And you thought it was only for Chinese food...
 

Check this out, courtesy of the BBC...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3009537.stm

"Madamoiselle, would you like to try on this lovely soft 3/4 length bluepoint siamese coat? The tint compliments your eyes..."

Did you know you can make a blanky out of only four golden retrievers? How about a full-length coat made out of 42 Alsatian puppies?

And you thought chinese food was bad...

========================

Cats 'farmed for skins in EU'
BBC News has seen evidence which suggests that cats are being farmed for their skins in the European Union.

It is thought that tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of cat and dog skins are traded in Europe each year.

Campaigners say that now is the time for national governments or the European Commission to act.

Europe, it seems, is a magnet for cat and dog fur.

Cat blankets, so the aficionados say, are good for rheumatism.

Dog pelts are often labelled misleadingly and sold as the fur of some exotic, even mythical beast.

Since the US has banned the trade of cat and dog skins, the European market has expanded.

A video seen by BBC correspondent Tim Franks shows one Belgian furrier displaying a blanket he says was made from cats farmed in Belgium.

What is more, he says that stray cats and dogs are rounded up and skinned.

That would seem to contradict the assertion from the officials who help run the EU at the European Commission that there is no cat or dog farming inside the union.

"Let me say that cats and dogs are not farmed for their fur in the 15 member states of the European Union," EU Health and Consumer Protection commissioner David Byrne wrote to a British member of the European Parliament last year.

Officials in Brussels repeated on Thursday that they had no evidence of cat or dog farming in the EU.

They said it was up to national governments to ban the trade in cat and dog fur.

So far, though, only Italy has brought in such a ban.

British MEP Struan Stevenson told the BBC that two million cats and dogs are being killed in China alone each year, in order to satisfy demand in Europe.

He also said that he has seen videos of animals being skinned alive.

As evidence of the trade he has collected: A blanket made out of four golden retrievers, bought in Copenhagen; individual cat skins complete with eye-holes, paws and tails, bought in Barcelona; a full-length coat made out of up to 42 Alsatian puppies, bought in Berlin. Campaigners accuses the European Commission of lacking the political will to address the issue, arguing that the trade is not only morally repugnant, but also a case of consumer fraud.

The British Department of Trade and Industry says it is examining the case for more scientific testing and more accurate labelling.

But it says that scientific testing very difficult to do on account of the expense and the shortage of laboratories capable of doing it.

It would seem the Europeans find puppy dog and pussy kitty fur less ethically troublesome than natural fur.Or was all the noise over the seal hunt an other issue.

Re:dog & cat fur in europe
 

Good point Gord.where's Ms Bridget Bardot on this issue?She was always in the forefront on the seal ban against NewfieJohn fishers augmenting their livelyhood with the seal hunt.

Dogs and diet
 

Apropos the above postings, pet loving readers might be interested in the newly printed book from the Philippines.

The title is "Fifty ways to wok your dog".

Mandarin Chinese restaurants please copy.

Wok my dog!!
 

I have a 110 b Golden Retriever.After viewing the thread last nite,snuck up to the kitchen,got the wok,brought it down to the basement den & called Shadow to "come to Dad"He just went back to sleep.Measured his paw in the wok.It just fits!What do I do with the rest of him?Then I saw GWB's comment about how many retrievers it takes to make a coat.Sooo,I laid on the floor beside him to take measurements,but that's when I got a lick on the face.Mission unaccomplished.Had to wash the wok & return it to it's place before management asked what I was doing.Tonite when he's asleep,getting the tape measure to compare what size coat I need.But first,ot to sneak it by management(Wearing cammo this time.

Mission Accomplished
 

Measured the bosses' swolleen knee with the tape to prove to her it was swollen plus I needed it to finish my mission!.THEN wearing my SS cammo helmet with the ski goggles on it(looking like a MARINE)plus my green tartan shorts,beige cammo t-short & flip-flops(it's summer)went down to the den for the measurement of the GOLDEN RETRIEVER.Got him to "Do Dead dog"where he rolls over on his back with his paws in the 'I surrender"position.He measured 45 inches long.Just then the BOSS shows her head & asks"What are you doing"? Being quick thinking I told her I was measuring Shadow for a winter coat,albeit a short one.Then everything went blurry when he licked my sky goggles.What was this thread all about/Never mind,gotta take my prisoner for a walk now.Save me a place in the back of the truck with the Yappy lady & GWB's boss

Re: Mission Accomplished
 

I could throw a small beagle into the mix. Not really big enough to add to the length of a coat but it could do nicely as trim for the cuff or collar.
Of course, everytime your boss wore it outdoors she woud have an uncontrollable urge to go and roll in whatever old dog shit or dead carcass was at hand but I could include a half-used bottle of "Skunk Out"

ohmygawd
 

Dear Miss Yappy
 

Don't come down to this thread.GWB started it & knowing you ,you'll get the Empress involved.By the way,what's your coat size?Gotta go now to take the Golden fur on the hoof for a walk.He's staring at me beside the computer.How about a Golden Boa that'll lick & keep your face clean on rainy days that you get out on the left coast??

Re: Dear Miss Yappy
 

The LICKING GOLDEN FURRY BOA sounds good to me!:D You can always get another four-footed brew-fetcher and let me have he one you got! Thanks Garry... you're so generous. You'd better be nice to the EMPRESS, she may not be amused with you and may enjoy sewing a new handbag from your hide :p :p :eek:

Re: Re: Dear Miss Yappy
 

Oh ya!!If & when I get anywhere near the Empress Miss Yappy,I'll have the face licking Golden in front of me.Hint!Wear ski goggles.

Re: Re: Re: Dear Miss Yappy
 

Actually Garry, your Golden sounds like a keeper... my windows need washing, maybe if I just rub SPAM on them Golden can help me out, gawd knows that homecare workers aren't allowed to wash windows or do anything that helps anymore. Also...Should we be glad he/she is not a St Bernard or a Newfie dog? They'll drool you to death before you can remove their coats? Grandma Yappy's gotta go now.

St.Bernard or Newfie
 

At least a St.Bernard would bring brandy !!:D :p

Re: St.Bernard or Newfie
 

Oh my God!!
 

I think little Miss Yappy's been drinking old used Auzzie CMP motor oil with little thingies floating in it.Somebody get her a ticket east to Chatsworth Ontario for the BBQ,she'll change the ole CMP oil!!!

Huh?
 

BBQ...ahhhh... I wanna come tooooo:( The joys of life are just stripped from me. Here I sit, broken hearted.... I won't finish that:D You guys have all the fun:p By the way, you folks might get a chance to find out if you'll miss me because I may finally go away:p I may not have internet for June...Granny Yappy

I may go away
 

Just on a holiday ????:) find the nearest computer, hijack it at gunpoint and sit there for a month.:p :rolleyes: