At Tomohon Traditional Market, Manado, you can buy a dog for dog meat, either dead or alive. Some dog eaters like to buy a live dog so they can kill it at home and make sure the meat is as tough as possible, by inflicting gross pain onto the still alive dog to ensure the toughest meat possible, for what they falsely consider to be high quality meat- falsely believed to boost a man’s libido.

The photograph was taken at the back of Tomohon Market a year ago, showing a market worker unloading a truck load of dead dogs, which were then sold for dog meat. On closer inspection, these dogs had been dead for some time and rigamortis has set in, leaving the carcasses contorted and stiff. Rigamortis usually sets in three to four hours after death.

Melting chunks of ice were seen spilling from the truck as the dogs were tossed into wheel barrows. Passers by held their nose in repulsion at the pungent stench of of the pile of dead and decaying dogs. Blood was splattered about inside the truck and over many of the dogs. Shockingly – some dogs were still alive!

Dog meat is considered a favorite meat in Tomohon and available every day. Customers choose which dog they want to eat, then watch it smashed in the head with a lump of wood, then watch it convulse as the open flames from the hand held burner hit it’s body, while its still fully conscious.

Being smashed on the head one or two times does not kill a dog. At most it simply stuns them as they are swung out of the death acge and smashed down onto the ground, to be burned alive in front of the excited diner.

Dogs arriving on trucks at Tomohon are often transported from Gorontalo and Central Sulawesi, and its not unusual for dog snatchers to feed the dogs food laced with poison potassium.

In Manado Minahassa there is no ban against eating dog meat, or slaughtering dogs and cats for dog meat and cat meat because neither species are protected wild animals, such as monkeys in Sulawesi.

Locals affectionately describe Tomohon Market as a “unique tourist destination” in North Sulawesi. Local urban expert Veronika Kumurur told Kompas the most important aspect about Tomohon Market is its wonderful layout and there is no problem in killing and selling animals as long as they are not prohibited.”

Thank you for reading,

Michele Brown
Founder,
Fight Dog Meat.