Disgusted by lowest form of animal cruelty

I could not bring myself to read the whole story about dog killing on the mainland (Sunday Morning Post, August 4).

This must be the lowest form of animal cruelty I have ever seen. You ran a picture of a dog being killed. However, it appeared that this was not a one-off incident, but a regularly practised method. I can understand the killing of animals for food. But what possible reason could there be to inflict such pain before killing the dogs. The dog had its joints dislocated. Does it make the meat more tender, or the dog easier to kill? Nothing could justify the method used.

I assume the men in the picture understood the pain they were inflicting, but did it anyway. It would be appalling to see any animal treated this way. But a dog is an animal who, if treated kindly, will love its owner unconditionally.

The people who kill animals in this way need to understand that the world is not just for them. It belongs to the animals too. They deserve to be treated with compassion and respect even if they are being killed for food.

I am glad the Sunday Morning Post is bringing animal-cruelty cases like this to the attention of the public, because awareness brings us closer to a solution.

VANESSA GIBSON