H. Res. 401 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

September 12, 2018. 

Whereas the consumption of dog meat has occurred in every 

corner of the world including in Asia; 

Whereas established dog meat markets still exist in Asia; 

Whereas the Humane Society International, Animals Asia 

Foundation, and others estimate that 30 million dogs and 

10 million cats die annually across Asia for the trade in 

dog and cat meat; 

Whereas it is estimated as many as 200,000 live dogs are 

trafficked each year from Thailand across the Mekong 

River to Vietnam, where dog meat is considered a delicacy; 

Whereas cat meat, known locally as ‘‘little tiger’’, is also a 

delicacy in Vietnam and, although officially banned, is 

widely available in specialty restaurants; 

Whereas due to a traditional belief that high adrenaline levels 

produce tender meat and increase supposed health benefits, dogs killed for their meat may be first intentionally 

subjected to extreme fear and suffering through hanging 

or bludgeoning; 

Whereas there appears to be little scientific evidence to support traditional claims of the health benefits of consuming dog meat; 
2 

•HRES 401 EH 

Whereas there have been reports of abuse, poor living conditions, and cruel slaughtering techniques with respect to 

dogs and cats farmed for their meat; 

Whereas many dogs and cats die during transport to slaughterhouses, after days or weeks crammed into small cages 

on the back of vehicles without food or water, and others 

suffer from illness or injury during such transport; 

Whereas in February 2015, Vietnamese authorities impounded a truck in Hanoi smuggling 3 tons of live cats 

from China that were intended for the illegal cat meat 

trade, but then buried thousands of the seized cats— 

many, reportedly, while alive—claiming a desire to avoid 

the spread of disease; 

Whereas the extreme suffering of dogs and cats at such 

slaughterhouses and on such transportation trucks would 

breach anti-cruelty laws in the United States, such as the 

Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.) and the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (7 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.); 

Whereas many government officials, civil society advocates, 

and activists are working to end the dog and cat meat 

trade on anti-cruelty and public health grounds, and the 

governments of Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong have 

passed laws banning the slaughter of dogs for meat consumption; 

Whereas Chinese activists have claimed that stolen pets are 

sometimes used in the dog meat market in China; 

Whereas Chinese dog transporters reportedly routinely flout 

regulations such as the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture 

Veterinary Bureau Circular No. 16 (2013), which requires dogs to be quarantined and issued a quarantine 
3 

•HRES 401 EH 

certificate before being transported across provincial 

boundaries; 

Whereas the World Health Organization has linked the dog 

meat industry to human outbreaks of trichinellosis, cholera, and rabies, although consumption of dog meat alone 

has not been confirmed to spread rabies to humans; 

Whereas those involved in the dog meat industry are at an 

increased health risk for zoonotic diseases, which can 

transfer from dogs to humans through infectious material 

such as saliva; 

Whereas the spread of such diseases may be exacerbated by 

unsanitary conditions of slaughter and by the sale of dog 

meat at open-air markets and restaurants; and 

Whereas Betsy Miranda, Asia Coordinator for the Global Alliance for Rabies Control, said in June 2013 that the 

spread of disease through the dog meat trade was ‘‘rampant’’ across Southeast Asia, and that ‘‘The risk that the 

animals are in poor health and not vaccinated is very 

high. If they move across borders they risk carrying the 

disease across large distances’’: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) calls for an end to the dog and cat meat trade 

on cruelty and public health grounds; 

(2) urges all nations to outlaw the dog and cat 

meat trade and enforce existing laws against such trade; 

and 
4 

•HRES 401 EH 

(3) affirms the commitment of the United States to 

the protection of animals and to advancing the progress 

of animal protection around the world. 

Attest: 

Clerk.