Pet bill stirs
controversy

Critics charge racism and question
the need for a plan to ban
consumption of cats and dogs

A proposal to ban the alleged secret slaughter and consumption of dogs and cats in Hawaii has triggered accusations of racism and a debate over whether the problem exists at all.

Rep. Alex Sonson says the proposed measure is a reaction to hearsay, represents government intrusion into private life and would harm the image of Filipinos, Koreans and other Asian ethnic groups who make up the majority of the state's population.

Star-Bulletin Legislature Database Star-Bulletin Legislature Guide (PDF, 1.9 MB) State Legislature: Bills & Hawaii Revised Statutes

"It perpetuates this myth that every Filipino is eating it," Sonson said. "But they're not."

Eating dog meat is also controversial in Asian and Southeast Asian countries, but is more tolerated than in the United States.

Many families from Asia settled in Hawaii generations ago and consider the practice repugnant, as does an overwhelming majority of the state's population.

Kim Soiti of Honolulu, who has a sharpei-pitbull mix named Sasha, thinks the bill should be passed, despite a lack of evidence that anyone in the state is consuming dog or cat meat.

"Cats and dogs are great companions. They're not stupid. They have emotions," said Soiti, who also owns two cats. "Dogs and cats are generally household pets and are like part of the family."

Rep. Glenn Wakai, who introduced the measure, said race is irrelevant to the bill.

"There's no language in the bill that distinguishes certain ethnic groups or cultures of partaking in this type of practice," Wakai (D, Moanalua-Salt Lake) said.

Rather, the focus is on companion animals, said Jodi Buckman, director of animal protection services for the Denver-based American Humane Association.

"I cannot imagine this issue arising with the intent of racial and cultural bias," Buckman said.

But Frank Wu, dean of Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, believes the issue of eating dog is stressed "to caricature and condemn particular populations," namely Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese and other Asians. Wu wrote about dog-eating in his book "Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White."

Eating dog and cat meat is legal in Hawaii and 42 other states. The bill would make it a Class C felony to kill, purchase or distribute any dog or cat for human consumption.

Some say that discrimination against other animals is the main defect of such laws.

"We're thrilled when animals are spared suffering," said Cem Akin, a research associate with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "But there's not an ethical distinction between eating a dog, or pig, cow or chicken. They're all capable of experiencing pain and suffering equally." Akin pointed out that many farmed animals are intelligent and kept as companions.

Most dog and cat owners say their pets are closer to humans than cows and pigs.

"We can train and communicate with them," said Jens Rosenkranz, owner of a mixed-breed dog named Rasta.

Animal rights groups pushed for the bill's introduction this month, even though joint investigations last year by the Hawaiian Humane Society and Animal CrimeStoppers yielded no proof of such gastronomic predilections among Hawaii residents.

But Wakai said news reports last August about dogs being stolen and butchered for their meat from some Oahu neighborhoods proves there's a problem. The legislation is a pre-emptive move to stem the growth of a "cottage industry" with the potential to threaten public health, said Wakai.

The reports were based largely on tips from Carroll Cox, president of the local environmental activist group Envirowatch, who said he found at least six houses on Oahu where he documented the phenomenon during his own undercover investigation.

"It is commonplace in Hawaii. It's a practice that has been known, noted and documented and no one has touched it because it's a cultural issue," Cox said.

One lead described a slaughterhouse for dogs in Waianae, on Oahu's Leeward Coast, and another involved someone allegedly selling dog meat out of a white van near downtown Honolulu. Both tips came up empty, according to Letha DeCaires, an Animal CrimeStoppers coordinator and detective with the Honolulu Police Department.

"Either the Humane Society or the police department followed through with every tip that we had," DeCaires said. "There was no evidence of slaughterhouse equipment, butchering tools, or anything to substantiate such claims at the time we visited the locations."

Cox claims the Humane Society mishandled the cases and blew his cover by alerting the media about the investigation.

Seven states prohibit the slaughter and sale of dogs, cats or other animals considered companions in the United States. The laws exist in California, Delaware, Georgia, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey and New York. Only California and New York prohibit consumption of the animals.

Hawaii's bill is scheduled for a vote in the House next week. However, it is not likely to get a hearing in the Senate and will probably die.

Toy Arre, president of the Filipino Community Center, said he would like to stay out of the discussion over what people should and should not eat. Arre said he prefers to talk about how to resolve drug addiction and other community problems.