Stricter Penalty on Dog Theft White Paper by world dog alliance

Prologue Dogs and humans have a special relationship. Best friends, family members, and emotional support – the list of what they mean to humans is endless. The theft of dogs is currently regarded as a “property theft” under the legal system of the People's Republic of China. Criminal prosecutions for property theft can only be carried out on stolen property of high value. This means that criminal charges can only be pressed if the stolen dog is financially valued between RMB 1,000 to 3,000, without regard for the other damage and injury caused. The average price of a dog is usually less, which means that most dog theft situations do not allow for criminal prosecutions. We believe that dogs should not be regarded as property, but as lives. Losing a dog in any form is a devastating and traumatic experience to both humans and dogs equivalent to the loss of a family member. Dog theft has mental and physical repercussions to owners, and is a form of animal abuse. This White Paper emphasizes that dog thefts are deprivation of life and cause trauma and loss to the owners. We suggest amendments as follows to the law of theft: 1.

Reclassify companion animals from “properties” to “lives” (to reflect the

classification by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China). 2.

Enforce harsher punishments on dog thefts, with a minimum fine of RMB

50,000. The value of dogs cannot only be determined financially. What they contribute to humanity is immeasurable. Classifying their lives as property and forcing a calculation of financial value to their loss does not do them justice.

Publication Date: 22 October 2018 Responsible Unit: Veterinary Bureau

Protection on companion animals Pet dog management

Pet dog inspection Pet dog registration

Shelters for street dogs

Content

Chapter 1: Necessity and Importance of Legislation

Chapter 2: Landscape of Dog Thefts 2.1 Data of Dog Theft 2.2 Causes of Dog Theft 2.3 Distribution of Dog Theft In Regions 2.4 Dog Theft Techniques

13 14 16 20 23

Chapter 3: Influences of Dog Thefts 3.1 Social Harmony 3.2 Personal Safety 3.3 Family Problems 3.4 Criminal Industry

33 34 36 38 41

Chapter 4: International Image

Chapter 5: WDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Legislative Campaigns Worldwide

Chapter 6: Proposed Legislation

Chapter 7: Case Studies

References

Credits

CHAPTER 1: NECESSITY AND IMPORTANCE OF LEGISLATION

Necessity and Importance of Legislation There are over 30 million dogs being eaten in China every year, of which over 70% are stolen pets. Dog thefts have created a “black industry chain”. It does not only generate social safety problems and concerns on food safety, but also brings agonizing mental damages to families with pet dogs. Implementation or amendment of laws to conduct stricter punishment on dog thefts is of utmost urgency. The necessity of such legislation can be illustrated into the following points. Current punishments are not severe enough to eradicate dog thefts

Under current legislation, dogs are treated as “properties”. Punishments are considered on the basis of its value. Criminal thefts are not applicable when the value is below RMB 1,000. Perpetrators can only be detained for 5-10 days, with a maximum fine of RMB 500, under Public Security Administration Punishment Law. Such a mild punishment is nothing to perpetrators, who can usually gain huge profit from dog thefts. A stolen pet dog cannot pursuit the case in line with the standard of a criminal case. It can only be classified as a public security case. With lack of attention from prosecutors, dog thieves can easily be exempted from prosecutions.

The value of pet dogs is not comprehensively measured

Under current legislation, the value of stolen properties should be proven by a recognized document. In case of lack of recognized documents, or the value being challenged by the court, the value should be evaluated by a recognized appraiser. The value of pet dogs should never be measured financially. The long-lasting bonding between pet dogs and their owners is priceless. A crime industry is created due to low costs and high profits

The threshold for prosecution is so high that offenders barely have to face any charges or heavy sentences. Online shopping has provided convenience to obtain tools to capture dogs, including poisonous needles and poisons. A poisonous needle only costs RMB 8 but can be rewarded with several hundred dollars from the sale a dog. Such a huge profit lures more and more dog thieves and creates a crime industry including stealing and selling of stolen dogs, with restaurants involved. Dog thefts disturb social security and jeopardize public order

Dogs will die of asphyxia in 3 to 5 seconds after being shot by poisonous darts and the effects of the darts on human are the same. There is an increasing number of reported casualties due to such darts recently. Dog thieves attack pet owners with poisonous needles or other weapons when they are found stealing pet dogs. It is shocking to hear some thieves are killed by their poisonous needles by accidents. Pet owners start protecting their pets with vigorous actions. Some thieves were beaten and dragged on the streets by crowds of people which could be fatal to the perpetrators. Such behaviors are illegal and harmful to the society.

Dog thefts affect food safety

There is no standard on dog meat safety and quarantine inspection, implying that dog meat is sold without any examinations. Apart from poisonous substances from poisonous needles, canine vaccines may carry rabies virus and parasites, which greatly hinder food safety. Dog thefts bring mental trauma to pet owners

Dogs are families to the pet owners, eyes to the blind people, colleagues to the police and hope to the victims in disasters. Dog thieves steal dogs for their own sakes and bring irretrievable trauma to pet owners. The importance of legislation is as follows. Maintaining a stable and harmonious society

A harmonious Socialism society should have the following elements, i.e. rule of law, justice, trust and love, energy, stability with order, friendly interactions with the nature. The improvement and protection on legal system decides how harmonious a society could be. If the system is comprehensive and reasonable, the society is then running in a harmonious atmosphere. On the contrary, if the system is flawed, conflicts may arise in society. A legal system is the key to construct a social system. It has an important and dominating role in building up a harmonious society.

A requirement on civil education

Amending the law for heavy punishments on dog thefts is a requirement on civil education. A harsh punishment on illegal behaviors can safeguard social justice, guide citizens to be kind, and form a good manner in society. Foster civilisation and improve international image

President Xi Jinping mentioned “civilization” 45 times in his report at 19th CPC National Congress. “Our standard on civilization needs to be raised. It has to be done by improving people’s mindset, moral values and manners.” While our country is holding a leading role in economy, our standard on civilization lags far behind from other developed countries. There numerous challenges on enacting Animal Welfare Act, Anti-cruelty to Animals Act and Companion Animals Welfare Act. Notorious reputations in animal welfare has severely jeopardized China’s image as a powerful country. Legislation for stricter punishments on dog thefts and a higher standard on civilization allow our country to convince the world as a powerful nation. World Dog Alliance urges to reclassify pet thefts as a crime, with a heavier punishment to stop people from stealing pets, and provide the best legal ground for our dogs.

CHAPTER 2: LANDSCAPE OF DOG THEFTS

2.1 DATA OF DOG THEFT

In China, more than 20 million dogs are slaughtered for food annually, mostly happening in northeast, southern, and central areas. Many of those dogs are imported from other provinces. The supply is largely composed of home pets (including watchdogs). Nearly 70% of consumed dogs are stole companion dogs or hunted strays. The percentage remains stable from 2008 to 2012. 70% villages have reported cases of missing dogs.

If 10 million pet dogs are stolen annually, that converts to at least 27,397 dogs being stolen each day. A group of dog thieves could complete 3 to 6 runs a day according to news report, making it a total of 4,566 to 9,132 active groups stealing dogs every 24 hours. Thousands of people are making their ends meet by stealing family members from others. The thieves are the tip of the supply chain connecting management, logistics, warehouse and restaurants. This prosperous supply chain of shadow economy involves over a million criminals, whose impunity must be tackled.

