Right now in China, dogs are being rounded up and stuffed into cages -- crammed so tightly you can see tufts of hair and noses and paws bulging between the rusty bars.

From here the suffering begins to multiply as they are transported long distances, bound for the Yulin Dog Meat Festival in southern China on June 22.

For those who actually survive the suffocating journey, horror awaits. The dogs continue their caged confinement without food or water, until they are subjected to being beaten, slaughtered while conscious and, ultimately, eaten.

Many of these dogs are stolen pets.

Most Chinese citizens reject this practice, and we are committed to supporting them in changing their laws. Pressure from around the world by people like you can make a difference. In fact, just a few years ago, a similar event in China was shut down due to bad publicity.

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To Party Secretary Peng Qinghua:

Please end the mass slaughter consumption of dogs for the summer solstice event commonly known as the "Dog Meat Festival" to be held on June 22 in Yulin.

I was shocked to learn that thousands of dogs, many of them stolen pets, are due to be slaughtered for dog meat hotpot that will be served during the event. Not only will the dogs suffer enormously during the arduous and long journey to Yulin, they will then be subjected to being beaten and ultimately slaughtered while fully conscious.

In addition to animal welfare concerns, the mass consumption of dogs in a short period of time also threatens the health and safety of the public by potentially spreading rabies, a horrifying disease that is already an ongoing problem in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Please do the right thing and end the event for good. By doing so, you will show yourself to be a leader concerned with the wellbeing of both people and animals, and will earn international commendation for your progressive action.

*Note: A petition already exists but I just wanted to make sure more people get to know about this.