I came across a very gruesome discovery a while ago that will haunt me for the rest of my life.  The video I watched isn't anything I would subject Rednote or Cbear to, so I'm reasonably not going to post any links here.  The video I reluctantly watched was of the collection process of dog and cat pelts in China.. although I wanted to so badly, I couldn't stop myself from watching, crying, and gagging through out most of the video. 

There are no animal rights in China - not a single one... they are one of the only countries without a single law protecting animals from cruelty.   In China, they hang live dogs upside down on a hook from their feet and slowly peel away their skins from the feet to their heads.  For cats they often strangle them with wire nooses, or drowned, although video evidence suggests that most of the animals are coincidence during the skinning process.  They survive this only to be thrown into a pile of other skinless dying animals to slowly and painfully die.  Why alive you may ask?  Supposedly it's easier to peel skin off of a live animal than a dead one.  The pelts come off cleaner, and without imperfections.  I have never witnessed anything more disgusting, and heart wrenching in my entire life, and I seriously warn anyone looking to watch these videos for a better idea or awareness.

Recently I have discovered that Canada imports these skins and the products they are used in, from China, with little regulation.  It's in toys, cosmetic tools, and other everyday items that we wouldn't suspect.  Very rarely is it used in fur coats, but instead as decorations, insulation, and other "fur lined" or "decorated" products made inside and out of China.    Because of the way China intentionally labels these products, and their lack of animal rights in that country, it's nearly impossible for Canada to regulate it.  Countries, across the world, and including the United States, have banned all fur trade from China in order to avoid this.  Canada has yet to join in the efforts.

 

Here is an article that I've found that further explain this, and it's impact.

 

China

Over the last few years, China has surpassed both Canada and the United States in becoming the biggest fur exporter in the world. In fact, the majority of fur farms in China were established in the last ten years. A growing number of fur wholesalers, companies carrying fur and designers who use fur are relocating their activities to China because of inexpensive labour costs and minimal regulations. China is one of the few countries in the world where there is not one single law designed to protect animals from cruelty.

Cat and Dog Fur

The international trade in cat and dog fur is gaining momentum and the level of cruelty which this industry tolerates is horrendous. Two million dogs and cats are killed in Asia every year to supply the fur trade. Largely from China and South East Asia, local suppliers of fur arent subject to any regulations at all. The industry makes no distinction between strays and pets, rounding up any animals they can find. Raised in cold and unhealthy conditions, these animals are then killed using extremely inhumane methods.

Asian fur farms traditionally kill dogs by hanging them from their paws and cutting an artery in their thigh until they bleed to death, a terrifying and painful method used to prevent any damage to the animals fur. Cats are often strangled with wire nooses. Although the United-States, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Greece and Australia have prohibited the import of dog and cat fur, Canada has yet to implement similar restrictions. While these prohibitions are a big step in the right direction, it is difficult to stem the tide of dog and cat fur entering western countries because it is often deliberately mislabeled for export. The only way to establish the true origin of fur is with expensive DNA tests.

Canada and the Cat and Dog fur trade

Presently, China is the second biggest commercial partner of Canada and by the year 2010, the Canadian government hopes to double commercial trade with China.

As the slaughter of dogs and cats is viewed as reprehensible in the west, the Asian fur industry attempts to conceal the truth by intentionally mislabeling fur exports. With few exceptions, products from dogs and cats are never labeled as such. Dog fur is sold as Asian wolf fur, while cat fur is often labeled as rabbit fur. In fact, producers of fur in China revealed to investigators that they were willing to sew any label onto garments made from dogs or cats to facilitate commercial viability. To make matters worse, Canadian laws do not require garment labels to include the origin of the fur, nor which species of animal it comes from.

According to industry Canada, the Canadian fur and retail industry imported $5 million in animal pelts and $28 million in fur trimmed apparel from China in 2004. Despite the distinct possibility that many of these imported furs are from dogs and cats, the government has indicated that it has no intention of prohibiting these imports.

Do not buy fur or clothing lined or decorated with fur

Fur from dogs and cats is generally not used to make full-length fur coats, but rather to line the inside of parkas, gloves, hats, handbags and other accessories. Approximately 20% of all animal figurines covered in fur are fabricated using dog and cat fur.

Whether captured in traps which cause immeasurable damage and pain, or raised on farms under brutal conditions where they are deprived of their natural habitat, animals suffer enormously at the hands of the international fur industry. Out of the 40 million animals that are killed for fur every year around the world, about 85% are minks, fox, raccoons and other animals that spend their entire lives confined in small cages before being killed.

With so many high-quality alternatives to fur, compassionate consumers can spare animals, including dogs and cats by choosing soft acrylics, brushed cotton and faux fur.

(http://www.gan.ca/campaigns/fur+trade/cat+and+dog+fur.en.html)