South Korea to ban dog meat trade

News and headlines for January 6 - 12, 2024

South Korea has banned the dog meat trade. Although it does not go into effect until 2027, “those convicted of butchering dogs face up to three years in prison, while people found guilty of raising dogs for meat or selling dog meat could serve a maximum of two years… According to government statistics, South Korea had around 1,600 dog meat restaurants and 1,150 dog farms in 2023, all of which will now have to submit a plan to phase out their businesses.” 

These are some of the stories making headlines in animal protection:

Recently, the city pound in Austin, TX:

• Fired staff who refused to kill healthy animals;

• Neglected the health and safety of animals;

• Alienated its rescue partners;

• Retaliated against volunteers;

• Embracing a program called Human Animal Support Services, turned stray animals away, telling finders to abandon them on the streets; and,

• Betrayed the No Kill initiative by killing more animals despite lower intakes.

Now comes evidence that dogs are being killed for kennel stress — due to a lack of enrichment – for the first time in a decade.

Austin is no longer a No Kill community. It is no longer a national model. And it hasn’t been for some time now.

So what does the Austin City Council propose to do?

A resolution to be considered this month will legitimize these failures by giving the pound’s regressive management team the power to kill more animals. Although written in a cryptic manner that suggests it is designed to improve the shelter, it is intended and will be used to give pound managers discretion to reduce lifesaving targets, kill animals despite rescue groups willing to save them, and kill some animals right away with no independent assessment that they are irremediably suffering.

If you live in Austin and care about the fate of animals in the city’s pound, you can contact the City Council and urge them to reject the resolution.

The vote is on January 18.

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Bethlehem, PA, passed a law banning the retail sale of commercially-bred dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet stores.

Pet stores generally get their animals from Commercial Breeding Enterprises (CBEs), commonly called ‘puppy mills.’ CBEs engage in systematic neglect and abuse of animals, leaving severe emotional and physical scars on the victims. One in four former breeding dogs have significant health problems, are more likely to suffer from aggression, and are psychologically and emotionally shut down, compulsively staring at nothing.

Under the new law, pet stores can partner with rescue groups and animal shelters to have animals available.

Such laws do three things:

1. Encourage people to adopt/rescue;

2. Educate the community about dog and cat (and rabbit) abuse in mills;

3. Stop that abuse.

And they work: nationally, the number of commercial breeders has declined by 30%, and “Nebraska Department of Agriculture records show that half of the state’s commercial dog and cat breeders have left the business.”

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Tulip, at Bellwether Harbor Humane in Fremont, MI.

Do you have what it takes to save lives?

The following communities are looking for someone to run or help run their animal shelters: