Humane Society International / Global
Millions of dogs and cats around the world are suffering—lacking basic resources such as adequate shelter, nutritious food and veterinary care. Some even fall victim to inhumane methods of population control, including long-term sheltering and culling. In collaboration with local partners, HSI develops humane and sustainable programs to improve the welfare of dogs and cats globally.
Humane Society International
Across Asia, millions of dogs and cats are brutally killed for meat. HSI campaigns all year round in China, South Korea, Indonesia and Viet Nam to end the cruelty. In most countries, dogs are stolen pets or grabbed from the streets. In South Korea, dogs are farmed in appalling conditions.
Humane Society International
Every year, millions of dogs are brutally captured and transported throughout Indonesia for the dog meat trade. Many are stolen family pets or animals snatched from city streets and rural communities. They are crammed into cages and sacks so tightly that they can’t move, with their mouths bound shut so they can hardly breathe and driven on excruciatingly long journeys on bikes or overcrowded trucks to supply markets, slaughterhouses and restaurants. Many die from suffocation, dehydration or heatstroke before they reach their final destination. For those who survive, their grim fate is to watch others being brutally killed as they await their turn to die. Their anguish and terror are unimaginable.
Donate now to help stop this cruel trade and protect all animals.
Humane Society International is a founding member of the Dog Meat Free Indonesia (DMFI) coalition, a coalition of international and national animal protection organizations with a shared commitment to end the dog meat trade nationwide.
DMFI investigations have revealed not only immense animal suffering, but also the serious threat posed to human health. The dog meat trade encourages the movement of huge numbers of dogs of unknown disease status between provinces (and islands). The World Health Organization (WHO) has explicitly highlighted the dog meat trade as a contributing factor to the spread of rabies in Indonesia. As the dog meat trade is the only known mass and unregulated movement of dogs from different cities, provinces and islands, it all too easily facilitates the movement of rabies-positive dogs to supply densely populated dog meat eating “hot spots” throughout the nation, including those areas that have worked tirelessly to secure a “rabies-free” status, for example, the capital city of Jakarta. Such mass movements of dogs clearly breach rabies control recommendations.
The unsanitary conditions at slaughterhouses and open markets, is of added and equal concern, with those involved in the dog meat trade—traders, slaughterers, vendors and consumers—at risk of being exposed to rabies and other zoonotic diseases. There is evidence from throughout the region, including Indonesia, of rabies-positive dogs being sold and slaughtered for human consumption in slaughterhouses and markets, including North Sulawesi’s infamous “traditional markets” where dogs and cats are sold and slaughtered alongside chickens, ducks and wildlife species.
So, while only a minority of Indonesian residents (an estimated 4.5%) ever actually consume dog meat, the trade threatens the safety of the whole country.
Most people in Indonesia don’t eat dogs. In some areas, including Manado and Medan, dog meat is considered a traditional type of food, and is most popular amongst Batak and Christian populations. Its consumption is often linked to certain festivities including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and family celebrations such as weddings and baptisms.
As in many other parts of Asia, dog meat is also consumed in the mistaken belief that it has health properties, such as curing asthma or dengue fever, as a general boost for the immune system or to improve male stamina. Contrary to common misconception, dog meat is not eaten because it is a cheap protein source, and, in fact, it is no more or less expensive than other meats.
Many countries and territories across Asia—such as the Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia—have already banned the dog meat trade and/or consumption of dogs, in recognition of the cruelty and health risks that are involved. Demand for dog meat is declining and opposition to the dog meat trade has become increasingly vocal throughout the region, including in Indonesia, particularly among younger generations, due to the exponential growth in pet ownership and associated concerns for animal welfare.
There are no regulations in Indonesian law explicitly prohibiting the trade in and slaughtering of dogs for human consumption. However, there are a number of existing regulations and laws regarding consumer safety, violence in public, transportation of livestock, animal abuse and theft of animals, as well as animal husbandry and animal quarantine, that, if properly and strictly applied, could dramatically curtail if not stop the dog meat trade as we know it.
