Dr Dog video teaches pets are friends, not food

Friend or food? While most Hongkongers never think of their precious pets as food, this is not the case in neighbouring places where the consumption of dogs and cats is widely accepted. To help reverse the situation on the mainland, the Animals Asia Foundation has landed the services of superstar Richie Ren as the Mandarin voice of 'Dr Eddie' in their new educational short film: 'Dr Dog: Friend ... or Food?' As a dog lover, Ren is dedicated to helping end the eating of dogs and cats.

The Dr Dog programme started in 1991 and is responsible for hundreds of volunteers taking their dogs to hospitals, homes for the aged, orphanages and schools across Asia, spreading the message of loving and valuing animals. If you think this is a silly idea, then you've never been to a meat market in China. Puppies, some of them purebreds such as St Bernards, are crammed together in filthy cages and subjected to barbaric cruelty before ending up on the dinner plate. The sight is sickening.