2.2 CAUSES OF DOG THEFT

Jiaxiang County, Shandong Province is notorious for its growing dog farm industry. “Wanda Meat Dog Meat Farm” (万达肉狗繁育场) is one of the bigger farms in the area. The farms first distribute “puppies” to small investors, who would raise the puppies until they are ready for exporting. The investors may let the farm repurchase the adult dogs or sell them in the market. However, investigation concluded each meat dog farm accomodates only 20 to 30 adult dogs and a few hundred puppies. The scale is far from “huge”. The owners claimed they follow a business mode of retailing, but none of them could answer when asked about the investors’ contact information. In addition, the meat dog farmers through online marketing provides false information regarding the industry to exaggerate its prosperity. For instance, “East Haosheng dog industry” marketed itself as a large-scale farm, but it was exposed sharing the address of “Wanda Meat Dog Meat Farm”. The workers revealed that there were only three to four meat dog farmers. Those farms in the online list all refer to the same few ones. Is Jiaxiang County just a rare care, or a tip of the iceberg? Another well-renowned enterprise in Pei County calls itself “Fan Kuai Dog Meat Product Company”. They claim their dog meat are all harvested from farming, creating a one-stop production giant composed of “farming, processing and F&B”. However, the company emphasized that the government would not permit the public to visit the facilities, so the process of production has never been shown. Son of Fan Xiantao, the founder, initially explained some dogs were purchased; others were not. Later, he revealed that, “Meat dogs are rarely bred in our farms. Most are purchased from various sources.” The company owns only ten worn out dog kennels, which further support the son’s statement. The son explained that outsourcing was the most cost-effective way to run their business for three reasons. 1) Leftover is served as dog food. 2) Eliminating the need for venue and breeders. 3) Small-scale breeding is exempted from mandatory vaccination. He gave vague answers when asked about the information of the outsourcing partners. Similar to 15

Jiaxiang County, all farmers in Pei County denied the explanation saying, “We don’t sell our watchdogs for food.” Fan Xiantao’s staff exposed, “We used to run huge farms, but not anymore. It cost too much to maintain. Large dogs were more vulnerable to diseases. The bills for a dog farm greatly exceeded the the income.” He continued, "There is no such thing as Meat Dog. All meat is from rural dogs.” Wanda Meat Dog Meat Farm calculated the costs for a 30kg dog from breeding to delivery: Meat dog farm costs (RMB) Vaccination Price DHPP: 10/shot Rabie: 2/shot Dosage All DHPP and rabies vaccines must be taken to complete vaccination. Cost 42 RMB

Deworming 2/ pill 1 pill/10kg Each dog takes four pills on average (1 at 3-month old and 3 at 6-month old) 8 RMB

Food 1/day 6-8 months 182-243 Days

Total: 232-293 RMB, Delivery in 6-8 months

The above chart shows that the total expense for a meat dog ranges from RMB232 to 293. The market price for dog meat per kg is 20 RMB, summing up to 600 RMB each dog. Counting in salary, rent, utilities and vaccination, net profit should exceed 100 RMB. If one farm could afford breeding 100 puppies, which could be sold for 10,000 RMB. Indeed dog meat industry is a low-cost-high-income business, as advertised.

Below is the cost analysis for a voluntary animal shelter: Voluntary animal shelter costs: Vaccination Price DHPP: 10/shot Rabie: 2/shot

Deworming 2/ pill 1 pill/20kg

Food Dog formula and rice: 10/2kg

Dosag e

All DHPP and rabies vaccines must be taken to complete vaccination.

Each dog takes four pills on average (1 at 3-month old and 3 at 6-month old)

1-3 months: 100g = 1/Day 4-6 months: 250g = 2.5/Day 7-9 months: 500g = 5/Day 6-8 months = 182-243 Days

Cost

42 RMB

8 RMB

320-620 RMB 68 months

Total: 370-670 RMB, Delivery in 6-8 months

Each meat dog costs 370 to 670 RMB. If the shelter opt to use higher quality vaccines and deworming drugs for the sake of the dogsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; health, causing the total expense to rise even more. A shelter has limited budget. Even so, the costs of running a shelter still exceed those of a dog meat farm 2.3 times. It is hard to believe that individual farmers could afford these heavy costs. Granted, outsourcing was as profitable as the company described, individual farmers should endeavor to join the market. The reality is all 20 villages surrounding the company have no trace of any operating individual dog meat farms. Villagers do not recognise the existence of any dog meat farms nearby. They told us, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We raise dogs to guard our houses, not for food.â&#x20AC;? The conclusion is the current dog meat farms could not meet the annual demand for over thousands of dogs. No dog meat product company imports from the falsely marketed professional dog meat farms. Several companies in the industry have denied the possibility of running a profitable dog meat farm. All of the consumed dogs are rural ones.

In 2015 January a reporter at China Youth Network investigated into the dog meat industry. One of the dog meat farm owners revealed the truth during an interview, “What is ‘meat dog’? A well-raised dog is a meat dog; others are thin dogs.” The reporter has similar findings in Pei Country. There were the villages sandwiching the Peilong Highway, including Yangyu Town and Datun Town. A few farmers a ran canine vaccination business, but no one bred dogs for food. The villagers said, “I have never heard of meat dogs.” Ding Xinghu, a senior dog meat vendor, explained that an average adult dog weighs around 40kg and takes 6 to 8 months to raise. Minimal feeding costs around 2 RMB per day. Counting in the costs of vaccination, the costs inevitably reach over 400 RMB. Each dog sells for 3 or 3.5 RMB per kg and only 2 to 2.5 during low season. Breeding dogs for food is not feasible. ‘No one breeds dogs in Pet County. Meat dog as a breed is unheard of.’ said Mr. Di, a truck driver who transports puppies for living. 'It’s all propaganda. Meat dog is a term invented to hide the truth from you foreigners.’

2.3 DISTRIBUTION OF DOG THEFT IN REGIONS

Breeding dogs for food is an unsustainable business. The farmers succumb to their greed and opt to dog theft and poisoning. Dogs commonly live in human family. Some are chained near the gate as watchdogs (mostly in rural areas, where dog theft thrives).

Note: Hitch: Tied or caged Backyard: Free to roam Captive: Kept in the garden or house

Xita, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province is the settlement for Korean, who provided high demand of dog meat for the area. Huichun Street is a trail in Xita, sided by dog meat restaurants.

Each one has cages with dog in front of the gate, waiting for customers to order-and-slaughter. According the restaurant owners, many of the dogs are imported from Henan and Hebei. Most of them have difference sizes and breeds. Some are pure-bred; some even wear a collar. Apparently, these are not bred by outsourced farmers, rather stolen pets and family members. Shenyang City’s local newspaper once published an article named ‘Exposure on sick dog meat street in Shenyang Xita’, mentioning an interview with a dog vendor, who said, ‘Let me tell you, every meat dog here is a stolen pet. Who knows where they came from?’ Ms Cui, an animal activist who joined the reported in the investigation, bought a Golden Retriever from the cages at 900 RMB. She found its former owner within 10 hours. Later, Ms Cui gathered 20000 RMB to rescue 20 other dogs. Unfortunately, all of them had been infected with canine distemper and other fatal viruses. The tragedy is Shenyang City is not the only place that sells stolen dog’s meat. Dog theft involving dog meat trade has become widespread and rampant in many provinces and cities since 2001. One famous instance

happened in Sichuan Province. Mr Yang’s pet dog was snatched by a van in broad daylight. He searched through Chengdu to redeem his do at the price of 224 RMB. When Mr Yang and his daughter entered the slaughterhouse to recover their dog, they were petrified the moment they stepped into the mess. ‘It was hell. Dogs were trapped in tiny cages piled in thousands. The air stank and stains everywhere. Workers were beating puppies, who dared not to bark but whimpered quietly. ‘Many dogs had name tags. We urge the illegal dog vendors to stop this trade immediately. A product worth 224 RMB to you is a priceless family to us. Many companion dogs are taken away from warm homes everyday nationwide to slaughterhouses where death awaits. Mr Yang was lucky to manage to recover his dog, but it happens only once in a million thefts.