Through the Dog Meat Free Indonesia coalition, we are campaigning for an outright ban on the dog meat trade. Add your voice by taking action now.
The Dog Meat Free Indonesia coalition believes that strong actions must be extended to the whole of Indonesia in order to shut down the brutally cruel, unsanitary and unsafe dog meat trade. Speak out and donate now to help dogs and other animals in need.
Humane Society International
South Korea is the only known country in the world where dogs are routinely and intensively farmed for human consumption. Up to a million dogs are kept in thousands of facilities, left exposed to the elements in small, barren, filthy cages and given little food. Many suffer from disease and malnutrition and all are subjected to terrible, daily neglect. The methods used to kill the dogs are brutal—electrocution is most common. They are slaughtered in full view of other dogs, and their final moments are painful and terrifying.
Our ultimate goal is a ban on the dog meat industry, and our dog meat farm closures are part of a strategy to create the right political and societal circumstances to make this possible. One of the critical factors in achieving political support is showing that the dog meat industry can be successfully phased out in cooperation instead of conflict with the dog meat farmers, so we are working together with those who are eager to leave the dog meat industry to shut down their operations and transition to humane livelihoods.
Although some of the dogs we have rescued have found loving homes in South Korea, most have been flown to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Canada and the Netherlands because, at present in South Korea, there is insufficient widespread acceptance of dog adoption, particularly for large-size dogs. There is also a misconception among some that “meat dogs” are different from “pet dogs,” a view that we are helping to change through public education and our many adoption stories that clearly show this is not the case.
Farm closure one took place in January 2015; HSI managed the rescue of the farmer’s 23 dogs, closed his dog farming operation and supported his switch to a full-scale blueberry farm. All 23 dogs were flown to the United States, divided among five Washington D.C. area shelters, and have been adopted into loving homes as family pets. Many of them act as ambassadors for our campaign.
Farm closure two took place in March 2015 in Hongseong, this time rescuing all 60 dogs—a mixture of breeds including beagles, poodles, Korean Jindos and large Tosas. Once again, the farmer ended dog meat farming for good. Tae Hyung Lee had bred dogs for meat for 20 years; facing criticism from family members for his participation in this trade, he was eager to work with HSI to close his farm and start a new business. All but two of the 60 dogs now live in the United States, in loving, caring environments, with two (a mother and pup poodle) happily adopted in South Korea.
Farm closure three in September 2015 was our largest yet, rescuing all 123 dogs from a farm in Chungcheongnam-do. All 123 dogs—a mixture of breeds ranging from the large mastiffs most often considered as “meat dogs” in South Korea, to Jindo mixes, Spaniel mixes and Chihuahuas—were transported to shelters in California, Oregon and Washington State in the United States.
Farm closure four was in December 2015, rescuing 27 dogs and puppies from a small “starter” dog meat farm in South Korea. The dogs were flown to the United States and divided among five area shelters for care and adoption.
Farm closure five: This was a rescue conducted in two parts, in total rescuing 267 dogs. Part one took place in February 2016, rescuing 50 dogs from a dog meat farm in Wonju; part two took place in April 2016, rescuing the remaining 217 dogs. The dogs from this farm are a mixture of breeds including Husky, Labrador, Golden Retriever, Mastiff and Jindo mixes.
Chicken Farm Dog Rescue: In July 2016, Humane Society International worked with Free Korean Dogs to assist a local activist called Jinoak in South Korea with re-homing dogs who had been rescued from a dog meat farm. Jinoak had discovered the dog meat farm containing 51 dogs, bought them from the farmer, and built a shelter to house the dogs. With assistance from Free Korean Dogs, Jinoak placed some of the dogs for adoption, and HSI stepped in to help re-home the remaining dogs. One of HSI’s Shelter and Rescue Partners in Helena, Montana, in the United States—Lewis and Clark Humane Society—agreed to take the dogs. One dog found an adopter online and was flown directly to Toronto to his new home.
