The dog that we were treating after their motorbike accident was either stolen by or sold to the dog meat man, more than likely during the day as the owners told us outright what happened so we assume they were around for it. This is not to say that they did not personally sell him, but it’s unlikely they would ever tell us the truth about what happened. The other dog, probably a sibling, was also taken, again not sure if sold or stolen, but it is not likely that either dog is alive now anyway wherever they ended up.
This is such a common occurrence here that it is hard for me to even feign shock and disgust. That one restaurant, which is across from the place where we buy our chicken feed and big water bottles, has had literally dozens of dogs in the 6 years we have lived just 500 meters up the street. They are all stolen or sold to dog meat, get hit by motorbikes and cars, or die from preventable diseases. This is how life is here in the vast majority of the country. Without any mass sterilization projects to limit the population ending up like this, the dog meat trade does a fine job of keeping the numbers of dogs down.
What does disgust me is that we had to treat that dog at a restaurant whose only dish is grilled pork. Seven days a week there is a big grill on the side that is constantly smoking and on top it always has the chopped up dead body of an animal who valued his life no less than the dogs who all die and are quickly replaced. They felt no less pain, had the same capacity to feel joy and love, and all had no interest in dying for the whims and palate pleasure of humans. Next to the burning corpses of animals who make up 85% of all animals murdered every year in Vietnam for food, we fed medicine to a dog in pain and for that we were good little rescuers, right?
What is clearly missing is the outrage over the lives lost who are on that grill day in and day out. A dog dies and the world cries. A pig is murdered multiple times a day in the exact same location and if we were to have posted that, we would be labeled extreme. We would be those crazy vegans. We would lose supporters as usual and we would be told pigs are born to be our food and dogs are born to be our companions so one so very clearly trumps the other.
The experience at just that one restaurant mirrors so well what I despise about animal rescue and the blatant speciesism fed to the public by the organizations who we are all brought up to believe are the true warriors for the animals. The organizations we all know, big and small, who save doggies and with not a shred of irony condone and often even encourage the murder of other innocent species. Animal advocates worldwide continue to sell boldface lies that have kept the animal rights movement rolling backwards down the giant mountain of shit it already is.
Here is the unfortunate reality check for the nonvegans out there: that dog was murdered because the pigs were murdered and if you continue to eat animal products and use them in any way, it is YOU we rescue animals from. You bring up kids with the idea that animals are here FOR us in whatever capacity we choose, to be disposed of as we choose or love as we choose. They get veterinary care when we choose. They get shelter when we choose. They get a fucking knife in their throat when we choose too. And for some reason, we are all shocked when the DOG goes missing? A restaurant that serves animal products already has no respect at all for life, and then they are expected to suddenly give two extra shits about another animal in their “care” because you think it is fluffy enough to warrant protection?
You kill one and love the other and then are shocked that the suffering never ends. You want to ban the dog meat trade, and yet pigs exactly like our Julian and Lola get the knife to their throats and you can’t be moved. This is why I hate my job in this industry. I hate that I have to explain this. It’s so obvious it makes me sick.
If you love animals, YOU DO NOT EAT THEM, WEAR THEM, OR USE THEM FOR ENTERTAINMENT OR RESEARCH. What are we missing here?
I am sad about the dog we were helping who is already digested by some jackass who wanted him for lunch. I am also sad about his siblings who have come and gone over the years. But I am angry as hell that every single day I have to drive by that place and the burning fat from the bodies of the murdered pigs wafts through my motorbike helmet. I am angry that the fact that this bothers me and I am open about it means I have lost a lot of friends, have lost a ton of support for my organization meant to help ALL animals, and it means that nothing I do or say can make most people see that dogs, pigs, chickens, ducks, fish, cats, elephants, and apes all feel pain and suffer and the human race has the power to end that.
It is sick that people I know and love and respect in other ways are are part of a global mentality that humans have some right to dominate and abuse whoever they fuck they feel like. I feel helpless that the majority of the planet cannot see the suffering on their plate and feel like they are part of this sickness enough to do something about it. Heaven forbid the frail collective human ego be knocked down a step or two and recognize its own sins. We don’t have to be like this and all it takes is acknowledging the damage that speciesism does to ALL species we love, not just one or two.
Go vegan today and END speciesism. Stand up for all animals.