Skinned alive and clubbed to death - the sick secrets of dog leather trade

Courstey: Mirror

Dogs are skinned alive, bludgeoned and tortured for China's flourishing leather trade, an animal rights group has claimed.

Up to 200 a dogs are killed in factories in the most inhumane ways imaginable, according to animal welfare charity PETA.

And the leather goods the dog hides are used for may have found their way to the British high street due to the fact that China exports en masse all over the world, the group has also warned.

The PETA investigation has looked at the province of Jiangsu, which now has a burgeoning dog leather trade. PETA has obtained footage showing workers grabbing terrified dogs with a metal noose, clubbing them then slitting their throats.

The animals' skin is then cut off, and PETA's Asia investigator claims to have seen workers peel the skin off dogs who were still alive.

The video footage is too graphic to be shown here and is very distressing to watch. PETA claims that dog skin was turned into women's fashion gloves, men's work gloves and other products that are exported globally.

Although the dog-meat industry in China is well known, this is the first time that the production of Chinese dog leather has been captured on camera.

PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk said: "Now that so many mass-market retailers are importing cheap leather from China, who can tell if that trim or those leather gloves or wallets are made out of dog skin or not?"

"PETA is calling on shoppers worldwide to remember the terror that dogs and other animals endure at slaughter and make the safe, vegan choice in clothing and accessories for the holidays and every day.

"When there are so many cruelty-free, environmentally friendly fabrics available, from high-street to high-end, there is no reason for dogs, cats, cows, sheep, pigs, goats or other animals to suffer for the sake of fashion."