Jeonju Farm Dog Rescue: In September 2016, HSI worked again with Free Korean Dogs to rescue 31 dogs from a dog meat farm after Korean authorities ordered the farm to shut down for operating illegally without a license. HSI assisted with re-homing five of the dogs.
Farm closure six: In January 2017, HSI closed down a farm in Wonju and rescued all 219 dogs, flown to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom for adoption. The farmer, a mother with a teenage daughter, was keen to leave the trade and move to the city to start a better life for herself and her child.
Farm closure seven: In March 2017, HSI closed down a farm in Goyang and rescued all 67 dogs, flown to the United States for adoption. The elderly farmer and his wife were keen to retire due to age, ill health and their increasing unease at breeding dogs for eating—in fact the farmer had stopped selling his dogs for slaughter and stopped eating dog himself.
Farm closure eight: In June 2017, 16 dogs were rescued by HSI from a small backyard breeding operation in Seongnam (total includes two puppies born to one of the mama dogs shortly after we rescued her). The owner bred the dogs to sell to a nearby dog meat market. The dogs will all find forever homes in the United States.
Farm closure nine: In July 2017, HSI closed down a dog farm in Yesan and rescued all 149 dogs from the property, including 14 newborn pups, all of whom were flown for adoption to the United States.
Gongju city farm rescue: In October 2017, HSI/Korea assisted Korean animal partners KAWA in rescuing 23 dogs, mainly Tosas, from a farm in Gongju city.
Farm closure 10: In November/December 2017, HSI closed down a dog meat farm in Namyangju with more than 170 dogs, who were flown to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom to find new homes.
Farm closure 11: In March 2018, HSI closed down a small dog meat farm in Gyeonggi-do province, with 105 dogs and puppies flown to Canada.
Farm closure 12: In June 2018, HSI reached an agreement with a farmer in Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do to remove the last 50 dogs from his dog meat farm before he shut it down to expand his more profitable water parsley business. We flew the dogs to Canada to start their new lives.
Farm closure 13: In October, 2018, we worked with Farmer Lee in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea to shut down his dog meat farm after 14 years, rescuing 200 dogs and flying them to Shelter and Rescue Partners in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Lee plans to expand his medicinal herb farm instead.
Farm closure 14: In February 2019, HSI closed a dog farm in Hongcheon with nearly 200 dogs, including a combined puppy mill operation.
Gupo dog meat market rescue: In July 2019, HSI/Korea worked with Korean partners KAWA, KARA and Busan Korean Alliance for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and alongside local authorities to rescue 85 dogs from Gupo dog meat market in Busan upon its closure.
Farm closure 15: In September 2019, HSI closed down a dog farm in Gyeonggi-do with more than 90 dogs and puppies.
Farm closure 16: In May 2020, HSI closed down a dog farm in Hongseong-gun, rescuing more than 70 dogs and puppies.
Farm closure 17: In October 2020, HSI shuttered a dog meat farm in Haemi and saved 170+ dogs from the dog meat trade.
Paju rescue: In October 2020, HSI/Korea assisted local groups with the rescue of 14 Jindo dogs from a small farm which the farmer had agreed to close.
Gimpo rescue: In December 2020, HSI/Korea assisted Korean partners LIFE and regional officials in rescuing more than 100 poodles, Jindos, Yorkshire terriers, Chihuahuas, Shih Tzus, Pomeranians, Spitz, Schnauzers and more caged in deplorable conditions on a junkyard farm where they had been bred and sold for both the pet trade and the dog meat trade.
Yongin rescue: In April 2021, HSI/Korea joined with Korean animal protection groups LIFE, KoreanK9Rescue and Yongin Animal Care Association to save 50 dogs from being euthanized on a dog meat farm in Yongin city after the facility was closed down by the authorities.
