Dogs sold, captured and killed for meat in the Philippines

Dogs Trust today reveals the sad plight of the dogs destined for the dinner plate throughout the Philippines and until now the Filipino local authorities had little knowledge or power to stop the shocking practice.

A recent survey by Animal Kingdom Foundation, a Filipino charity aiming to abolish the dog meat trade in the Philippines, revealed that just over 50% of school children have been served their own pet dog on a plate and the charity demands an end to this shocking practice.

UK charity Dogs Trust and the Animal Kingdom Foundation have a history of working together to campaign against the illegal dog meat trade and have now set up a series of seminars to educate the Filipino police about the law that protects dogs, giving them the knowledge and power to arrest the perpetrators and save dogs destined for death.

Often these dogs are transported and kept in appalling conditions before they are killed for the plate.

David Newall, international director at Dogs Trust says:

“The police seminars are attended by high ranking officers and as a direct result we’ve seen a rise in the number of raids and dogs rescued during transportation to slaughter houses.

This is only a small step and we need to continue raising awareness of this abhorrent trade; we believe one of the keys to making a difference is education in schools. The Filipino pet owners of tomorrow need to grow up viewing dogs as companion animals and not profitable black market meat.”

Charles Wartenberg, founder of The Animal Kingdom Foundation, based in the Philippines, adds:

“These children are brought up to believe it is acceptable to eat their pet dogs and we have to stop to this. Our aim is to eliminate this despicable trade completely throughout the Philippines.”

The Animal Kingdom Foundation works hard to coordinate dog rescue raids. The charity runs a sanctuary for dogs that have been rescued from the dog meat trade, but their resources are stretched and with the rise in meat trade dogs being rescued, the charity needs the support of the local community, more funds and volunteers to assist them.

Anyone wanting to support Dogs Trust and Animal Kingdom Foundation’s work should visit www.animalkingdomfoundation.org