Nevada Member of Congress Pushes to Stop Importation of Dog Leather From China

Rep. Dina Titus Joins Congressional Request for Customs Investigation After PETA Exposes the Slaughter of Dogs for Gloves, Trim, and Toys

For Immediate Release:
January 6, 2016

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

As factories in China continue to turn dogs’ skin into women’s dress gloves, men’s work gloves, and other small leather accessories, Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada has joined Reps. Steve Cohen of Tennessee and Alcee L. Hastings of Florida in sending a letter calling on U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske to take steps to ensure that dog leather does not enter the United States.

In the letter, available here, the representatives note that a PETA Asia investigation revealed that workers in China grabbed terrified dogs with a metal noose, clubbed them, slit their throats, and skinned them to make leather gloves, toys, belts, and other items that were later exported to the United States—despite the U.S. ban on importing or selling fur and leather made from dogs and cats. They propose randomly testing Chinese leather products to make sure that America’s import laws are not being flagrantly violated.

“PETA Asia has documented that American consumers are being duped into buying leather that comes from dogs who were rounded up, bludgeoned to death, and skinned for cheap Chinese leather imports,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “Dog-leather gloves and other articles are never labeled with the animals’ species, so these forward-thinking members of Congress are calling on U.S. customs to make sure that America’s import laws are being enforced.”

As revealed by PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—a PETA Asia investigator obtained dog-leather gloves (photos here) from China’s Jiangsu province, where dog slaughter is a regional trade. The investigator saw workers tear the skin off live dogs and learned that one facility alone bludgeoned and skinned 100 to 200 dogs a day.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA supports animal rights and opposes all forms of animal exploitation and educates the public on those issues. PETA does not directly or indirectly participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office or any political party.