Regions where dog theft frequently happens always enjoy a thriving dog meat market. For example: Yulin City, Jiangxi Province, Hunan Province (Changsha City and Yueyang City), Guangdong Province (Shaoguan City), Zhejiang Province (Cixi City, Shaoxing City, Ganzhou City, Hangzhou City), Fujian Province (Fuzhou City), Jiangsu Province (Yangzhou City, Nanjing Jiangning, Gaoyou City, Jiangdu City), Hubei Province (Suizhou City, Wuhan City), Anhui Province Province (Hefei City), Jilin Province (Changchun City), Sichuan Province (Dazhou City, Chongzhou City, Chongqing City), Hebei Province and more.

2.4 DOG THEFT TECHNIQUES

Pet dogs barely possess self-defense ability. They have adapted to living with humanity, thus lacking vigilance against dog theives. Punishment for dog theft pose no threat to the criminals. Only a mild penalty is imposed because dogs have cheap market prices. Another hitch is the diffculty to collect evidence of dog thefts. These have bolstered the prosperity of dog theft business. The high profit, low risk â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;businessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is brewing a major criminal profession in China. Mainstream media reported that dog theives would unscrupulously steal, snatch and poison dogs . According to the research investigating the livelihood of rural dogs in China, 70% villages have lost dogs from 2008 to 2012. Of those, 75.9% interviewees suggested their stolen dogs have been slaughtered for food. 70% villagers claimed that their stolen dogs were poisoned or drugged.

Dog theft is increasingly severe. More and more techniques are invented to facilitate the crime. When online shopping was not a thing, thieves had adopted accessible tools such as vans, lasso, pincers, steel sticks, machetes, bats and tasers. Some covered their license plate to obstruct police investigation. One thief claimed that they began as

‘pickers’, who hunt down stray dogs with cruel methods, such as repeated battering. ‘Battering causes too much noise, so we refined our techniques. We opted to lasso, which could instantly silence the target by squeezing its throat.’ Some handmade a meter long iron pincer. During the crime, the thieves would reach the pincer out of the van and lock the target’s neck. Once locked, the driver starts the van to drag the dog away. The whole process takes merely 5 seconds. The thieves cooperate systematically in a group of driver, snatcher, salesman and evidence destroyer. One group is capable of stealing over a hundred dogs a day. Stolen dogs are mostly sold to restaurants in Guangfo and Jiangmen.

Dog industry is a highly lucrative business. Stealing dogs requires only a set of cheap kit. Some gathered to work as a gang, whose boss would provide his men with tools to lower the total cost. In 2010, six dogs were sold at 2500 RMB, each at over 400 RMB, a high price that generated huge profit. Dog thieves has opted to even more extreme methods to increase stealing efficiency recently. A former dog thief revealed that low-level like him are responsible for hunting and sell the prey to the boss at cheap prices. The boss then resell to restaurant owners, who yet again resell to diners. An add-value chain is created. ‘From purchasers to the table, 2kg dog meat begins at 15 RMB and ends up at 60 RMB. Dogs are all stolen. How much profit? You do the math.’ He explained that every penny earned from dog theft was costless, because the victim’s family had paid the price. Some thieves fire anesthesia with blowguns, which could paralyze even the most ferocious dog. It takes only seconds until the anesthesia kicks in. Another method

injects ether into a dough or cooked meat as bait for dogs. The smell of ether is enough to knock out the target. There are numerous stealing methods, such as crossbow, poison dart and pills. Crossbows and ball guns are available in many online stores. In 2015, a newspaper reported did a thorough investigation in dog poisoning. He contacted a online friend called Ms Zhang. The reported was told that a ball gun cost around 1500 RMB. He learned different models of ball guns, such as lead ball gun, gas gun and imitated AK47. Prices ranged from 1500 RMB to 2800 RMB. Pistols ranged from

1500 RMB to 2000 RMB. Mr Zhang accepted pay-after-delivery. When the reporter ordered a crossbow, Mr Zhang sent a picture of a anesthesia gun priced at 1500 RMB. It was described accurate and effective. Later, the reporter found a crossbow store selling a variety of crossbows. Barton compound crossbow is sold at 6800 RMB. When ordered a weapon to hunt dogs, the store staff recommended Black Bear crossbow which cost 350 RMB with each dart at 8 RMB. The reporter asked about the accuracy and was answered that the effective range was 30 meters and the anesthesia could suffocate the target in in 5 seconds. When the reporter questioned if the dog meat 24

would carry poison, the staff assured the meat is safe to eat. The store also accepted pay-after-delivery and offered mailing service.

In 2014, China police seized 10kg of potassium cyanide, 40kg of succinylcholine chloride, 20000 poison darts and a tremendous amount of dog thef tools in a weapon factory. The suspect revealed that he had been running a website using QQ, Taobao and mobile since October 2010. He was aware that succinylcholine chloride darts were purchased for stealing dogs, which was illegal. The poisoned dog meat was sold to restaurants and delivered to the table.

The suspect had sold the poison to 32 provinces and 84 cities.

Recently, poison darts vendors have opted to sell their products undercover in other seemingly irrelevant websites. Dart vendor Amanda McNally posted details of poison darts and offered various types. Searching ‘dog theft anesthesia dart store’ and ‘poison darts store’ provides with 50000 results and 7500 results separately.

Some vendors commented in the internet to advertise poison darts. When asked about the storeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s location, the vendors left their contact and methods of payment, as shown below.

Now we see poisonous weapons are highly accessible in China. In fact, there weapons are equally harmful to human bodies. Many criminals and dog owners have been injured or killed by poison darts. For example in 2014, two dog thieves were caught red handed. As the dog owner tried to subdue them, one of the thieves fire a poison dart to the dog owner. The thieves escaped the scene and the dog owner died in the hospital because of acute choline choline poisoning, which made his muscle relaxed enough to crush the throat, suffocating the owner. Some thieves died in their own poison accidentally. In 2013, a dog thief stole 6 dogs using poison darts and drove away. In a hurry, he accidentally crashed to a crowd and ran over a 5year-old girl. In 2012, an old man saw a van stop in front of the gate. 5 men walked out of the van and surrounded the old man’s dog. He rushed to his dog, only to be threaten with 5 80-meter machetes, ‘Get lost or die.’ The old man later recalled, ‘I could not believe they would hurt anyone for stealing dogs, so I warned them that I would call the police.’ Then one of the thieves approached and swang his machete upon the old man’s head. The old man raised his hand in conditioned relax to guard himself, only to have his palm chopped away. In 2013, police seized a large-scale dog meat workshop. The case was listed in “Top ten crime fighting cases’ by Fujian Provincial Public Security Department. The police arrested 5 suspects, who were found possessing 600 living dogs and 300 poisoned dead dogs. In the court, one of the thieves revealed that the business lasted for 7 years. They worked only for 2 to 3 months during Spring and Winter. At first, the gang used bats and lassos to steal dogs, which could only catch 5 to 6 dogs a day. Succumbing to more profit, the gang divided into crossbows and poison darts repurchasing team and hunting team. The hunting team traveled around with a bike or a van through villages to poison and steal dogs. Stolen dogs would be slaughtered, skinned, frozen and sold to Nanping Jianyang, Jiangxi, Zhejiang. They could sell up to 20 dogs a day. Each year they could deliver at least 1200 dogs. In 7 28