Jindo Island farm closure: In August 2021, HSI/Korea assisted our Korean partners LIFE to rescue 65 Jindo dogs and puppies from a farm on Jindo Island. The farm was being investigated and shut down by local authorities for having breached the Animal Protection Act due to dogs being killed in front of each other.
Ansan rescue: In July 2022, HSI/Korea assisted Korean K9 Rescue in removing 21 dogs left behind when Ansan city authorities closed an illegal dog meat farm in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Officials had already removed 38 dogs to their shelter for rehoming, but left 21 behind with a deadline for removal or they would be at risk of being euthanized or sold to a slaughterhouse. The farmer had been breeding dogs for human consumption at the site for six years.
Farm closure 18: In March 2023, HSI/Korea closed down a farm in Asan-si, Chungcheong province and rescued the almost 200 dogs and puppies on the property. The farmer, Mr Yang, planned to retire and grow cabbages and other vegetables for himself and to sell locally.
Humane Society International / Canada
Across Canada, municipalities and even entire provinces like Ontario ban or restrict dogs because of their breed (or perceived breed).
HSI/Canada opposes such public policies as inhumane and ineffective. There is no evidence that breed-specific laws reduce dog bites or attacks on people, and they divert resources from more effective animal control and public safety initiatives. This is also reflected by the position statement of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association on dangerous dog legislation, which they support, “[p]rovided that it is not discriminatory of a specific breed. This legislation should be directed at fostering the safety and protection of the general public from dogs classified as ‘dangerous’ or ‘vicious.’ The CVMA encourages and supports a community approach to dog bite prevention, including responsible breeding, training, pet selection and pet ownership as well as education on animals in the community.”
Breed-based policies aren’t founded on science or credible data, but on myths and misinformation surrounding different breeds. Their impact on dogs, families and animal shelters, however, is heartbreakingly real.
Learn the truth about breed bans, and help your community become a place where dogs aren’t judged by their looks, but by their behavior.
Breed bans and restrictions force dogs out of homes and into shelters, taking up kennel space and resources that could be used for animals who are truly homeless. Underfunded animal control agencies bear the burden of enforcing the laws, and are often called on to decide, based on looks alone, whether a dog belongs to a certain breed. Battles erupt between dog owners and local agencies—and often continue to the courts—costing the community resources that could have been spent on effective, breed-neutral dog laws and enforcement.
Experts have found that no breed is more likely to bite than another. The CVMA, the Ordre des médecins vétérinaires du Québec, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the National Companion Animal Coalition and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention oppose breed-specific legislation, along with leading animal welfare organizations.
Complicating the issue of breed bans and restrictions is the fact that often pet dogs are mixed breeds. Through canine genetic testing, studies have found that even people in animal-related professions can’t accurately identify the breeds in a mixed-breed dog’s genealogy. Tragically, breed-biased laws have caused the deaths of countless dogs whose only crime was to resemble a certain breed.
In a 2012 article about the long-standing breed ban in Miami-Dade County, Fla., Kathy Labrada, then head of animal services enforcement, admitted that the ban had been a failure. “No, it has not been effective,” she told The Daily Telegraph. “To target a specific breed I don’t think is logical.”
Many animal shelters are flooded with dogs who, because of breed bans, can’t be adopted to the people in their communities. Shelters in neighboring cities and counties often end up taking in the dogs, creating something like a shell game. Katie Barnett, an animal law attorney in Kansas, remembers when animal control officers showed up at her door several years ago and told her that she had two weeks to get rid of her dog, Katrina. Instead, Barnett and Katrina moved just 10 miles away, to another city in the Kansas City metropolitan area that didn’t ban Staffordshire bull terriers. Her experience, Barnett says, underscores the illogic behind a patchwork of local breed bans: “I can live in one city and by simply crossing the street into another, all of the sudden my dog is labeled dangerous.”
