So if the raccoon dog was rumaging through your trash, and spreading rabies, it's OK, cuz it's cute and is a social animal? Hate to say it, but raccoon are social too. They even wash their hands.

"Or--if you are ok with some types of fur--you thought you were purchasing one species but instead took home a garment trimmed with fur from a species of dog."

I don't get this. Why would you be okay with the skinning of one type of animal, but not another? We only want to save the cute ones?

I can has Tanuki suit?

Why would it make any difference, animal-rights-wise, to trim a coat with a raccoon vs. a dog? I imagine either animal would not be too happy with the end result.

SirWired

I love when self-serving organizations such as PETA or the Humane Society come out with some crap. I have a question, why does the Humane Soceity not switch from a political money making organization and use some of the $100+ million in assets and actually help animals in shelters. I guess it is more profitable to issue press releases than to actually do anything useful.

Wikipedia makes this sound like the equivalent of buying a dingo-fur coat. And the dingo, as we all know, will eat your baby.

I am neither for nor against fur (other than the fact that I think it's generally an ugly fashion statement). But anyone with a conscience should be appalled at what these people do. At least humanely terminate the animal before skinning it. View at your own risk.

sorry, here's the link.

Regarding this statement in our webstory:

"Or--if you are ok with some types of fur--you thought you were purchasing one species but instead took home a garment trimmed with fur from a species of dog."

For whatever reason, there are a lot of consumers out there who do think it's okay to mistreat or kill one type of animal but not another. There are also people with allergies to specific species who might seek to avoid all fur of that type--rabbit, for example.

So, this is really just pointing out additional ways all these labeling problems affect consumers, and not just consumers against fur.

-Pierre
www.humanesociety.org/furfree

@mthrndr:
I'm not against fur, but I couldn't watch that video past about 30 seconds. That's completely unnecessary cruelty. There is no reason that animal couldn't be killed before skinning him.

Ewww who would want to buy a raccoon fur coat anyway?

Wait. So if I wear one of these coats, can I fly and gain an extra hit point against Goombahs? If so, King Koopah better watch out.

humane treatment of your food and clothes before they become food and clothes is really just the decent thing to do. if i was going to be food and leather i'd want to have a nice life before death. species classification shouldn't matter all that much unless it's endangered. it's still killing an animal.

Looks like a fox-raccoon hybrid to me.

It's coming right for us!!!

@mthrndr: I'm not a generally squeamish person, but that is going to give me nightmares. Why do they skin them alive?

I think the real problem is the fact that the American public is so far removed from where their products come from. Their meat comes boneless wrapped in neat plastic. There really isn't the extreme level of anthromorphizing that exists here anywhere else in the world. Heck my Chinese friend's grandmother kills live chickens in her kitchen. No one thinks its 'weird' or 'cruel' except these PETA morons. It's just an animal, and it's food. The only reason you want to kill it fast is because (true story) it's annoying when a chicken with a slit throat runs around the kitchen.

Their argument is fallacious anyways. They're unstated premise is that they're against any type of fur. They're just picking this because its a 'dog raccoon' which gets on people's never because its a dog. I mean a wolf is an undomesticated dog, but it doesn't invoke the kind of response as a dog, where you somehow imagine them killing Lassie.

I realize the fur trade isn't going anywhere, but the humane killing of animals for their resources is paramount in my book. Ending their life with the minimal pain/suffering is always what should be done and China (much worse) and the US have issues with properly downing animals at times. I will note that these animals are rarely someone's pets and just like the ones that are eaten in some countries, Snookums isn't being kidnapped and BBQ'd or turned into a coat.

This is so sad, I am shocked that Dillard's is actually selling these kind of coats. I hate fur and anithing coming from animals. So, I am glad to be a PETA MORON and a Humane Society contributor idiot.

