Illegal dog meat traders rake in P45 M a year

BAGUIO CITY — In Baguio and Benguet, man’s best friend is also his best source of income.

Backstreet traders and restaurants in the City of Pines and Benguet are making a killing out of dog meat, the Political Animal Lobby (PAL), an England-based animal welfare activist, told a TV station here.

According to PAL veterinarian Arturo Pangan, illegal dog meat traders are raking in P45 million a year, thanks to restaurants and canine meat lovers who troop to Baguio and Benguet for a taste of their favorite pulutan.

PAL, which have been corroborating reports with local officials here, said at least 150 dogs are slaughtered in the city everyday, while another 100 are killed in Benguet, particularly in La Trinidad, where dog meat restaurants are starting to flourish.

PAL estimates that 91,250 dogs are bought annually from illegal traders, mostly from the lowlands.

Most traders, the animal welfare group added, buy their supply in Laguna and other areas at only P50 per dog.

However, restaurants, which serve dog dishes, rake in more money than dog meat traders, PAL said.

There at least four known restaurants serving dog meat here and in La Trinidad.

PAL said no part of a dog is wasted when the animal goes to the kitchen.

Dog bones, legs — paws and all — as well as the tail are sautéed with onion licks. The head, on the other hand, is halved to expose the brain and then garnished with onion licks.

The intestines, too, are not spared. They are cleaned and stuffed with the dog’s blood and served as pinuneg, the local counterpart of the French blood sausage.

The skin, liver and other internal organs are cooked as pulutan during drinking sprees. One serving of these costs P35 at popular backstreet restaurants here, while canine head and liver can fetch up to P100 to P150 a plate.

A kilo of cooked dog meat, on the other hand, costs P75.

PAL calculates that restaurants serving illegal dog meat earn as much as P225,000 per day, which translates to P82.125 million a year.