Fur Free Alliance Information About Use of Fur Bearing Animals for Fur

2. Cruelty at the source.

There have been sporadic reports of dogs and cats being killed for their fur in a number of countries, including Mongolia, Korea, Australia, and the United Kingdom. This investigation focused on China—a country believed to be a major source of dog and cat fur, as well as representative of the trade in these pelts— where we were able to develop leads and connections to provide us with undercover access.

Investigators visited state-run "animal by-products" companies in Beijing and in the provinces of Hebei, Heilongjiang, and Henan to uncover detailed information on the manufacture and trade of dog and cat fur. China also has a thriving business in dog meat; cat meat is reportedly eaten only in Canton.

THE DOGS SLAUGHTERED in China are mostly German shepherds whose gray or yellow fur is considered desirable for coats and trim. Gray is considered the better fur and is priced a bit higher than the yellow. Investigators were told that the gray fur of German shepherds is sometimes labeled fox or Asiatic raccoon or one of many other pseudonyms. As trim, the fur bears a striking resemblance to that of coyote, raccoon, or other species commonly exploited for use as trim.

We learned that dogs and cats are generally raised on breeding farms, mostly in northern China where the colder climate enhances the quality and thickness of the animals' coats. Anywhere from 5 to 300 dogs may be kept in stock at dog farms; up to 70 cats may be kept at cat farms. Many times, dogs and cats killed for fur don't come from a formal breeding operation. A Chinese family may simply keep a few cats, or a dog or two, then during the winter when the annual slaughter season begins, the family will kill the animals and take the pelts to market. Many villages have open-air fur markets that serve as collection points for the pelts of dogs and cats killed locally.

Investigators visited one dog farm several hours north of the city of Harbin. They documented live dogs in an unheated room in the bitter cold, surrounded by the bodies of dead dogs hanging from hooks. Some of the live dogs were destined to be sold and eaten in Harbin, their fur sold to the fur trade. The dogs were packed into sacks and transported by motor vehicle to a slaughterhouse—a journey of several hours.

In Harbin investigators witnessed dogs kept in a dark, unheated building in the cold of February without food or water. They were tethered by thin metal wires. Investigators were told that the butcher at this place kills 10 to 12 dogs a day, selling their flesh and fur, and that his wife often transports the dogs from the breeding farms in the north.


Dogs in China suffer unspeakable terror and pain before being slaughtered for their fur and flesh. Stuffed into sacks for transport, left in the cold without food or water, then cruelly killed. Even the youngest—puppies—are not spared.

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