@satoru: killing your food quickly is a practice everywhere. peta doesn't argue against the killing of chickens by quickly chopping off their heads. they generally argue against the keeping them in cages so small their limbs stick out and they cover themselves in shit before being turned into chicken nuggets. anthropomorphising your dinner is probably a bad idea but that doesn't mean you need to beat it up before you brain it.

this is a matter of false advertising. they advertised raccoon and instead you're getting another species. although if you're buying fur i can't see why you care too much where it's from because in all likelihood, it was farmed and treated much the same way as any other farmed animal.

ps - she shouldn't kill chickens in the kitchen they'll shit everywhere.

@Narockstar: If I remember correctly, it's to avoid damaging the fur or some such nonsense. I guess a medicinally induced death is not cost effective. So they just skin them alive and leave them in a heap. The video I posted isn't even the worst of them. If you care, you can find others on youtube-all 'raccoon dogs' in china. Given their human rights abuses, why would they treat animals any better?

@satoru: There's a difference between killing a chicken or other animal for food, either by head chopping or brain prod (cattle), and slowly skinning an animal alive and then just leaving it there to die of exposure and trauma. That's what this particular industry does differently than almost any other animal product industry (save maybe the foie gras industry where they force feed ducks all day). see the video above.

They ARE NOT dogs. They are primitive canids. They look similar to raccoons (but they're bigger and MUCH faster), and they behave similarly to raccoons (except they tend to stay on the ground, and they're a little more timid, though). But they are more closely related to dogs.

Raccoon dogs:dogs::lemurs:monkeys

Anyhow, it isn't dog fur. These are not dogs...like not even some other species of dog, let alone domestic dogs. And there isn't even a conservation issue...there are endangered local populations, but as a species, they're doing fine.

For those who say that "well, they are just food" :
You are just food too! (To some living thing bigger and faster than you)
Keep that in mind, eh?

And yes, I fall into the camp that says that all fur is murder.

Any fur taken is by murder. Plain and simple.

for food, sure, but humanly.
for fur? plain stupid. But hey, look how we treat each other. why would we treat animals with any more compassion and care?

@amoeba: "I am glad to be a PETA MORON and a Humane Society contributor idiot."

There have been many instances in which PETA has picketed the humane society and personally harrassed (and solicited harrassment towards) Humane Society administrators.

This was supposedly taken care of last season. Then JCPenney and Macy's and Dillard's snuck the furry bark-as and sc-arf!s back onto the shelves when nobody was looking. And this year they're still buying them. It's like the war on drugs, except you'll get skinned alive instead of gangland executed if you mess with the wrong people.

Raccoon dogs don't say "arf."

@in2insight:

Hardly any humans are ever food for bigger, faster animals.

They're food for smaller, slower animals. Much smaller, much slower.

@in2insight:
I'd be surprised if those raccoon dogs aren't being eaten.

@rmz: I am not a HARD CORE PETA activist (nor I am an activist), and I agree with you that they go beyond sometimes their ethics. I'm just making fun of satoru.

@in2insight:

All fur is murder?

So the fur on my pet dog is murder?

The fur on the coon I saw a couple days ago is murder?

The fur on any given "beaver" is murder?

What an idiotic statement you made.

@mthrndr:

What kind of canine is that?

What is it's fur used for?

Where was this video taken?

Who took the video?

What was the animal actually used for?

Who was the person doing the skinning?

Horrible treatment for sure, but I don't know if there is a connection to the fur trade or not without the answers to those questions.

@in2insight:

It is only plain and simple to the plain and simple.

@katylostherart: Thank you for a sane comment in this sea of emotions based on hype and lies.

@22rifle: You are not supposed to ask questions. Asking questions is the first step towards forming your own opinion. Just be outraged.

@amoeba: I would not brag about being associated with groups that lie and kill animals to fleece the sheeple out of their money.

@mthrndr: If in fact, animals are skinned alive to provide fur for the fur trade, it is only a tiny segment of the fur trade that does this and your attempts to smear the entire fur trade with this brush is false.