years, they managed to sell over thousands of poisoned dogs. Their meat eventually ended up on the table. Amount involved reached a million RMB. The exposed cases are just the tip of the iceberg. Dog theft still happens everyday. A former dog theft professional told us that the best time to steal is 4:00am to 6:00am, a period when manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vigilance drops to the lowest. Plus many old people and women walked their dogs during that period. In 2013, a volunteer filmed a logistic station where cold storages kept dead dogs which would be delivered to restaurants during high season. The volunteer noticed many dead dogs had not been skinned. The video showed tons of frozen dogs were thrown onto the floor. Those on the truck were covered with a thick carpet and cotton, making it hard to see from the outside. A reporter witnessed dozens of cars surrounded a truck in Jingha Expressway Hebei Pixian Service Area. The truck was filled with all kinds of dogs, such as Golden Retriever, Labrador, Husky and other dogs, placed in 5 decks of cages. The reported noticed many dogs had name tags. Tianjin Inspection Department reported that the truck was carrying over 110 dogs, a number labeled on the quarantine certificate. Hebei Inspection Department seized the dogs for further investigation. The reporter counted 80 dogs in each deck of cages and concluded there was a total of 400 dogs on the truck. The living ones groaned while biting the bars. Many bit each other to fight for more space in the tiny cages. When the piled dogs reached a certain amount, the station staff would call a truck to transport the dogs. Dogs had to experienced severe violence when they were caught, transported and slaughtered. The investigation team saw the station staff brutally grabbed the dogs and stuffed them into tiny cages. Their tails and legs were removed. They had no access to water or food. Pregnant dogs had to give birth during transportation. Many dogs had significant symptoms of diseases, which were spread in the crowded cages, which would be thrown onto the floor without care.

A dog slaughterhouse in Leinan Avenue shared the same situation. The investigation team recorded the process of transportation. Huge trucks loaded with cages carrying hundreds of dogs were thrown onto the ground from meters high, only buffered by tires. Howling filled the air. These dogs were then slaughtered. A few were driven away by bikes. The scene was extremely cruel with zero mercy for the dogs. Countless dog owners had suffered violence and threats from dog thieves, including: 1. A villager’s ear was cut off while attempting to stop a dog thief. – Huaibei Lieshan County 2. The thief threaten the owner, ‘Treasure your own life’ and walked away after beating the dog to death and stealing the chickens. – Taixing County, Taizhou 3. A woman was threaten with a knife on her neck for her dog. – Huizhou Boluo County 4. In 2011, a middle-aged man drugged a dog, only to be caught by the villagers and brutally beaten. – Xingyi Xingren County 5. A dog was chained by a gang with knives in a van and dragged away. – Longhai County, Zhangzhou 6. A neighbour dog was stolen and caused a fight. Both parties were hospitalize. – Liupanshui Shuicheng County Dog thieves ignore the safety of man and pose serious threat to the society. More dogs, its family and even passerbys could be harmed by dog theft. China must explicitly legislate to implement harsher 30

punishment on dog theft in order to protect the people and their family (companion animals). The legislation will set an example in animal welfare and change the world to a better place for animals. Dog Theft Videos

Nov-2018 Shangdong dog theft video

Jan-2018 Shanghai TV Health Department official data

World Dog Allianceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s documentary

CHAPTER 3: INFLUENCES OF DOG THEFTS

3.1 SOCIAL HARMONY

Dogs contribute much to humanity, other than guarding homes and accompanying, they take up important roles in different industries: 1. Shepherd dog guard and herd sheep 2. Hunting dogs help people hunt 3. Police dogs and military dogs help detect explosives, conduct anticrime patrol, drug interdiction and crowd control duty, as well as different assigned missions, for example, searching, rescue and tracing. 4. Cancer detecting dogs help find out if the patient has cancer 5. Guide dogs and signal dogs help with the daily life of the visually and hearing impaired 6. Medical response dogs are trained to assist an individual who has a medical disability.

The great contributions of dogs consolidate their special places in human world. Allowing dogs to be stolen and sold as dog meat not only costineffective, but it is also a manifestation of enmity, injustice, and contrary to the traditional concept of Chinese culture. Furthermore, the fact that the companion animals are stolen has profound influences to the the families, creating permanent trauma to the owners. According one survey, losing a dog affects 60% villagersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lives, mainly causing negative mental effects in which they feel sand and angry (42.1%). As dogs serve as guards to different families, there is then no one to watch over the valuables and personal safety, resulting in owners having troubles to sleep well over security issues (35.5%) and losing of property (21.5%). 90% of the villagers do not call the police after losing his/her dogs, thinking that it is unnecessary to do so (56.9%), finding it troublesome (50.7%) and believing that the police will not pay attention to such minor matters (48.8%). For these reactions, one can see the necessity and urgency of legislation. The reason why the villagers feel reluctant to inform the police is because there are no regulations regarding dog thefts, allowing offenders to get away with being charged.

3.2 PERSONAL SAFETY

We last mentioned that in order to steal dogs, the dog thieves will ignore other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s safety and they are cruel enough to do whatever it takes. Now with all the poisonous needles and darts available on the internet, a threat to personal safety is created. Simply from 2001 to 2012, there are already 86 injuries as a result of stealing of dogs. There are for sure way more injuries that the media did not cover and among the casualties are 69% the dog owners and villagers. Other than crossbow and poisonous tools, dog thieves also have various weapons like iron tongs, machetes, wooden sticks and tasers. There are also cases where the thieves driving dangerously and knock down pedestrians. Among all the cases, the saddest one must be a 5-year-old girl was hit during her way to school by a car driven by a dog thief. All these indicate the danger and recklessness of dog thieves. Furthermore, as 90% villagers do not call the police even when their dogs are stolen, there must be way more casualties that the police and the media are unknown of. With the strong poison used by the dog thieves and the deliberate concealment of the criminal organisation, it is highly possible that the casualties are way more than the official number. There are huge danger behind dog theft, exposing the thieves themselves, the owners and passer-by to the opportunity to get poisoned. In 2015, one heart-breaking accident happened. A dog thief wanted to shoot poison needles at a pet dog yet he mistakenly shot at the pregnant woman standing next to the dog. The thief left the scene immediately and ignored the pregnant lady. She died after being sent to hospital. After investigation, it was found out that the pregnant woman was killed by a "poisonous needle" containing a liquid containing succinylcholine chloride and amber monocholine chloride. The needle was shot in the right calf causing severe spirometry failure as a result of succinylcholine poisoning. Succinylcholine chloride is a type of muscle relaxant that inhibits the body's breathing, while cyanide is highly toxic and allows an adult to cease breathing in a short period of time.

In addition to the poisonous needles, thieves will also beat people who try to stop them from stealing dogs. There have been many cases in which thieves drove into the crowd or crashed into passers-by. Another case occurred in Shantou City, Guangdong Province. At that time, the dog owner found that his three dogs were gone. Checking the monitor camera, he then found that the dogs were stolen. He immediately alerted the police and drove to chase after dog thief. The dog owner knocked down with his private car the small truck which the thief drove. After he knocked the car down, he held a wooden stick and trapped the dog thief in the car to prevent them from escaping. When the police arrived, three dogs were found in the car thief's car and there were some dog stealing tools.

All the above case created obvious threat to personal safety, affecting social peace and harmony.

3.3 FAMILY PROBLEMS

After losing a dog, majority of the villagers will continue to keep a new dog.

