Comment on DOS-2012-0061-0001

THEY BURN THE FUR OFF THE DOGS WHILE THE DOGS ARE ALIVE. Every year, 2.6 million dogs and countless cats are slaughtered and consumed in South Korea. Methods of slaughter include hanging by the neck, prolonged beatings with pipes and hammers, and electrocution. Often, cats are boiled alive, and dogs are routinely blowtorched to remove their fur and to brown their skin. The myth is that the more pain suffered by these animals, the more tender and aphrodisiac the meat is. This idea is generated by Korean dog-meat dealers. Dog-meat stew is not a thousand-year-old Korean tradition, as dog-meat dealers claim. The commercial trade of dogs for consumption began in 1980, when a boom in the Korean economy made the once-scarce "livestock" meats suddenly affordable. At the time, the dog-meat trade consisted of only a handful of dealers, who, fearing loss of business, quickly marketed the myth that dog-meat stew is a traditional "cure-all" health food. Waiting for the butcher. Ctsy:ALL-CREATURES.ORG Dog meat kitchen. Ctsy:ALL-CREATURES.ORG Cats are also consumed in S. Korea. Pets and strays are repeatedly bludgeoned with hammers or placed in sacks, which are then pounded on the ground. Often, while still alive, the cats are thrown into large pots of boiling water and cooked with ginger, dates and chestnuts until liquefied to a brown paste or "cat juice," which dealers claim will cure rheumatism. Dr. Kim, Sung Yun, a medical doctor and professor researching rheumatoid arthritis at Hanyang Medical School, said "cats are absolutely not effective in the treatment of arthritis. It's a myth." However, even research such as this has done little to dispel the myth. 100s of dogs are in this death enclosure. Ctsy:ALL-CREATURES.ORG Dogs crammed in cages, waiting. Ctsy:ALL-CREATURES.ORG Approximately 30 percent of the dogs consumed each year are stolen companion animals, while the rest are bred by dog "farmers," individuals who raise dogs as a side business.