Fortunately, more people and their elected officials are learning why breed bans don’t make sense, and BSL is on the decline. In the United States, 19 states have passed laws prohibiting BSL on the local level, and nearly 100 municipalities have replaced BSL with breed-neutral policies. Repealing BSL has not resulted in more dog bites in these communities. In fact, after Ohio repealed its statewide breed-based law, State Farm Insurance reported a decrease in dog-related claims in the state.
Humane Society International / Global
HSI is fighting the cruel dog meat trade in countries across Asia. Here’s how we’re working to achieve change.
Ending Asia’s dog meat trade for good poses complex challenges that require a genuine understanding of the situation on the ground and a multi-layered strategy. HSI’s primary focus is on the dog meat trade in China, South Korea, Indonesia and Viet Nam.
In South Korea, Viet Nam and Indonesia, we have HSI team members living in-country to pursue legislative change and action for animals. In China, we support the efforts of numerous animal protection groups and shelters in campaigning, public education and hands-on rescue.
KARA
Our goal is to advance laws to ban the dog and cat meat trades. In South Korea, we are urging the national government to commit to a phase-out of dog meat farming, and working with policy makers who are in favour of reform. In Indonesia, as part of the Dog Meat Free Indonesia (DMFI) coalition, we work with local law enforcement to stop dog traffickers and close down slaughtering operations, and encourage local governments to introduce dog meat bans, while petitioning the government for a nationwide ban, in accordance with national sentiment that “dogs are not food”. In China, although the law doesn’t permit foreign NGOs to lobby the government directly, the Chinese animal groups that HSI supports, actively engage with policy makers and officials to crack down on the trade. We very much hope that the time will soon come when the National People’s Congress supports advances robust animal welfare legislation. With bans on the dog meat trade already in place across Hong Kong, Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan and Singapore, as well as the cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai in mainland China, Siem Reap province in Cambodia, and 14 cities and regencies in Indonesia, achieving an end to the trade across Asia is a realistic goal.
Additionally, HSI works co-operatively with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the United Kingdom to progress meaningful action and has played a key role in helping to shape recent Congressional Resolutions in the United States.
DMFI
With millions of dogs and cats suffering for the meat trade across Asia, rescue alone is not a solution to end this cruel business. However, where we are able to save lives, we and our partners swing into action.
HSI/Korea has rescued more than 2,500 dogs from dog meat farms and markets in South Korea. They have all suffered being intensively bred on farms in small, metal, barren cages with little food or water, left exposed to the harsh elements and with no veterinary care. HSI works with farmers who want to leave the cruel trade behind them, closing down their dog meat farms and flying the dogs to freedom in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Through a network of Shelter and Rescue Partners, the dogs are prepared for adoption into loving homes. They serve as ambassadors to help raise awareness of this issue. Back in South Korea, we work with the farmers to help them move on, either by transitioning to new humane livelihoods such as water delivery or vegetable farming, or in the case of very elderly and infirm farmers, retiring from work. In both cases, permanently closing their dog meat farms saves not only the dogs we rescue at the time but also ends the cycle of suffering by preventing many hundreds more from ever being born into the cruel trade in the future. At the same time, we’re demonstrating to the Korean government that phasing out the industry is a feasible solution.
HSI/Jean Chung
In China, HSI supports the work of local groups who liaise with the police to pull over trucks on the highways crammed with dogs and cats on their way to slaughterhouses. As these animals are largely illegally acquired from the streets and their homes, as well as illegally transported across provincial borders without the necessary paperwork, intercepted trucks can be seized by the police and the dogs confiscated. Our partner groups provide immediate lifesaving water and care for the animals who will have been driven for days or even weeks to reach the slaughterhouse. Many of them will be sick from disease, dehydration or heat stroke, or injured with wounds to their paws or even broken bones. Our supporters’ donations have helped bring top-quality veterinary care and safe sanctuary at HSI-funded shelters to these animals so that they can recover and learn to trust again.
