CHANGPING: Contrary to the claims of some Western animal-rights groups, Chinese gourmets are not devouring full-blooded St Bernards but local
variations produced through cross-breeding, according to mainland producers. ``St Bernards are too expensive and, besides, too kind,'' said Shou Weiping, the manager of the Xianglong dog-breeding company, while showing off one of his dog farms at Changping, 40 kilometres north of Beijing. The farm, which opened last year and is yet to reach full capacity, houses about 200 dogs, mostly crossbreeds, which are locked up in tiny cages with poor hygiene. The animals retained for breeding are a little more lucky, since some of them are allowed to leave their cages once a day, although they remain tied to a pole. ``You need at least 600 to 1,000 dogs before it starts getting profitable,'' said Mr Shou, a technician who started breeding dogs three years ago and hopes to make a fortune in his new line of business. Cross-breeding pedigree dogs such as St. Bernards with less noble samples of the canine species, he is eyeing not just the pet market but also China's thriving market for dog meat. ``Pure St Bernards are kept merely for breeding,'' he said. ``Only cross-breedings between St. Bernards and local dogs are used for butcher's meat.'' Mr. Shou confirmed reports that breeders normally killed dogs
destined for the butcher by cutting a hole in the paw and bleeding them to death. ``It's true, and it takes them about 10 minutes to die but this way the meat tastes better,'' he said.
According to Dong Dehui, an official with the Research Institute on Canine Meat in the northeastern city of Shenyang, the appetite for dog meat remains high in the northeast of China and in the south. ``Dogs have great
nutritional value and their meat is tender and has a beneficial effect on kidney and spleen diseases,'' he said. Mr Dong's ``institute,'' which is partly financed by the Liaoning provincial government, is also involved in breeding dogs for meat. It imports three or four St Bernards every year for breeding, and makes two to three million yuan a year. The St Bernard dog is popular among Chinese breeders because of its size - it can weigh as much as
100 kilograms - its strength, and the money it can fetch. ``This kind of dog grows really fast, even though it eats less than two yuan worth of food every day, and even less if it's a crossbreed,'' said Mr Dong. ``And the female can give birth to 10 to 12 puppies every year.'' The meat sells for 17 yuan a kilogram in the northeast, rising to 20 yuan around Beijing,
making it a better deal than pork for many breeders. ``The Chinese started eating dog well before they began eating pork,'' said Mr Dong.