If you are from the UK and most other ‘Western’ countries,
the chances are you will already be averse to the idea of eating dogs. However,
if you live in Eastern Asia – eg. Thailand, Vietnam, China – you may be a
regular dogmeat consumer. I would contend that you should not be, and that dogs
should never be used as food animals.
Some would say that this is a hypocritical standpoint -
after all, we eat plenty of other animals. This is related to the separate
argument about animals welfare, but my key point is that dogs are different.
Most of the animals we domesticate and eat are prey animals,
and as a general rule run away from us. Dogs are predators, descended from
wolves which man has selectively bred for tameness, as illustrated by Dmitri
Belyaev’s experiments on silver foxes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesticated_silver_fox).
We have selectively bred sheep and cattle, too, but for traits such as wool
production or muscle bulk. But in the case of dogs, we selected for subservience
and eagerness to please because we wanted them to do tasks such as herding and retrieving.
We took a wild pack animal, bred out wariness and independence, and created a
species that is pretty much programmed to do exactly what we bid. So when
dog-rustlers in Vietnam call to a dog, it wags its tail and approaches its
persecutor full of trust. And persecution may well be what awaits it and its
many companions (see:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/27/eating-dog-vietnam-thailand-kate-hodal ).
In communities where food of any sort is often scarce, anxiety
about the welfare of dogs may sound sentimental, but as countries develop socially and economically, they should also develop these concerns, for they are part of the ethical and moral steps that will
help human beings look after each other. Dogs are a particular example, but of course we also have a
duty of care for all sentient creatures over which we have control. And for
those of us who have some understanding of animal welfare, we also have a
duty to raise awareness and educate.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/27/eating-dog-vietnam-thailand-kate-hodal ).