HSI
Criminal activity underpins the dog meat industry across much of Asia, yet convictions are extremely rare. HSI wants to see improved law enforcement as a priority to deter dog traffickers, protect vulnerable animals and increase arrest and conviction rates for dog trade criminals. In Indonesia, more than one million dogs are still illegally stolen, trafficked, slaughtered and sold for human consumption every year. Without a nationwide ban, the relevant laws and regulations that can be applied have weak penalties, and enforcement is rare, which enables the traders to continue to operate. DMFI campaigners work with law enforcement as well as local and regional officials to introduce bans and help the authorities crack down on the criminals. As a direct result of this strategy, we’ve worked with police to intercept trucks smuggling dogs, and seen the country’s first ever convictions for dog traffickers.
Yoma Times Suryadi/AP Images for HSI
Our work shining a spotlight on the suffering endured by dogs and cats for the meat trade is a powerful tool in changing hearts and minds. In South Korea, our strategy of inviting Korean media to attend our dog farm rescues and witness the conditions first-hand has shone a much-needed spotlight on the cruelty. Showing the grim reality of the industry to the public and politicians has contributed to increased support for a ban. Likewise, in Indonesia our DMFI investigations have exposed the appalling cruelty endured by these animals, including those at markets where they are routinely bludgeoned and blow torched in front of each other. Our investigations result in national and international media headlines, which, in turn, support our campaign work on the ground and increase momentum for change.
Dog Meat Free Indonesia
Most people across Asia don’t eat dog and cat meat, and do increasingly support an end to the trade, particularly where public campaigning has led to a greater awareness about the cruelty involved. In South Korea and Indonesia, for example, there is dwindling interest in dog meat consumption, particularly among the younger generation who view dogs as companions, not food. Together with our partner groups such, as KARA in South Korea and DMFI in Indonesia, HSI participates in public peaceful demonstrations of support for protecting dogs from this cruelty as well as eye-catching, nationwide PR campaigns. Community outreach and highlighting the special nature of dogs as our companions are also part of our strategy to promote a public insistence for the end of the dog meat trade.
Dog Meat Free Indonesia
HSI’s promise to these animals and our advocates is that we will not rest until the dog meat trade ends. Join us in our fight to stop this and other cruelty. Join us in our fight to stop this and other cruelty.
Humane Society International
On April 17, 2015, HSI helped rescue 64 dogs—including poodles, Maltese, Shih Tzus, Chihuahuas, Yorkshire terriers and Pekingese—from a puppy mill in Costa Rica.
Amanda Chaves/HSI
Many had been kept in overcrowded, filthy aerial enclosures and had never seen sunlight or received veterinary attention. They were forced to birth litter after litter, their owners profiting from selling their babies.
Donate to our Animal Rescue Fund.
Amanda Chaves/HSI
After the rescue, the animals were seen by a veterinarian, who found that eight of them were pregnant, including some at high risk due to their ages. Others had eye infections, teeth in terrible condition, ear issues, mange, untrimmed nails, broken bones that had healed inadequately and other problems. Several have now undergone surgery and a few have already had their puppies.
Amanda Chaves/HSI
The change in the dogs’ dispositions since arriving at our shelter is incredible. They were nervous, despondent and ill when we found them, but they’re now able to go outside and their personalities are shining through. They are much more active and seem to be very happy. It’s particularly interesting to watch the ones who had never before touched the ground—some stood in place, confused, while others began playing right away.
Amanda Chaves/HSI
We found twice as many dogs as we had expected when we entered the property. We are working to ensure that the dogs will not be returned to the puppy mill owner. Every week until the trial, we will gather information about the health and progress of the dogs to help serve as evidence that they are better off out of their former owners’ hands.
Amanda Chaves/HSI
If the dogs are released, we will spay/neuter them and then work hard to find each one a loving new home. We hope that the suffering they endured for so long will soon become a distant memory for the mother dogs and that their newborns will frolic in the grass instead of languishing in cages.
