China Ends Anti-Dog Crackdown

Thanks to thousands of letters from concerned animal lovers around the world, including from within China, an anti dog crackdown in Beijing has been officially stopped. According to the South China Morning Post, China President Hu Jintao "was unhappy about the complaints and international media coverage" of the crackdown and put a stop to it.

The crackdown started in Beijing at the end of October. In response IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare http://www.ifaw.org) and other groups organized letter-writing campaigns to various authorities in China (police department, mayor's office, and Olympic Organizing Committee) as well as international bodies based outside of China (embassies of China and China's International Olympic Committee). The mass of letters, which came from
around the world, including one letter, which was signed by 60,000 dog and animal
lovers from across China, created the pressure for the police in China to stop the
crackdown. This announcement was confirmed to IFAW by the Beijing Police
Bureau in China.

"IFAW applauds the decision by President Hu Jintao to stop the crackdown. It shows that the president understands the special bond people feel with their companion animals and that crackdowns targeting dogs is counterproductive to achieving societal harmony," says Grace Ge Gabriel, IFAW Asia director, who was invited to visit the police dog pound in China, "IFAW now hopes the Chinese government will take the next step and work on reforming Beijing's dog regulations so that responsible dog ownership will be promoted and Beijing can welcome the 2008 Olympics with a humane regulation that is scientifically based."

The anti dog Beijing crackdown in China involved confiscating dogs that were either unlicensed or dogs over 35 cm tall. IFAW has urged the police to return the
owned dogs to their rightful homes, with penalties to irresponsible owners.

In addition, IFAW has pledged to support authorities in China in introducing
amendments to the Beijing Dog Regulation in China to make it more humane and
realistic for dog owners to comply with.

IFAW's suggested changes to dog regulation in China include:

* Eliminate the size limit of 35 cm: The size limit has no scientific
base. A dog's temperament cannot be judged by its size. The size limit
also makes the regulation difficult to enforce.
* Regulate the behavior of people, not dogs.
* Regulate commercial breeding and markets: Uncontrolled breeding for
trade is the main cause of the dog over population problem.
IFAW also urges China's government to start promulgating national legislation for the prevention of cruelty to animals.


There's been an influx of pet lovers getting pet insurance for their furry friends. dog insurance is particularly popular. Veterinary pet insurance can save a lot of the $15,570 estimated to be spent on dogs over a period of 10 yrs.



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Groups Come Together To Defend Foie Gras Ban

Farm Sanctuary, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Heartland Café, Bistro Campagne and two Chicago residents, Jana Kohl and Jennifer Martin, have filed a petition to intervene in a lawsuit over Chicago's foie gras ordinance. The groups are seeking to support the city of Chicago's humane ordinance which is being challenged in court by the Illinois Restaurant Association.

On April 26, the Chicago City Council voted by an overwhelming vote of 48 to 1 to ban the sale of foie gras in the city limits. The ordinance went into effect on Aug. 23. The restaurant association then filed a lawsuit against the city of Chicago seeking to invalidate the ordinance and obtain an injunction prohibiting its enforcement. The city of Chicago has already filed a motion to dismiss the case and supports this petition to intervene.

Says Gene Bauston, president of Farm Sanctuary, "The Chicago City Council voted to stop supporting animal cruelty by prohibiting the sale of an inhumane product. The City Council's decision benefits not only animals, but also compassionate Chicago residents. We intend to do everything we can to support the city's efforts to uphold the ordinance and we are confident the court will ultimately reject the restaurant association's self-interested attack on this humane law."

Foie gras (translated from French as "fatty liver") is produced by force-feeding ducks and geese two or three times each day through a pipe shoved down their throats. The force-feeding can cause painful bruising, lacerations, sores and even organ rupture. Due to this unhealthy and unnatural diet, the birds' livers become clinically diseased and can swell up to 10 times their normal size, making it difficult for the birds to walk or even breathe and many suffer a slow death before reaching slaughter. Experts assert the practice is abusive and cruel and examinations of birds following slaughter reveal ruptured esophagi and livers, grossly swollen and discolored livers and a host of internal and external infections.

"The more than 65,000 Chicagoans who count themselves as members and supporters of The Humane Society of the United States couldn't be prouder of the city's foie gras ordinance," says Michael Markarian, executive vice president of The HSUS. "The baseless attacks on this humane law are just as tough to swallow as the cruel force-feeding of ducks and geese."

More than a dozen countries have laws prohibiting foie gras production on ethical grounds and, in 2004, California passed the first U.S. law to end the production and sale of foie gras in the state. A Zogby poll conducted in September 2005 revealed 79 percent of likely voters in Illinois agree that foie gras production should be outlawed.

Additional information about foie gras, legislation banning its sale or production, as well as a list of restaurants and retail establishments -- including more than 200 in Illinois -- that have pledged to not serve the product, can be found at http://www.NoFoieGras.org.



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