I agree because dogs are only held in special status because we, as a society, classify them uniquely. If we kept cows as closer pets we might be more reluctant to eat beef.

Although eating dog meat may not be worse for one's health than eating other meat, it still remains worse because of the inherent social reasons. It is true that around 10,000 dogs are slaughtered every year in China for the annual dog meat festival in Yulin, however this is simply not the culture that we have in the UK. In the UK it is legal to eat dog meat, but it is not socially acceptable. As humans we wish to feel connected to other social beings and even though it may seem slightly arbitrary, we have chosen dogs to be our primary pets for good reasons. Firstly, dogs are highly perceptive and so can read and react to our body language. Consequently, we form strong bonds with them which mean that even the thought of eating dogs is repulsive to the majority. And so, even if you are the minority, it is likely that you will still consider eating dog meat as worse than other meat because of the social unrest it would cause. You would feel ashamed that others would regard you in disgust. By violating this social norm, the scientist Dr. Kathleen Taylor, goes to the extent of saying that you would become untrustworthy and punished, maybe even cast out from society. It is also important to consider that dogs are carnivores and it is widely held that humans should not eat carnivores. This is an ecological as well as a financial issue concerning the hierarchy of the food chain. Carnivores are much rarer, and so more expensive, than herbivores because it takes more energy for them to be produced due to limited food supply. Therefore, we do not eat dogs in the same way that we do not eat other carnivores such as lions, bear, tigers or foxes. China are now starting to agree that eating dog meat IS worse than eating the meat of any other animal. A petition of nearly four million signatures from people in China and across the world calls for the banning of the Yulin dog meat festival and in the Beijing Olympics authorities banned the selling of dog meat in festivals. Therefore, the wide spread opinion that dog meat is not acceptable to eat is undeniable. Collinson, A (2015). 'Why the UK doesn't eat dog meat but people in China do', *BBC*. Accessible at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-33223450