Please give now to support our life-saving work and sign up to receive news and action alerts to learn more about what you can do to help animals.
With thanks to La Asociación Nacional Protectora de Animales
Humane Society International / Global
HSI and The Humane Society of the United States offer rewards for information about dogfighting in Costa Rica or the United States. Learn how to spot the signs of dogfighting.
In Costa Rica, the Tip Line for Complaints Against Dogfighting (8625-6000) allows citizens to send videos, photos and messages by cell phone that will identify people or places involved in dogfighting activities.
Through the tip line, people can report any type of animal fighting activities, contribute to the eradication of breeding facilities, provide information on locations holding illegal fights, and ultimately help dismantle animal fighting rings.
If the information provided is accurate and ultimately leads to the seizure of abused dogs and/or the arrest of those involved animal fights, the informant will receive a reward of up to US $1,500 from HSI/Latin America.
In the United States, The HSUS offers a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in dogfighting. If you have information about illegal animal fighting in your area, you can call HSUS’s animal fighting tip line at 877-TIP-HSUS and your information will be kept confidential. Learn more.
Note: The HSUS also offers a reward for information about cockfighting, and about U.S. puppy mills (for the latter, call 1-877-MILL-TIP).
If you live in the United States, here are more ways to help.
If you have information about a potentially illegal dogfighting operation, here are the steps to take:
1. Call your local police department or animal control agency. Give them as many details as you can about the suspected animal fighting operation. You do not need to give your name to law enforcement to report your information. You can also call our tip lines.
Note: In order to qualify for the rewards program, this must be an open case. Additionally, law enforcement officers (including ACOs and humane officers) are not eligible for our rewards program.
2. Get a letter from law enforcement. If the suspected animal fighter is convicted, ask the law enforcement agency involved in the case to write a letter to HSI/The HSUS. The letter should state that your tip helped lead to the arrest and prosecution. The letter should be mailed, faxed, or emailed to:
Animal Fighting Reward Program
c/o Adam Parascandola
The Humane Society of the United States
1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20037
Fax: 301-721-6414
aparascandola@humanesociety.org
3. Call us for more information. If you have questions about the reward program, please call us at 202-452-1100.
Order our animal fighting reward posters and display them prominently throughout your community or wherever you suspect illegal animal fighting occurs. To order posters in English (United States tip line), email crueltyresponse@humanesociety.org. For Spanish (Costa Rica tip line), email cdent@hsi.org. You can also download PDFs of our U.S./English and C.R./Spanish posters.
Humane Society International / Global
In response to requests for information on transporting a companion animal between countries, we provide the following information:
Please be aware that costs for transport of a dog or cat can range from USD $150 to $2000 or more, based on accommodation and airline. In addition, some countries have strict quarantine policies.
To learn about quarantine policies, paperwork, vaccinations and other requirements, check with the appropriate agency (typically the Department of Agriculture) in your country.
Be sure to visit a local, licensed veterinarian to obtain a health exam along with the needed health certificates and vaccinations for your animal’s air travel and importation. Local veterinarians will also know where kennels can be purchased. Kennels make take some time to acquire, depending on the country. Specifically approved airline travel pet kennels are often required as well.
Contact your airline ahead of time to ensure that it permits the transport of dogs/cats (and reserve a spot) and what requirements are for boarding. Reservations are often needed for your dog/cat’s travel.
Please check with your airline for the details of their specific policies. Keep in mind that there may be partner carriers (not just the airline with which you booked your ticket) and different airlines for different legs of your journey, so make sure you check with each of them. In some cases, there may be breed restrictions.
