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 deli-
cacy; 
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 bene-
fits, 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 sup-
port traditional claims of the health benefits of con-
suming dog meat;
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Whereas there have been reports of abuse, poor living condi-
tions, and cruel slaughtering techniques with respect to 
dogs and cats farmed for their meat; 
Whereas many dogs and cats die during transport to slaugh-
terhouses, 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 im-
pounded 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 Hu-
mane 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 con-
sumption; 
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 re-
quires dogs to be quarantined and issued a quarantine
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certificate before being transported across provincial 
boundaries; 
Whereas the World Health Organization has linked the dog 
meat industry to human outbreaks of trichinellosis, chol-
era, 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 Al-
liance for Rabies Control, said in June 2013 that the 
spread of disease through the dog meat trade was ‘‘ramp-
ant’’ 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
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(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.