China has slaughtered over 50,000 dogs in a government-ordered crackdown after three people died of rabies. Only 3 percent of dogs are vaccinated against rabies in China, and more that 2000 people die of the disease each year. Only police and military dogs were spared in the five-day slaughter which took place in Mouding county in Yunnan province. Dogs being walked by their owners were seized and beaten to death on the spot by killing teams. Those teams also entered villages at night creating noise to get dogs barking, then beat the animals to death. Owners were offered 63 cents per animal to kill their own dogs prior to arrival of the teams. Road blocks prevented animal owners from fleeing the area with their dogs. Many owners chose to hang their dogs rather then have them be beaten by the teams. Officials are now eyeing another metropolitan city in the province with an estimated population of 500,000 dogs. In response to an outcry from animal rights activists around the world, Chinese officials stated that dogs serve three purposes in China; as guard dogs, fur production, and food. Ownership of dogs as companion animals is banned or highly restricted in many areas of that country. The Humane Society of the United States announced on 8/9/06 that it will give China $100,000 to vaccinate dogs against rabies if it promises to immediately stop the slaughter. (Tundra note: You might care to check the label on the next dog toy, bowl or accessory you plan to purchase on your next visit to the big box store. Your purchase of these products of origin from China only supports such archaic barbarism. You might also want to ask yourself why a US based animal welfare group is offering funds to a foreign country when the future of neglected, unwanted and abused animals remains so bleak here in the United States