As the dog meat trade persists throughout Asia, so too does the violence. It is not only the dogs that are poisoned, but communities as well.

Dogs are frequently stolen from their loving homes, often poisoned in the process. They are then served up in restaurants, still containing traces of cyanide or the like. The families of the stolen dogs are left brokenhearted and those still consuming dog flesh are put at risk.

The violence that permeates communities goes even deeper, however, as recently demonstrated in Vietnam. Locals fed up with having their beloved animal family members stolen in the night, have resorted to vigilante justice. Many of these altercations have turned violent. The dog thieves have now also turned on the police. In a recent story out of Binh Duong, two suspects hauling a “dubious sack” attempted to outrun the police before turning around, aiming their motorbike at the officers and reportedly screaming, “Kill them all!” The two were eventually arrested, their sack contained two dogs killed with poison.

Animal cruelty always impacts the human population. Those that harm animals have, or will, harm children, neighbors and other community members. They bring violence, illegal activities and a disregard for civilized society. The dog meat trade, in particular, is an outrageous and widespread trade of cruelty and violence that is poisoning dogs, humans and communities alike.

Read more here.