The reason to keep a new dog is that villagers need someone to watch over the house (83.1%) and more than half of them (53.1%) is used to having a dog as companion. The reasons not to continue to keep a dog is because they are afraid that they will lose the dog again (47.1%) and do not want to feel the sadness of losing a dog again (39.1%). From these,

one can understand the importance of dogs to humans and how unbearable it is to have lost a dog. Here is what an owner thought after his dog was rescued, ‘all the small dogs dare not to make a sound and they only quietly sob. From what I see in the dog market, many of the dogs have a dog tag with them. I am asking those who steal and operate illegal business on dogs to stop such behaviour. The ‘goods’ which to you costs only 224 RMB each is family members to us and they cannot be measured with a price tag.” It is unacceptable to steal someone’s family members, it is something inhumane. Legislation is the only way to stop people from stealing other’s family member. Moreover, there are only a few villagers (around 50%) who are willing to sell their dogs to those dog catchers. Villagers who are not willing to do so are because of they need a dog to watch over their homes (73%) and they have a close bond with their dogs (71%).

Other than losing a dog breaking the hearts of the family, the scene of dog killing can severely damage the mental health of teenagers. Along with economic development, people are starting to live a well-off life and more people own dogs as companion. Per an unofficial survey, there are almost 100 million people who register as a dog owner. Even if one does not own a dog, it is very common for one to meet a dog simply by walking on the street. To the younger generations, dogs are partners who walk side by side with humans, instead of dishes which are to be served. The bloody scene of dog vendors publicly killing dogs, peeling their skin off and slaughtering them can greatly break teenagers who are still constructing their views on the world. Here are the influences: 1. No fear of bloody violence 2. Justifying violence and gradually accepting violence is an effective solution to the problem. 3. Imitating violence, losing moral reason, and ultimately even violating social norms and breaking the law In summary, the consumption of dog meat severely undermines China's international image and regional humanistic image, leading to far-reaching negative effects such as economic and talent introduction. The legislative and policy recommendations put forward in this White Paper are not only the legitimate expectations of the international community for a large civilized country, but also the longing of thousands of Chinese people for their own and their children's personal safety and mental health. Legislation prohibiting and banning the dog meat industry is a necessary step for the country to move forward.

3.4 CRIMINAL INDUSTRY

High profit business has always been been an attraction to illegal organisation. Song Dynasty is one example. During the period of North Dynasty, the imperial administration issued a ban on eating dog meat, the criminal organisations then included selling dog meat into their business. Like the people at that time recorded, inside the city “ were there gathering among the gangs and they were not afraid of the administration. They killed cows and slaughtered dogs. They brewed wine in private and casted coins. They did all the things which were illegal”. Selling stolen dogs can be described as near-zero cost. In 2010, six dogs could be sold for at least 2,500 RMB. When facing high-return business, those criminal organisations certainly hold on to it. Of course, the "Boss" of the organisations does not conduct the crime in person. Rather, they will send their men to different villages and even steal dogs from other provinces. The "Boss" simply does not care what methods they use or where to catch the dogs, as long as there are dogs to be resold. In 2012, a former thief, alias Ali, was interviewed by the newspaper. "The profits of the stealing dog is shocking, the black industry chain has been formed, and the law is bound to be a must." In fact, as early as ten years ago, the dog black industry chain already existed. At that time, the society also believed that legislation prohibiting theft of dogs was a must. The former dog-thief revealed that many of the dogs thieves were unemployed. They got to know the “Boss” via friends’ introduction and the “Boss” provided vans and tools for stealing dogs. “The tools are very simple, they are lassos, machetes and wooden sticks.” The vans were all deck cars, even if they were photographed by video, it would be difficult to search for that vehicle.

How to dispose the stolen dogs? Many dog shop owners look for the “Boss” to buy goods, especially when winter is coming, at least twenty dogs will be stolen every day, and sometimes thirty or forty will be stolen. After the “boss” successfully sells the dogs, the money will be distributed to the men. Ali remembers the huge profit memory that he obtained after stealing the dog for the first time in November 2010. At that time, the "Boss" made a special trip to increase the self-confidence of Ali. The “Boss” gave him 800 RMB, Ali told Reporter: “I was shocked at the time. It was almost half a month's salary for me to work in Dongguan.” But the “brother” who worked with him later secretly told him that "the boss" was cheating on him. The “Boss” took more, the 6 dogs could sell at least 2,500 RMB. Ali is deeply disturbed by this, “the “Boss” gave us 3 RMB a pound. When he went out to sell, the live dog was 15 RMB a pound, and the dead dog was 10 RMB. In the winter, many dog butcher shop owners would ask the “Boss” for dogs, at least ten or twenty dogs per day, sometimes even thirty or forty, and each dog weighs more than 15kg. One can earn nearly 300 RMB for one dog and at least 2000 dollars per day.” Moreover, the record of the people who buy the dogs are all controlled by the “boss”. Therefore, some of the “employees” are very dissatisfied and have decided to stand on their own feet and become the "Boss" themselves.

The domestic "dog industry" is actually a group-based operation. The "Boss" recruits a number of people to steal dogs, sell them, and then distribute the small part of the profits to the rest of the organisations. The rest of the profits is left to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bossâ&#x20AC;? themselves. The above-mentioned interview was conducted six years ago, and the current dog stealing organisation should be way more than what described in the interview. If we do not legislate as soon as possible to put an end to all the organisational crime and control the situation of theft of dogs, the problem will only become more and more serious. The entire dog stealing situation will only become more rampant and the thieves themselves will be more vicious when conducting the theft. It is beyond imagination how much crisis our people and human best friends are facing. Only if China enacts legislation as soon as possible and adopts strict punishment to those offenders can the country protect our compatriots and companion animals.

CHAPTER 4: INTERNATIONAL IMAGE

Immanuel Kant said, “He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” Gandhi, Indian thinker and the leader of the Indian independence movement said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. ” According to Wikipedia, there are only China, Korea, and Japan where local people still kill and consume dog meat, while there is actually prevalent social awareness that eating dog meat should not be allowed. In the US and European countries where economic development is significantly more advancing, citizens acquire higher level of knowledge regarding the emotions and physiology of animals. The concept of animal welfare is broadly recognized and thereby the related laws to protect animals are rather comprehensive. The Westerners usually regard us as barbaric and such belief, to a certain extent, is related to how we treat animals, for example eating dog meat. These kinds of behaviors are unacceptable in the Western world. Until September 2018, 149 countries (regions) have in total 530 Confucius Institutes and 1113 courses in middle schools and primary schools. These all promote Chinese to other countries, facilitating the spread of Chinese and our culture so that people can get to understand more about China. Yet all our efforts and reputation are easily destroyed by the fact that there are still people eating dog meat in China. There are almost 480 thousands news when searching “Yulin dog meat festival” in Google. Famous media, like New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN and BBC, has repeatedly reported about dog meat festival and they all condemned such behaviour, showing zero tolerance. All the international mainstream media has great influence and can easily shape public opinion, being

powerful enough to push certain social issues into the agenda of parliament discussion. In order to be a great nation and to lead world values, China needs to get rid of our bad habits and ban eating dog meat. This is national image and this can help us integrate with the western world. We are fighting to lead the world eventually and we cannot afford to be affected by such trivial matter. Our neighbors have started their action. The municipal government of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, urges local citizens to stop eating dog meat as it might damage the reputation of the city and cause different disease, like rabies. The local government adds that consuming dog meat may also cause the spread of diseases such as rabies and leptospirosis. Korea has also shut down their largest dog market -- Moran Market. If modern ethics and culture of China, including humane treatment of animals, is to be recognised and respected by the world, the greatness of China will grow into one that is without any weakness.

