In the summer of 2006 the Chinese government began a program to eradicate all dogs and cats from the city-streets of China, particularly the Bejiing area. The Chinese government’s stance was that dogs spread disease, soiled the streets, and were dangerous to the public. A task force, called the cull police, was formed to systematically kill all stray dogs.
In addition, a government edict was made that the maximum height of pet dogs could not exceed 35cm (a little over 13 inches), only certain breeds were allowed to be pets, and families were allowed to house only ONE dog.
All pet dogs who did not meet these specifications were seized from their families by the police and put to death. All families who owned more than one dog (even if those dogs met the 35cm height rule) had to choose which dog would live or die.
As stated by Jeff of Toronto, Ontario, Canada who wrote to the Ambassador of the Chinese Embassy in Canada in November of 2006, “I have read and seen atrocious pictures of dogs being electrocuted [by automobile batteries], strangled, poisoned, some buried alive and even beaten to death right in front of their horrified guardians and members of the public including children! These actions are to me without a doubt inexcusable, whether hidden or in full view.”
Here is the horrifying story and photographs from a Chinese citizen who got the word out.
In His Own Words..
Beginning in July, 2006, dogs in China have been subjected to horrifically cruel mass slaughter campaigns in various cities and regions at the direction of the Chinese Government. Authorities have declared rabies, stray overpopulation and resulting public soiling and instances of biting as the reasons for these culls.
And, as Robin writes from Shanghai, China the situation continues to be pathetic:
“Thursday November 23, 2006
To whom it may concern:
An inhumane massacre of dogs is, now, happening in China, led by the government.
I am a common Chinese citizen with two golden retrievers and I love them as my kids. Under the terror of losing the best friend of our humankind, I am like every other Chinese dog lover, who feels not only upset about the unintelligible action against dogs by the government, but also powerless to protect our own friends and kids…
Photo above: The cull police beat a stray dog to death with long poles. "I want to do something, but our government is quite autocratic and blind that they don’t really care what its people appeal. Instead, the government takes use of its control over media to propagandize the hazard and peril of having dogs, releasing fallacious assertion via some so-called mental and medical specialists that people with dogs have potential mental deficiency, and can be dangerous. The government also misleads a large part of common citizen to believe that dogs cause deadly diseases and social disturbance."
Photo above: Another stray dog is victimized by the cull police as curious onlookers gape. "Personally, I am ashamed and embarrassed as a citizen of this country! No matter how prosperous the economy grows, how many skyscrapers put up in a glance, yet I still deeply believe that a nation without respect to other species on earth has NO FUTURE! I love my motherland (not the government!). That’s why my heart bleeds!"
Photo above: Cull police remove the remains of a beaten dog. "One reason declared by the government to carry out this anti-dog program in Beijing, is that they want to present to the world a successful 2008 Olympics that is dog-free!!! What a non-sense! China is in no position ready to host such a renowned international game that promotes the spirit of respect and cooperation! Nor should any entrepreneurs and corporations sponsor our 2008 Olympics, which will potentially support the government’s brutal action against dogs! For any individuals who want to help the speechless creatures in China, please boycott the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Just don’t come until the government embraces the concept of humanity!"
Photo above: Chinese dog cull dumping in mass graves. "Please tell your family, tell your friends, tell animal protection organizations in your country, and tell everyone you know about this man-made catastrophe happened to those poor dogs in China. Please write to Olympics Committee, write to the China government, write to media and everywhere that might help, to protest the inhumane massacre of dogs in China. Yes we need international awareness and support. We need you to add enough pressure on our government, that hopefully our government will realize its mistake very quickly!"
A golden retriever lies in its own urine after it died from internal bleeding from being beaten to death. This beautiful animal was a beloved pet.
The Chinese cull police confiscate a beloved pet who exceeds the 35cm height. The Chinese government began its anti-dog and anti-cat campaign in an effort to eradicate these animals prior to the Olympics. Often they kill the dogs in front of the family by the most gruesome methods possible. You can see the heartbreak on the looks of these people as they are forced to say goodbye to their beloved family member. And the dog appears to know that this is indeed a final goodbye.
How do you say goodbye to your beloved friend and turn it over to such brutal treatment? Death will not be quick or easy for this dear dog and this woman appears to wish she could die in its place.
From the letter to the Chinese Ambassador, "It is my understanding, that the issue and current courses of action stem from concern over human deaths due to rabies, as well as unchecked stray overpopulation and the resulting public soiling and incidents of biting. I am aware that learned Chinese university professors and animal advocacy groups alike have been attempting to assist your Government in humane ways to deal with these problems. May I point out I am also aware of various offers of assistance, such as material goods, planning and systems expertise, and money by International animal welfare organizations, without any favourable response from the Chinese Government. This is resulting in outrage from humane advocates the world over!"
"I know personally what a fortunate, valuable, and mutually rewarding experience pet guardianship is to a human family environment. How utterly and outrageously sad it must be for a guardian to lose, or be forced to give up due to fear of retribution, that which becomes virtually a family member! And this is to say nothing of the suffering endured by all those unfortunate, frightened, homeless animals scraping to survive on the streets and currently dying such needless tragic deaths at the hands of Chinese authorities!"
Above photo: This female dog was confiscated from her family, she was pregnant and gave birth to two puppies. The cull police have come to put her to death (more than likely by electrocution) the puppies will probably be strangled to death. Another quote from Jeff's letter to the Chinese Ambassador in Canade, "Surely, and with respect, Ambassador Lu, curbing pet overpopulation and rabies through multi-level public education programs, mass vaccination efforts of both pets (through licensing) and strays (through responsible sheltering) with responsible, organized adoption programs linked with spay/neutering of strays and responsible petSurely, and with respect, Ambassador Lu, curbing pet guardianship counseling would provide much more effective and lasting results."
"I call on Chinese authorities to stop their unreasonable confiscation of dogs, amend their current list of dangerous breeds, cancel height restrictions for current licenses, implement humane dog control policies and follow the WHO's recommendations on implementing mass vaccination of dogs to effectively control rabies."
