladder cancer in humans has recently been reported [Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, 1989(28): 407-414]. Chemical pesticides have been associated with increased aggression in cats and people, enlarged thyroid glands in cats, bladder cancer and lymphosarcoma in dogs, breast cancer in people and fatalities in birds.

Minimal effort has been expended in studying pet animal populations for long-term chemical pesticide toxicity, but careful analysis of animal disease and pesticide exposure has detected significant associations.

Much more such work could and should be done. The medical and environmental communities need to join forces in investigating pesticide-related illness.

As Carson wrote in Silent Spring: "Today we are concerned with a different kind of hazard that lurks in our environment – a hazard we ourselves have introduced into our world as our modern way of life has evolved."

Dogs, cats and birds have been our companions for centuries. Their behavior, diseases and even their deaths have warned us of pesticide related health and environmental problems.

Many people assume that since lawn pesticides (also widely used on golf courses) are so common, they must not be harmful.

The truth is that, just because a pesticide is registered with the EPA, this does not necessarily guarantee its safety. 

If you are at all concerned about being exposed to pesticides, you should be doubly concerned for your pets.

Healthy lawns can be achieved with non-toxic methods. Soil aeration, correct mowing, organic fertilizers, vinegar and corn gluten are just some of the available alternatives to toxic chemicals.

Heal Your Pet At Home!

Best Wishes,
Dr Andrew Jones, DVM

P.S. Neutraceuticals are KEY in treating and preventing diseases associated with toxins. These include Essential Fatty Acids, Probiotics and even Colostrum. ALL of these can be found in my supplement. You can get your 50% OFF trial here:

• Dogs: www.thedogsupplement.com
• Cats: www.thecatsupplement.com
  

It's hard to believe, but some veterinarians actually cut the vocal cords of dogs AND cats just to suppress their voices. We know because it happened to our dogs before we adopted them. They're two very different breeds – a Newfoundland and a Chihuahua – and we live in two different states.

We joined with Coalition to Protect and Rescue Pets, which led the successful campaign to ban devocalization in Massachusetts, to make sure no other dog or cat anywhere suffers as ours have.

But until the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) changes its position on devocalization, countless other dogs AND cats will be subjected to this inhumane, unnecessary surgery.

Though devocalization is so cruel it is illegal in many countries, the AVMA continues to condone it as a "final alternative" to manage barking.

That leaves animals vulnerable to and legitimizes devocalization. Here's why:

No vet can possibly know if devocalization is a "final alternative," and some won't ask. Even receipts from a trainer or behaviorist don't mean the advice was followed consistently or at all; devocalization is easier for lazy or impatient owners.

And just as devocalization didn't keep our dogs from becoming homeless, it hasn't prevented the abandonment and euthanasia of countless other dogs and cats.


HOW AVMA'S POSITION HURTS ANIMALS

Massachusetts currently has the only enforceable state devocalization ban in the US. Other state laws protect owners and vets but not animals, who are subjected to a dangerous surgery they don't need but are helpless to refuse.

We wish veterinary associations had supported legislation that truly protects animals by prohibiting vocal cord surgery except to treat a physical illness, injury or birth defect.

Instead, these associations have opposed enforceable humane laws, using the AVMA's "final alternative" position to justify cutting an animal's vocal cords just to deal with barking or meowing.

Why would any vet condone such cruelty? It's obvious that some devocalize dogs and cats because it's profitable. Others won't devocalize, but oppose banning it anyway. It could be they fear these laws would lead to prohibition of other unnecessary, mutilating [profitable] surgeries like declawing, cropping ears and docking tails.

HOW DEVOCALIZATION HURTS OUR DOGS

Please meet our dogs in the video on this page.

Though an experienced vet devocalized our gentle giant, Porter, in the least invasive way, scar tissue formed in his throat, making it hard for him to breathe and swallow. He rasps, coughs and gags throughout the day like a chain smoker. Because devocalization permanently damaged his larynx too, he's at great risk for inhaling food, liquids, even vomit into his lungs.

Tiny Lola struggles to force out a bark and doesn't always succeed. Like other devocalized animals, she coughs and gags a lot. One day, she may have to face the same $2,000 surgery Porter needed to save his life after he was devocalized.

That's brutal punishment for the "crime" of communicating!

Please don't let this brutality continue. Tell the AVMA: There is no ethical reason to cut vocal cords just to stifle an animal’s voice – ever. Devocalization is an act of cruelty that no animal deserves, no vet should perform, no veterinary association should sanction, and no civilized society should allow.

CLICK HERE to SIGN THIS PETITION

Make plans to ensure your pet's safety before, during and after an emergency. The following are organizations and resources that you can contact or access to help you plan how to protect your pets.

If you don't have a plan and need information quickly in an emergency, contact:

• Local Animal Shelters.
  Because most emergency shelters do not admit pets, local animal shelters may be able to offer advice, such as what to do with your pets if you are asked to evacuate your home. Search for local shelters and rescue groups on Petfinder's Shelter Center.

• Local government animal control or service agencies. These can provide guidance on how to protect your pets in an emergency.