@katylostherart: you said:

"peta doesn't argue against the killing of chickens by quickly chopping off their heads"

That is incorrect. PETA is opposed to any killing of any animal no matter the cause. If it came down to a choice between you or a fox dying they would prefer you to be the one that died. Literally. PETA is evil incarnate.

@22rifle: I contribute to Humane Society. So, I wasn't saying anything dishonest. Although the "moron" and "idiot" is making fun to the fellow commenter.

I generally don't like fur clothing because the rest of the animal goes to waste.

I have heard before that these animals are skinned alive and I find that repugnant. Seeing the video above disgusted me. I can't believe you would skin something alive like that. The prolonged, unnecessary pain that poor creature had to go through to be trim on some kids hooded jacket...unbelievable!

The food chain is a fact of life, I'm fine with that. I'm not down with wasting the carcass of an animal to get its fur and skinning it alive.

If I had to go, I'd want it to be quick.

@TechnoDestructo: I think you're right, and one of the stories I read last year about this (this story is a couple years old now) said that the animals were being raised for food and the fur was a byproduct. It wouldn't seem to make economic sense to raise dogs for fur trim on jackets, unless more of the dog is used than the fur. Dog penis and testicle are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, so I think we got that part covered too.

I have no problem with fur. But if I saw someone skinning a dog alive, I'd take their knife away and shove it up their ass. My God, what is wrong with someone who could do that.

@MYarms: Mr Burns? To wear to the Army vs Navy game.

I so don't get fur. It's a fucking corpse, people, WTF is wrong with you. YOU'RE WEARING ROAD KILL.

If there's an animal rights activist who buys fur trimmed coats, I would love to see him/her buy this coat, thinking its "faux fur", and unwittingly purchase "raccoon dog". But I doubt there is… i can dream though...

I guess because it's a "dog" people are making a big shit about it. But I don't see too many people, if any at all, complaining about the inhumane slaughter of red meat, pork, or poultry. And pigs are known to be very emotional animals. So if its cute, fluffy or somewhat domestic, people love to have a shit fest about it. I just hope your wise enough to duck when shit hit's the fan.

I'm kind of sad that I'm apparently the only person who thinks about Assassin's Creed (and nothing else) on reading this.

OMG...I really wish I hadn't watched that...those poor creatures. I mean, I'm not all pro PETA or anything but holy crap!! HOW and more importantly WHY would anyone do that? I don't care if it's a dog, racoon, or a freakin GOLDFISH! You just don't treat any living creature like that...freakin heathens...at least kill them humanely before you throw them against the ground, bash their heads in, or skin them alive!!! I'm so incredibly pissed right now...

Ugh. On the one hand, raccoon dog != raccoon, so it's false advertising if what you think you're getting is raccoon fur. On the other hand, raccoon dog != OMG puppy dawg! It's a canid, like a fox (considered, by those who condone fur, a perfectly great fur animal that doesn't raise any puppy-loving red flags -- and really, raccoon dog fur looks like it might be nicer than raccoon fur. It sounds like being advertised beaver and getting stoat or something). Generally (although apparently there is some dispute among taxonomists) foxes and raccoon dogs, though both belonging to the canidae family, are not considered "true dogs" like wolves or coyotes, for example.

Some elucidation from Wikipedia:
Raccoon dog - [en.wikipedia.org]
Canidae - [en.wikipedia.org]

Really, it's just annoying that it has to be named after two creatures that it's not -- we should just call them tanuki and be done with it.

So, consumerist readers, how do you feel about the prospect of tanuki fur bring advertised as raccoon fur? Does that change the issue some?

Even if it says "Faux Fur" I don't buy it because I don't know the "faux" is. It baffles me to think that skinning a "racoon dog" and calling it Faux Fur isn't the same as skinning a chinchilla or fox and calling it real.

It's. all. real. fur.

@nardo218: Can you please turn up the emotion based hype volume a bit please?

Fur is not a corpse. And it is not road kill.

Animals were given for our use.

Grow up and quit basing your life on emotions fed by people with a bad agenda.