HSI hears from many individuals who, on their travels, encounter dogs and cats in poor physical condition, for example, with skin diseases or untreated injuries. Concerned individuals should be mindful that these animals may, in fact,have someone who looks after them. Veterinary services are often not affordable or accessible, and animals continue to reproduce without solution. Those wishing to help an individual animal in need of veterinary care are encouraged to contact a local animal welfare/protection organization (you can search for organizations by location here) or a local veterinarian.
The costs associated with international adoption and bringing a dog or cat out of a country are often cost prohibitive and logistically challenging. HSI recommends that individuals wishing to bring an companion animal into their home do so in their own country, and seek alternative means of helping animals in a foreign country. In many parts of the world, the cost of international transport for one animal could instead be used to provide spay/neuter services for a number of animals and/or offer humane education to help foster a culture of compassion. In the U.S., millions of animals are put down each year for lack of homes. If you live in the U.S., please visit Adopt a Pet and Petfinder to adopt an animal closer to where you live.
HSI has been developing culturally sensitive approaches to manage companion animal populations humanely and effectively, partnering with governments and local organizations so that our programs will be sustainable in the long term. These programs include veterinary training in high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter surgery; mass sterilization; vaccination; and strong public engagement to change human behavior in relation to community and family animals. HSI also partners with veterinarians who understand the need for low-cost services. Our goal is to help as many animals as possible and see that lasting change is made. Please visit our Dog and Cat Welfare page to learn about our approach and programs.
Humane Society International / Global
What is dogfighting?
Dogfighting is a sadistic “contest” in which two dogs—specifically bred, conditioned, and trained to fight—are placed in a “pit” to fight each other for the spectators’ entertainment and gambling.
Fights average one to two hours, ending when one of the dogs will not or cannot continue. In addition to these organized dogfights, street dogfights are a problem in many urban areas.
How does it cause animal suffering?
The injuries experienced by dogs participating in dogfights are frequently severe, even fatal. Both the winning and losing dogs can suffer severe bruising, deep puncture wounds, and broken bones. Dogs used in these events may die of blood loss, shock, dehydration, exhaustion, or infection hours or even days after the fight. Other animals are often sacrificed as well; dogs who are born “cold,” or won’t fight, are often killed (called culling in the dogfighting world) by brutal methods such as shooting, drowning, beating, electrocution, or even letting other dogs tear them apart.
Are there other concerns?
Yes. Numerous law enforcement raids in countries where it is illegal have unearthed many disturbing facets of this “sport.” Young children are sometimes present at the events, which can promote insensitivity to animal suffering, enthusiasm for violence, and disrespect for the law.
Gambling is the norm at dogfights. Dog owners and spectators wager money on their favorites.
Dogfighting is typically a cluster crime, meaning that dogfighters are often involved in other illicit activates. Illegal firearms, other weapons and drugs are commonly found at dogfights. Homicides and child pornography and abuse are not uncommon in dogfighting.
Why should dogfighters be strongly penalized?
Because dogfighting yields such large profits for participants, minor fines are not a sufficient deterrent. Dogfighters merely absorb them as part of the cost of doing business. The cruelty inherent in dogfighting should be punished by more than a slap on the wrist. Dogfighting is not a spur-of-the-moment act; it is a premeditated and cruel practice.
Those involved in dogfighting go to extensive lengths to avoid detection by law enforcement, so investigations can be difficult, dangerous, and expensive. Law enforcement officials are more inclined to investigate dogfighting if it is considered a serious offense. As more places make dogfighting a significant crime, those remaining locations with low penalties will become magnets for dogfighters.
In the United States, dogfighting is a felony offense in all 50 states, and it is a felony offense under federal law as well. It is banned to some extent in 55 countries around the world.
Should being a spectator also be a crime?
Yes. Spectators provide much of the profit associated with dogfighting. The money generated by admission fees and gambling helps keep this “sport” alive. Because dogfights are illegal and therefore not widely publicized, spectators do not merely happen upon a fight; they seek it out. They are willing participants who support a criminal activity through their paid admission and attendance.
What can I do to help stop dogfighting?