CHAPTER 5: WDA'S LEGISLATIVE CAMPAIGNS WORLDWIDE

THE UNITED STATES April 18, 2018: Congressman Jeff Denham introduced the dog and cat meat ban with 239 co-sponsors.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Adopting this policy signals the United States will not tolerate this disturbing practice in our country. It demonstrates our unity with other nations that have banned dog and cat meat and bolster existing international efforts to crack down on the practice worldwide.â&#x20AC;? - Jeff Denham June 21, 2018: The House of Representatives barely passed the dog and cat meat ban with the vote of 213:211. June 28, 2018: The Senate passed the dog and cat meat ban with the vote of 86:11. WDA received a letter from US President Donald Trump with his signature. President Trump declared his support on the dog meat ban. 47

Mr Genlin, Founder of WDA will participate into the signing ceremony of the dog meat ban at the White House.

December 20, 2018: President Trump signed the Farm Bill making dog and cat meat illegal in the United States

UNITED KINGDOM UK Prime Minister Theresa May declared her support on a dog meat ban in the UK in public.

October 16, 2018: WDA held a Parliamentary event. 20 MPs showed up to show their support on the dog meat ban.

SOUTH KOREA 17 July 2018: WDA held ‘Tori Doll Exhibition’ with Korean largest counterpart, CARE. The Korean First Dog, Tori, showed up at the event.

TAIWAN 11 April 2017: World Dog Alliance successfully put a dog meat ban into force when Taiwan passed the amendment of “Animal Welfare Act”, which fully prohibits the sales, purchases, consumption, or possession of cat or dog corpses.

Only legislation is not enough. Thus, WDA established the “Animal Guardian” to provide aids to prosecutions.

JAPAN 15 November 2018: WDA promoted â&#x20AC;&#x153;explicit legislation against dog meat consumption at the House of Councillors. Over 20 councillors show up to declare their support.

CHINA World Dog Alliance worked with Mr. Zheng Xiaohe in 2015, to explicitly prohibit slaughters on dogs and cats, and dog and cat meat business.

26th Sep 2016: World Dog Alliance held Dog Loversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day in Hong Kong.

26th Sep 2018: Dog Loversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day & Genlin Art Exhibition was held in Shanghai.

CHAPTER 6: PROPOSED LEGISLATION

6.1 CURRENT LEGISLATION IS INSUFFICIENT

Article 264, Criminal Law of People’s Republic of China: Thefts A. Thefts (Criminal) 1. Sanction Whoever steals a relatively large amount of public or private property or commits theft repeatedly shall be sentenced to fixedterm imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention or public surveillance and shall also, or shall only, be fined; if the amount is huge, or if there are other serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than 10 years and shall also be fined; if the amount is especially huge, or if there are other especially serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 10 years or life imprisonment and shall also be fined or be sentenced to confiscation of property. 2. Punishment From “Supreme People’s Court and Procuratorate Explanation on Applicable Legislation on Thefts”, Article 1: For stolen properties with the value of RMB 1,000 to 3,000 or above, RMB 30,000 to 100,000 or above, and RMB 300,000 to 500,000 or above, should be in line with the definitions of “relatively large amount”, “huge amount” and “especially huge amount” on Article 264, Criminal Law of People’s Republic of China. All High People’s Courts and Procuratorate can decide the exact 56

ranges of value according to the economic development and social security of their corresponding regions. The exact ranges of value should be approved by Supreme People’s Court and Procuratorate. Article 4: The value of stolen properties shall be measured as follows. i. the value of stolen properties should be proven by a recognized document. In case of lack of recognized documents, or the value being challenged by the court, the value should be evaluated by a recognized appraiser. B. Public Security Administration Punishments If dog thefts could not reach the standards of criminal cases, "Public Security Administration Punishment Law of the People’s Republic of China. 1. Sanctions Public Security Administration Punishment Law of the People’s Republic of China Article 2: A person who disturbs public order, endangers public safety, infringes on the rights of person and property or hampers social administration, which is harmful to the society and which, according to the provisions of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China, constitutes a crime, shall be investigated for criminal responsibility according to law; and if such an act is not serious enough for criminal punishment, the public security organ shall impose on him a penalty for administration of public security according to this Law.

Article 49: A person who steals, defrauds, forcibly seizes, openly robs, racketeers or intentionally destroys public or private property shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days and may, in addition, be fined not more than RMB 500; and if the circumstances are relatively serious, he shall be detained for not less than 10 days but not more than 15 days and may, in addition, be fined not more than RMB 1,000.

Under current legislation, dogs are treated as â&#x20AC;&#x153;propertiesâ&#x20AC;?. Punishments are considered on the basis of its value. Criminal thefts are not applicable when the value is below RMB 1,000. Perpetrators can only be detained for 5-10 days, with a maximum fine of RMB 500, under Public Security Administration Punishment Law. Such a mild punishment is nothing to perpetrators, who can usually gain huge profit from dog thefts. A stolen pet dog cannot pursuit the case in line with the standard of a criminal case. It can only be classified as a public security case. With lack of attention from prosecutors, dog thieves can easily be exempted from prosecutions. Under current legislation, the value of stolen properties should be proven by a recognized document. In case of lack of recognized document, or the value being challenged by the court, the value should be evaluated by a recognized appraiser. The value of pet dogs should never be measured financially. The long-lasting bonding between pet dogs and their owners is priceless.

Dog thefts are not regulated in any laws. Dogs have a very low legal status in China, implying that legislation could not protect them. This illustrates the importance and urgency of a nationwide dog thefts law. “Regulations on Dog Management” only safeguard people’s safety from human aspect, but not dogs’ lives and health. Human’s safety is important, but dogs’ safety is also crucial. Pet dogs are our families. Dog thefts should not be neglected. The sanction on kidnap can be seen in the Criminal Law. According to Article 239, whoever kidnaps another person for the purpose of extorting money or property or kidnaps another person as a hostage shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 10 years of life imprisonment and also to a fine or confiscation of property; if he causes death to the kidnapped person or kills the kidnapped person, he shall be sentenced to death and also to confiscation of property. In a case tried in Tianxin People’s Court on 13 June 2017, two perpetrators bought spring guns and 20 poisonous needles online, and killed 4 dogs which cost RMB 3,625 in total. Police found succinylcholine chloride in the poisonous darts. However, the perpetrators were only charged with thefts for killing four dogs. They both received an imprisonment of 4 months and a fine of RMB 4,000. On 22 July 2012, a man was killed by a poisonous needle accidently, when he argued with a dog thief. The perpetrator was only charged with “jeopardizing public security with dangerous methods by accidents” and received an imprisonment of 2 years and 6 months. His tools were confiscated.

Why are the punishments on kidnapping and killing dogs so different from those on kidnapping and killing dogs? The legislation against dog thefts and killing dogs is extremely in sufficient in China. Furthermore, there is no punishments on purchasing and using poisonous needles or substances. In many cases, those poisonous darts were only confiscated, which is unbelievable. Such mild actions from prosecutors explain why there are more and more dog thefts in China. We suggest reclassifying dogs as “companion animals”, but not “properties” legally. In general, animal welfare groups regard dogs, cats, birds, fish, rabbits, racing pigeons and hens as “companion animals”, among which dogs are the most popular. Nowadays, dogs have high social status. People treat dogs as families. Therefore, dog thieves should receive harsher punishments than other companion animals thieves. Dog thieves are cruel. Apart from killing dogs with poisons, they attack dog owners with poisonous needles, weapons or vehicles. We believe there should be a harsher punishment on dog thefts, with a fine and an imprisonment.

