Animal welfare groups said the dog meat trade was inhumane and unsanitary. "It's an industry characterised by criminality, cruelty and poor hygiene," said Animals Asia's chief executive, Jill Robinson. "Dogs are stolen from their homes – increasingly by being darted and drugged in the street. Poisons that will find their way into the meals of the festivalgoers."
While dogs are still considered a delicacy in parts of southern and north-east China, they have also become popular pets among the country's burgeoning middle class.
Protesting against the festival has become a cause celebre online. "Dogs are more loyal to people than I'd imagined – I think of dogs as friends, not meat," the actor Yang Mi wrote to her 35 million followers. The message attracted more than 75,000 comments, most commending her for taking a stand.
The state newswire Xinhua urged opponents of the festival to remain level-headed and remember that dogs were prized for their meat in China long before they were considered friends.
"It might be difficult to draw a universally accepted line as to what animals should be eaten. But when there is already a vast variety of meat, maybe it is time to stop serving dog," it said. "Maybe it's also time to take a less strident tone against the dog-meat lovers and to educate them to see a companion rather than a meal."
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