I posted this message in my personal journal a while back, its a very important message that i truely believe needs to get out, as so many people dont even realize how easy it is to unknowingly buy dog or cat products.So I am reposting from my journal and will update.


Lastnight I watched a very upsetting news program that revealed the Dog and Cat fur trade from China! Now I know you may say to yourself, I would never buy dog or cat fur..but unfortunately when they ship it they label it as other types of fur, therefore you can't be 100% sure what the fur is on tassles, trims and handbags, along with many other items.Cat is being sold as rabbit and dog as fox and other exotic fur types.I personally don't condone the purchase of new fur as I call it, fur from 50 years ago on thrift store items has been long dead and there is nothing you can do for them...but new fur is senselss in this modern age we have excellent faux furs available, no need to senslessly kill in the name of vanity, and now with the dog and cat fur becoming such a big problem, I say ban fur trade all together.It would have been easy to of watched the show, been upset and done nothing...but I choose not to turn a blind eye to the poor creatures plight, as another appalling fact in all this is many of the animals used were once pets, and were kidknapped for the industry!I won't make you look at whats being done to them, as it is very gruesom, but I will leave the links..there is one in particular where a poor raccoon is skinned alive and tossed on a heap, and he is still alive looking around in shock at what has occured..its heart wrenching.Theres footage of a silver fox, not dead, suffering and dying though as they skin him alive.....a pet dog( german shepherd) alive and standing as they skin him then hang him on a meat hook! They are crammed into the smallest cages possible and several to a cage, then thrown off the tops of trucks and busses as if they were a sack of potatoes not live animals! I don't like the video footage, but if I turned away, as many do.....how easy it would be to let thier message be forgotten.I urge you to view the video footage, even though it may break your heart or appall you.... the governments are looking away, we need to take a stand and get legislation passed banning fur trade with china all together.Like I said I don't condone new fur at all, but I know it will continue, so the least I can say is..don't buy from CHINA, if the handbag or accessory has fur on it, and it says china..9 times out of 10 its a cat or dog you just bought.please visit the following links.Sorry it's such a heavy subject today..but this is whats on my mind today.

HOW DOG AND CAT SKINS ARE USED, A German company dealing in cat fur and skins openly uses cat skin products as rheumatism aids. They make bandages, pulse warmers, and a variety of so-called “medicinal” products. Dog skins are also sold in Germany as orthopedic products.Elsewhere, dog and cat skins are not quite so visible. Just as labeling is a problem with fur - especially fur trim, knowing what kind of leather is being used in a product can be difficult or impossible.

DOG SKIN IS OFTEN LABELLED AS;Lamb skin, Mountain Skin, Sakhon Nakhon lamb skin, or even "Special skin"

In a particularly gruesome twist the skins of brutally slaughtered dogs in Thailand, are mixed up with other bits of skin to produce rawhide chew treats for pet dogs.Rawhide chew sticks are a dog’s favourite treat. But chew sticks from Thailand contain bits of skin from a variety of animals - including domestic dogs. These products are sold in retail stores throughout the United Kingdom -- British dog owners may remember that in 2001 chew sticks imported from Thailand were contaminated with salmonella, due to dogs being ill, thousands of boxes had to be recalled from supply from pet shops and stores all over the U.K - and yet these products are still being exported from those countries into the U.K. Dog and cat skins are used for: Rawhide chew toys for pets, Handbags, Shoes, Bed sheets, Car upholstery ,Drums and musical instruments,Small leather goods, Golf gloves, Gardening gloves, “Medicinal” and orthopedic products, Insoles for shoes and boots, Sporting goods

How The Deed Is Done

Massive, systematic cruelty, and extremely inhumane killing methods are used, involving severe panic, trauma and needless prolonged suffering. Dogs are tied up short by a thin wire metal tight around the neck so that they can hardly move, then stabbed in the groin area, blood begins to pour. With every move, the wire cuts deeper into their throats as they struggle in terror and pain desperately trying to escape in a pool of blood. The lucky ones bleed to death before being skinned, but often dogs are alive and fully conscious dying slow excruciating indescribable deaths. As each dog is killed other dogs can hear the screams and cries. All that matters to the killers, is that this method of slaughter causes least damage  to the dogs fur - preserving its market value.German Shepherd dogs are the most commonly killed dogs in China, as their fur resembles the fur of wild animals such as coyote or raccoon - the same courageous and noble breed that guides the blind and does search and rescue, these intelligent and loyal dogs are being bred in huge numbers in the north of China.

Cats fare no better than dogs in China, the cats are killed by being hung by the neck from a piece of rope that tightens as the cats struggle causing them to eventually suffocate. Sometimes the cats are hung from a wire while water is poured down their throats through a hose until they drown. Long haired cats are kept as pets in China, yet ironically an estimated 500,000 short haired cats, mainly ginger or tabby coloured are raised for their pelts, estimated figures are that about a half million cats are killed each season from October to February. Cat fur is hard to distinguish from other furs once it has been dyed - President of a German company prominent in the cat fur trade.

This is one of 2 upsetting videos on the subject
http://nycanimalrights.com/Skinned%20Alive%20Fur%20Video%20Footage.htm

This is the PETA dog cat fur video footage
http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/video.asp?video=jcruel_china_dog_UK&Player=wm&speed=_med

This is the voices 4 dogs site,a complete informative place.
http://www.voice4dogs.org/

This helps you to know what to watch for while buying
http://www.all-creatures.org/aip/nl-24aug2003-con.html

these are just a few of many sad pictures

http://nycanimalrights.com/dog%20and%20cat%20fur.htm

Heather Mills site stays up to date on legislation and whats going on

http://www.heathermillsmccartney.com/dogcatfur.php#

Sign the petition
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/640795368?ltl=1169776261

I do appologize for the horrific nature of todays subject, but this is real, and the only way to help these poor creatures is if we all take a stand and pass it on, so that the chain reaction of people taking a stand can equal thier salvation.