Find out what your community's plans and resources are for protecting pets in an emergency. The following are considered key resources for planning how to ensure your pets' safety before an emergency:

• American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
  AMVA offers a variety of resources to assist veterinarians, animal owners, and others interested in the well-being of animals to prepare for animal safety in the event of a disaster.
• Disaster Preparedness Site

• RedRover
  Through its volunteer-driven RedRover Responders (formerly the Emergency Animal Rescue Service or EARS), RedRover shelters and cares for animals displaced by natural disasters and other crises, such as criminal seizures and hoarding cases, in the United States and Canada. If you need sheltering assistance, call RedRover at (800) 440-3277. Visit RedRover at www.redrover.org.

• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
  FEMA is the federal agency that leads the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident.
• Animals and Emergencies: Preparedness Information...
  http://www.fema.gov/individual/animals.shtm

• Pet Travel and Lodging Resources
  Most emergency shelters do not take pets. Before an emergency, plan where you will take your family and pets if you are ever asked to evacuate your home. There are a number of organizations that offer advice and resources for traveling with pets, including searchable lists of lodging establishments that accept pets.

• San Bernardino County
  If you are a pet owner, you need to make sure that you have included your pets in your emergency preparations. Of course, different disasters will require different responses, but you may have to evacuate your home. See Disaster Preparedness for Your Pets (PDF) to learn more about how to protect your pets. 



NCRC Interview with Officer Bill Bruce on Ineffective Dog Laws from Kara Gilmore.

A federal court case has been launched after a SWAT team in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area busted into the wrong house, shot the family's dog, handcuffed the children and forced them to "sit next to the carcass of their dead and bloody pet for more than an hour."

The case has been outlined by Courthouse News (CN), and Mike Riggs at a Reason.com Blog wrote, "Shawn Scovill of the taskforce may have raided the wrong house, but he didn't want to let the opportunity to rifle through someone's things go to waste. So he and his team ransacked the Franco house for over an hour, and managed to find a .22 caliber pistol in the 'basement bedroom of Gilbert Castillo,' which the suit says they attributed to the head of the Franco household, Robert Franco."

According to CN, a claim over the attack on the family has been filed in federal court by a team of lawyers representing the family. The plaintiffs are the nine people in the Franco home on the evening of July 13, 2010, including three children, and the case seeks $30 million for the civil rights violations and other damages.

Defendants include the St. Paul police department, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent and members of the Dakota County Drug Task Force.

Robert Franco explains in the claim the attack officers raided the wrong house, and Task Force Officer Scovill, who set up the raid, "provided false information to a Minnesota District Court judge in order to obtain a search warrant."

According to CN, Franco alleges, "Defendant Scovill lied when he informed the district court judge who reviewed Scovill's search warrant application that Scovill had obtained information from the confidential informant that the plaintiff's home was the properly targeted house and that the address and the identity of the individuals who resided therein were the plaintiffs."

The complaint explains what officers should have known: that a neighbor should have been the intended target.

CN reported, "Plaintiff Roberto Franco was not named in the search warrant, nor was any person who lived in the raided house named in the search warrant."

Added the complaint, "Plaintiff, Roberto Franco, had never been discussed or considered a suspect by law enforcement, Scovill or any of the defendants directly involved or indirectly involved in the raid, relative to any alleged involvement by Franco in any distribution of contraband prior to the wrong house raid."

Franco pointed out that the neighbor's name was actually on the warrant.

Instead, the SWAT team "negligently raided the home" and spent the next hour "physically brutalizing all the above-named occupants of said house," according to the complaint.

Added Riggs, "Since the DEA is named in the suit, the Francos' legal team will likely find itself going head-to-head with Obama administration lawyers, who argued a similar case earlier this year before the Ninth Circuit. Short recap.... The DOJ sought a summary dismissal of a lawsuit filed against seven DEA agents for their rough treatment of a family of four – mother, father, two very young daughters – during a wrong-door raid conducted during the Bush administration. The Ninth Circuit denied the DOJ's request for a summary dismissal, and drew a bright line between how adults are treated during raids, and how children are treated during raids."

The complaint said in the St. Paul attack, officers handcuffed everyone in the home except a woman, who was forced, "virtually naked, from her bed onto the floor at gunpoint."

"Defendants shot and killed the family dog and forced the handcuffed children to sit next to the carcass of their dead pet and bloody pet for more than an hour while defendants continued to search the plaintiffs' home," according to the complaint.

A young girl, who is diabetic, "was handcuffed at gunpoint and prevented by officer from obtaining and taking her medication, thus induced a diabetic episode as a result of low-blood sugar levels."

The case accuses officers later of providing perjured testimony in the trial for Roberto Franco, who was convicted regarding the possession of the handgun.

Commented Riggs, "If anyone can weigh in on the legal loophole that might allow evidence seized during a wrong-door raid to be used in court, please fill me in. Also, are Minnesota gun laws that strict?"

Most people may be reluctant to adopt a deaf dog, but what if they were deaf themselves?

   

(Writing by Kevin Murphy, edited by Mary Wisniewski and Greg McCune)

http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/deaf-dog-adopted-by-deaf-kids-after-learning-sign-language
Copyright © 2011 Reuters Limited.