# Why do you think it is wrong to eat dogmeat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 20, 2013, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-think-it-is-wrong-to-eat-dogmeat/661419 "2013-06-20T01:33:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-think-it-is-wrong-to-eat-dogmeat/661419/41 "2013-06-21T00:03:40Z")
Misread topic title, nevermind ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-think-it-is-wrong-to-eat-dogmeat/661419/42 "2013-06-21T01:06:49Z")
I don’t think it is wrong and I _have_ eaten it. We ordered it in China, though I do think it is illegal there. The dog meat does not appear on the menu, but we’d heard it was available, so we got it. It wasn’t very good, though it also wasn’t prepared in a dish. It was just a hunk of meat. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-think-it-is-wrong-to-eat-dogmeat/661419/43 "2013-06-21T02:09:17Z")
> [@](#): > > Why do you think it is wrong to eat dogmeat? morally? No. Would I do it? No. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-think-it-is-wrong-to-eat-dogmeat/661419/44 "2013-06-21T02:44:25Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I think it’s wrong because of the 100% completely asinine myths involved in how to dispatch the dog and prepare the meat along with the stupidity of the reason for consuming dogmeat. > > 1. _Dispatching the critter_: The myth is that the more the animal suffers, the more “effective” the meat will be (See #2). This leads to beating the animal and burning off its fur while it’s still alive instead of simply using humane butchering. > 2. _Reason for consuming dogmeat_: “It’s good for stamina (read: men’s erections).” YOU MORONS! _Any_ balanced diet is “good for stamina.” > > Oh, I left out a fun factoid: In South Korea where dog is consumed at “boshitang” (health stew) restaurants, it’s unregulated. That’s because dogmeat is not legally classified as foodstuffs. > > Yet another fun factoid: It’s a complete myth…no, it’s just a damn lie that the only dogs used in Korea for preparing the aforementioned health stew (take a wild guess why it’s called that instead of dog stew) are just those specifically raised for such. Nope, folks; dogs of all breeds, and, yes, even stray pets are used there. Even the Jindo dog, considered by law to be a protected beast as it’s legally a national treasure, is chucked into the pot. > > Let me know if you want more information on this. I can link you to some Korean sites that cover the myths. Monty, I believe the practice you’re talking about is primarily Korean. In Southern China at least, dog is generally eaten in the winter in the belief that dogs are “hot” and help keep one warm. The practice isn’t to beat the dog nor as a sexual stimulant (that’s what snake bile is for, don’t you know 😉 ). There are probably dog farms but if my name was Fido, I’d be pretty nervous walking down a street. How do they like their dogs in Maoming? ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-think-it-is-wrong-to-eat-dogmeat/661419/45 "2013-06-21T03:04:21Z")
> [@lavenderviolet](#): > > I do think it is wrong. I am also a vegetarian, so it fits into my general worldview. For example, [pigs are very intelligent and social animals as well](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/science/10angier.html), and I regard them on the same level as I regard dogs. I think the only reason most people don’t see them the same way is because most people don’t get to know pigs in the ways that many people know dogs. I’ve stopped eating pigs for just this reason. They’re smart and social and they wag their tails. Next step, I’m phasing out red meat. Cows are dumb and social but well, who isn’t? We shouldn’t eat dogs because if it wasn’t for them, we’d still be in the caveman stage. Dogs taught us to think outside the predator-prey continuum which is where every other creature on the planet exists. Suddenly, we had partners and thinking about _them_ forced us to think about _us_ in an abstract way. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-think-it-is-wrong-to-eat-dogmeat/661419/46 "2013-06-21T03:04:22Z")
**China Guy** : I’m currently in Maoming, Guangdong Province. I’ve heard more than a few people suggest to me that eating dogmeat is “good for a man’s stamina.” How is the animal dispatched here? No idea. But I can honestly tell you that there are lots and lots of dogs just wandering around. So, my guess is that the consumption of dogmeat isn’t as prevalent as it used to be. But, then, I am in the city, such as it is. It’s trendy now for people with means to have either those yapping little pocket dogs or big towering dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-think-it-is-wrong-to-eat-dogmeat/661419/47 "2013-06-21T03:43:29Z")
The wife won’t eat anything she considers cute. This extends to lamb. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-think-it-is-wrong-to-eat-dogmeat/661419/48 "2013-06-21T04:43:59Z")
From today’s _China Daily_ online is [this article](http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/photo/2013-06/21/content_16642236.htm): > [@](#): > > Dog Meat Festival sparks concerns ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-think-it-is-wrong-to-eat-dogmeat/661419/49 "2013-06-21T05:58:25Z")
They’re worth more alive than dead. That’s a surprisingly common rule of thumb for determining what is and isn’t food. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-think-it-is-wrong-to-eat-dogmeat/661419/50 "2013-06-21T08:04:42Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I’m not sure if you’re just making a sex joke or something, but my wife told me that cat meat tastes terrible. I asked a Cantonese why they don’t eat cat. They said it tastes terrible. Trust me, if the Cantonese don’t eat it, it’s not worth eating. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-think-it-is-wrong-to-eat-dogmeat/661419/51 "2013-06-21T09:03:39Z")
For some reason, eating cat squicks me out way more than eating dog. I have nothing against the practice per se. Dogs raised for meat are often treated badly, but you could say the same about most animals brought up for food. A lot of Western animal activists in Korea rant and rail about how eating dog is just wrong in and of itself, but I am more concerned about how Koreans treat dogs in general. Dogs as pets is a fairly new concept in Korea, and Korean dog owners are horribly uneducated. They don’t walk their dogs regularly, they don’t train them properly, and often the dogs are kept tied up all day. I feel like animal activists in Korea would do better to educate dog owners on how they should treat their dogs, rather than insult every Korean they meet by arguing that eating dog meat per se is barbaric. The dog meat industry in Korea is dying a slow death anyway. Many older Korean men eat lots of food (not just dog) hoping that it will boost their “stamina.” It’s pathetic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-think-it-is-wrong-to-eat-dogmeat/661419.md?page=2)