CHAPTER 7: CASE STUDIES

《CASE ONE》

TITLE: TWO DOG THIEVES IN GUANGXI WERE HEAVILY BEATEN, ONE DEATH AND ONE SEVERELY INJURED VILLAGERS COMPLAINED OF BEING THREATEN BY THE DEAD VICTIM WITH A POISONOUS CROSSBOW

Date：15 December, 2015 Abstract：The incident happened on December 13 when two men were found by the villagers while stealing dogs in Lianhua Town, Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi. One thief was killed by the villagers and one was severely wounded. The motorcycles that the two rode were also burned by the villagers. One dog-thief's hands were tied back and there was a bow of a dog next to him.

“There is no dog thieves that we don’t hate! This is the wrath from all the people!” Mr. Tan, a villager from Wulong Village, said. He added, “there were forty or fifty families in the village, raising forty or fifty dogs. Dog thieves always went into the village and steal dog thieves. At around 9 or 10 o'clock in the morning, the young villagers went up the mountain to pick the fruit. Only some old people and children were at home. Those who sneaked into the village saw the dogs and immediately shot them with a bow. No one dared to say anything to those thieves because they had knives with them. Even if there were young villagers at home, they dared not to chase after those thieves. If the dog thieves saw someone chasing after them, they would take out the arrow and threaten the villagers. The arrow that was shot was poisonous. People who got shot would die and therefore the villagers could only watch those thieves escaping away.”

《CASE TWO》

TITLE: DOG THIEVES IN GUANGXI WAS CAUGHT IN ACT DEAD DOGS WITH HIM

HOVERING THREE

Date: 16 April, 2014 Abstract: In the morning of April 12, 2014, in the street of Sanjiang, Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi, two dog thieves were stopped and three dead dogs were found in the car. The crowd rushed to beat the two men and smashed their car. After that, the angry villagers just left the dog thieves wounded holding the three dead dogs in public.

ă&#x20AC;&#x160;CASE THREEă&#x20AC;&#x2039;

TITLE: FENGSHUN TANGXI: MEN FAILED TO STEAL DOGS WERE BEATEN BY THE VILLAGERS

Date: 9 February, 2015 Abstract: A van with many seats inside removed stopped at a vegetable patch The extra space was to transport chained dogs. The villagers said that at that time, two men drove the van to the village together and wrapped the dogs with a wire to drag them to the car. After what they did was discovered by the villagers, the two wanted to drive away and the villagers who heard the news immediately chased after the thieves. The van rushed into a vegetable patch on the roadside when being chased and the angry villagers beat them but one of them escaped. Seven dogs were found inside the van and tools to steal dogs.

ă&#x20AC;&#x160;CASE FOURă&#x20AC;&#x2039;

TITLE: DISTRESS! DOG THIEF SHOT POISONOUS NEEDLE AT PREGNANT WOMAN BOTH THE MOM AND THE BABY DIED

Date: 24 December, 2017 Abstract: One suspect named Qiu carried a bow and poison needles, driving a car with Ma, another suspect, from Fujian Jinjiang to steal dogs. At 6 o'clock in the morning, he drove to a village in Guantian Township, Zhangping City. Qiu found a dog near the residence of the victim Li (pregnant with seven months). He then used a bow to launch a "poisonous needle" to shoot a dog but it hit Li who returned home from the vegetable garden. Qiu knew instantly that he was in trouble and drove away from the scene.

After being shot, Li took out the needle and went home to inform her husband. After that, she went home and told her husband. She was announced dead during her way to the hospital. Tested by the Fujian Provincial Public Security Bureau physical evidence appraisal center, Li was shot with "toxic needle" containing liquid that was consist of succinylcholine chloride and amber monocholine chloride. Her right calf was shot and this caused succinylcholine poisoning, resulting in failure in respiratory system and finally death.

《CASE FIVE》

TITLE: A GIRL IN LIUAN WAS SHOT IN THE HEAD BY A DOG THIEF WAS LATER DEAD

THE GIRL

Date: 17 August, 2016 Abstract: In the afternoon of 14 August, a girl named Xiaohui was found in Huangyue Village, Xuji Town, Yu'an District, Lu'an City was shot with an airsoft gun and died on the way to the hospital. Xiaohui was 11 years old and started school in the fourth grade. Her life is withered even before it started.

《CASE SIX》

TITLE: 8000 KG “POISONOUS DOG MEAT ” SERVED ON TABLE

Date: 8 October, 2011 Abstract: On September 20th, the public security organistions of Yingde City, after careful investigation, smashed a black dog meat plus workshop and arrested seven suspects who stole dogs, killed dogs and processed dog meat. The dog meat processed by the workshop was all from the dogs that were poisoned in the rural areas of Yingde. According to official record, the group poisoned more than 600 dogs in less than 20 days. They processed and sold more than 8,000 kilograms of dog meat. The owner of the workshop gained a total profit of more than 120,000 RMB.

《CASE SEVEN》

TITLE: FATHER USED HIS BODY TO STOP CAR BUT GOT RAN OVER

Date: 24 January, 2010 Abstract: The 55-year-old Jiang Jiding lied in the morgue of the Armed Police Hospital. He passed away after a fight with the dog thief two days ago. Jiang Shuqing, who was crying in red eyes, was sitting next to his father’s body. He had not closed his eyes for two days and two nights. According to previous reports, as soon as the weather turned cold, dogs living in Zengcheng then started to go missing. It is understood that stealing two to three dogs helped the criminals make a profit of two or three thousand RMB per night.

《CASE EIGHT 》

TITLE: IN NANJING A STUDENT GOT ATTACKED BY POISONOUS DART THE SUSPECT WAS A FATHER BRING HIS SON TO POISON DOGS TOGETHER

Date: 19 December, 2016 Abstract: At 8 o'clock in the evening of December 18, a man in Xiaozhuang College of Jiangning, Nanjing, shot a dart on the legs of a female college student. The student started to feel paralyzed, and when the suspect witnessed what was happening to the student, he panicked and tried to run away. Seeing this, the student’s companion immediately stopped him and reported the entire situation to the police. The school security guard said that the suspect came to use the darts to poison dog, and had come to the school to do so more than once. According to the suspect, since there were wild dogs running in and out of the school. He accidentally shot the dart at the student’s leg. After being shot, the student went to the hospital with her friends.

《CASE NINE》

TITLE: A MAN ACCIDENTALLY SHOT HIS PARTNER IN CRIME ENDED UP GOT POISONED AS HE TRIED TO SUCK THE POISON OUT OF HIS PARTNER

Date: 1 October, 2016 Abstract: A news about a man accidentally shooting his partner in crime with a poisonous needle generated heated discussion. Two men joined together to steal dogs and they both bought from the internet a bow and cyanide needle for shooting dogs from the internet. After accidentally shooting his partner, another man used his mouth to help suck the poison out, resulting in both people being poisoned. Now both suspects were stable and detained by the police.

ă&#x20AC;&#x160;CASE TENă&#x20AC;&#x2039;

TITLE: AN ADJUDICATION WAS MADE ON A LARGE-SCALE DOG THEFT CASE

Date: 18 November, 2014 Abstract: The People's Court of Fenghua, Zhejiang Province made their first adjudication on the case of a large-scale selling of poisoned dog meat and 17 defendants were sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment. The court found that a total of 17 defendants were involved in stealing dogs, acquiring wholesale, frozen storage, and sales. The defendants used the anesthetic, cyanide, succinylcholine to shoot and poison dogs. After hair removal treatment, they were directly put into the freezer, waiting to be shipped away to sellers. The amount of dog meat involved was as high as 38 tons. The 38 tons of poisoned dog meat was sold to farmers' markets in Nanchang, Shangrao, Zhejiang Taizhou, Yongkang and Fenghua.

《CASE ELEVEN》

TITLE : DOG THIEF IN YANSHAN DISTRICT OF GUILIN WAS FOUND TO BE SURROUNDED BY VILLAGERS. THE THIEF LATER THANKED THE POLICE FOR COMING IN TIME.

Date: 24 January, 2016 Abstract: In the morning of 20 January, 2016, two men of Yangshuo came to a village in the Hui nationality village of Yanshan District to steal dogs and they were chased by the villagers. When the police in the police station of the jurisdiction quickly came, the two men were very excited and said, “fortunately, you come in time. We will definitely be beaten if someone among the villagers is to start doing so. Thank you.” Mo was a villager in Fulizhen in Yangshuo County. He had a criminal record. He was unable to find a good job and was rather reluctant in doing a job with poor treatment. At the end of the year, he had the idea of stealing dogs to gain money. He first spent a few hundreds to buy a bow and five arrows with anesthesia online. He then contacted a few stall owners who collected dogs. In order to facilitate the stealing of dogs, Mo asked a friend to join him who was going to the driver.

《CASE TWELVE》

TITLE: 500 VILLAGERS ACROSS 3 COUNTIES CHASED COG THIEVES AMONG THE THIEVES WERE 2 DEAD, 1 INJURED

Date: 11 November, 2009 Abstract: On 9 November, three men from Guanyang in Guilin stole dogs and took a motorcycle to escape to Dajing Yao in Lingchuan County. Villagers from nearby chased after them and the two thieves eventually left their motorcycle, fleeing into the wood. Later, more than 500 villagers in Lingchuan, Guanyang and Gongcheng counties searched the mountains and seized them. Two sides fought against each other and two suspects were beaten to dead on spot while the other were heavily injured.

《CASE THIRTEEN》

TITLE: DOG THIEF DROVE OVER AN OLD MAN WAY DOWN

POLICE CHASED HIM ALL THE

Date: 24 November, 2011 Abstract: A Van passed by Tan Chuanjin and the dog next to Tan was immediately pulled into the car. Tan was furious and started to block the car. The dog thief did not even stop but speeded up to hit Tan. Tan was stuck with the car and after driving for around 60 meters, the van finally stopped. Tan, who was still conscious at that time, stood up and attempted to stop the car from moving. The dog thief was ruthless enough to start the car again to run over Tan. Tan was heavily injured and fell to the ground unconsciously. Soon, Tan Chuanjin’s family arrived and quickly sent the old man to the Yulin People’s Hospital for emergency treatment. After three days of intense treatment, Tan still struggling against to live.

《CASE FOURTEEN》

TITLE: DOG THIEF STOLE DOGS PUBLICLY SMASHED POLICE CAR WHEN BUMPING INTO THEM

Date: 3 November, 2016 Abstract: The reporter learned from the Yangzhong police that the Yangzhong City Public Security Bureau successfully arrested three dog thieves. What was outrageous was that when facing two Yangzhong undercover police who explained their identity, the three thieves with iron bars started to smash on the car that the two police officers took.

《CASE FIFTEEN》

TITLE: DOG THIEF HIT INTO A TREE WHEN ESCAPING THE MAN WHO CHASED AFTER HIM WAS CAUGHT VILLAGERS PLEADED TOGETHER FOR HIM

Date: 3 December, 2016 Abstract: Two dog thieves escaping the crime scene with motorcycle accidentally hit the tree with one of them dying on the spot. Wang Qing, the villager chasing them, was arrested by the Lingui police. In the past few days, this news has caused heated discussions between netizens and readers. On 1 December, the reporter once again came to Tongshan Village, Wutong, Lingui District for an interview. More than 200 villagers jointly wrote a petition to plead for Wang Qing. "We can't let the Warrior down. We can't let justice be compromised..." The villagers asked the public security organisation to let Wang Qing go home to take care of the wife who would soon go into labour.

《CASE SIXTEEN》 TITLE: A DOG THIEF ACCIDENTLY SHOT HIS CRIME PARTNER TO DEATH WITH POISONOUS NEEDLE

Date: 24 October, 2013 Abstract: At around midnight on July 13, 2013, the suspect Xu and Cao illegally carried bows and poison darts and went to a village in Maoshan, Jurong City to steal dogs. They fled away because they were discovered by the others. While they ran away, Xu accidently shot the poisonous dart in Cao's back waist, causing Cao to die.

《CASE SEVENTEEN》 TITLE: VILLAGERS BEAT DOG THIEF TO DEATH THE LEADER WAS SENTENCED FOR 70 THOUSAND RMB

Date: 29 October, 2013 Abstract: At noon on March 1, 2012, Yu Mou, a villager in a town in Hepu County, went to Pubei County to steal a dog. Unexpectedly, he was discovered by the dog owner Zhong Mouwei. Yu was captured and beaten to death by the villagers.

《CASE EIGHTEEN》 TITLE: TWO MEN RODE A BICYCLE TO STEAL DOG ONE OF THEM ACCIDENTALLY SHOT HIMSELF TO DEATH

Date: 3 November, 2013 Abstract: In the early morning of October 29, Zhao, a villager from Ziyuan county, and his cousin, Tang, went to Haidian Village, Chetian Miao, to steal dogs. In the meantime, Zhao accidentally shot the needle into his thigh and then died. On October 30, Tang was arrested for alleged dog theft.

《CASE NINETEEN》 TITLE: DOG THIEF FIRES POISON DOG OWNER SHOT

Date: 5 November, 2013 Summary: ： In Zhang Qiu Baiyun Town, a man woke up as his dog kept barking late night. He intended to check on his dog, only to be shot a poison dart as he walked out of the door. ‘These dog poisoners are too evil. I lost my watchdog. Watchdogs are nothing rare, but I love my dog who had been with me for years. Everyone with a dog would feel the same. I am just curious why would anyone eat the meat from poisoned dogs?’ Dog thefts have become frequent recently. ‘Maybe dog eaters have increased as Winter has come. Our village is now their target, and no police would guard our dogs. For god’s sake!’

《CASE TWENTY》 TITLE: A MAN CHASED AFTER HIS OWN DOG OWN COUSIN

ACCIDENTALLY KILLING HIS

Date: 5 November, 2013 Abstract: At 21 o'clock on April 1, 2013, when the defendant Teng chased the car driven by Zhong, the two cars collided. Teng’s cousin who was also in the car was knocked out of the car and died on the spot. "My cousin is gone and I am in great pain. Yet, the person who took our dog away has no public morality." Teng Mou pleaded guilty.

《CASE TWENTY ONE》 TITLE: THIEVES CAUGHT IN ACTION WHEN DRUGGING A DOG THE CRIME CHANGED FROM THEFT TO ROBBERY

Date: 13 November, 2013 Abstract: In September this year, in order to get a few dogs back to feed the appetite, Yancheng County’s Han and his brother were discovered by the owner of the dog while attempting to steal dogs. During the battle, Han injured a villager’s head.

REFERENCES

[1] Article 264 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, People's Republic of China, 2017 [2] Report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Communist Party of China, 2017 [3] Law of the People's Republic of China on Administrative Punishment, People's Republic of China, 2018 [4] Animal Liberation, Peter Singer, 1975 [5] China Youth Network, 2015 [6] Animal Protection Law of the People's Republic of China (Proposed Draft), 2015 [7] British Animal Protection Act, 1911 [8] Uncovering the truth about the Chinese dog meat black industry chain, Asian Animal Foundation, 2015 [9] Jilin Province investigates the black interest chain of dogs and cats, the First Good Volunteer Center, 2017 [10] Cases of stealing poison cats and dogs, Natural University, 2014

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Published on 1 Jan 2019