Man’s Best Friend’ Now a Hit Menu in Liberia: Consumers, Hunt for Dogs Up
07/124/08 - Mae Azango, mazango@FrontPageAfrica.com

Monrovia -


Cook Shops like this one in the Gobachop Community in Red Light, Paynesville is a hot spot for meals serving dogs.

Dogs are one of the best friendly pets to humans (Man’s Best Friend) and serve as watchman in many instances while people sometimes used them for entertainment. In some countries, dogs are traded as goods for comfort and transportation like the Eskimo Dogs in some part of Asia with others serving as security for blind people and also helping the police track down criminals.

In post-war Liberia, dogs have become the best source of food for many and the business of dog is becoming lucrative prompting widespread hunt for dogs.

Dog meat is now 'The Issue'


At the Gobachop Community, one of the major trading centers for dog meat is dominantly occupied by people from Nimba and Grand Bassa Counties.

Densely populated communities in Monrovia and suburbs have become trading centers for dog meat referred to as “Issue”. Hundreds are seen cueing and struggling on a daily basis to get dog meat as cars are parked around the vicinities of dog cooking centers. The dog meat market now has three partners who coordinate their activities to keep a constant supply of the meat on the market for the growing number of consumers.

People are keeping dogs in good numbers for commercial purpose and sell to the buyers who in turn sell to the cookers and retailers of the animal after been cut into pieces and cooked. The Gobachop Community in Red Light, Paynesville, a densely populated market center has nowadays become one of the hottest centers for dog meat trade.

People are seen in numbers from other parts of Monrovia at a building behind the market where an elderly lady only identify as Oldma Krubo, popularly known as the “Issue Oldma” sells the dog meat. In the Gobachop Market area, according to a source, small dogs are sold for US$ 10, while medium size and bigger ones are sold between U$15 to 20 respectively.

The source further said young boys are found stealing dogs from homes which are taken to the “Issue Oldma” for sale but in such case she pays less than US$ 10.

Our reporter who recently visited the Gobachop dog cooking and eating center, pretending to be a customer, bought fours pieces of raw dog meat as the cook ones were not ready; the head, liver, a foot and two other pieces for L$ 100.

Half of the dog head is sold for L$ 70 but was negotiated for L$60 while other pieces are sold for L$ 10 each, chosen by customers. It was noticed that two dogs were already in a big pot on the fire while two were been cut into pieces and undergoing preparation for cooking by 10: am. Several Liberians also have job opportunities out of the dog meat market as about six to seven persons are seen working, some cooking, others cleaning new goods, while others go around selling from place to place in buckets the already prepared meat.



Unknown fate: A dog await his time

As a result of the new demand for dog meat, dogs are becoming scare in Monrovia and environs as some individuals go about chasing dogs from community to community and wherever they are spotted during the day, at nightfall those places are seized by dog hunters and the dogs are killed while the owners are in bed.

Alfred Sayon, a resident of 16^th Street in Sinkor said he sleeps with his dog indoor for fear of been killed by dog hunters. He explained that recently in his community a fight broke out between two men that resulted into the use of cutlass and other sharp objects because one of the men felt cheated over a stolen dog.

Sayon said he is surprise that such incident will occur on 16^th street that has not been known for dog eating, indicating that other places with records of dog eating like Buzzi Quarter, West Point, Logan Town, amongst others might be worse.

Dog hunt creating confusion

The dog hunt is also creating confusion in most communities, as residents in some instances sue others for killing their dogs. Quite recently, the Magisterial Court at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia sent a man, Thomas Mulbah to detention at the Monrovia Central prison on charges of cruelty to animal and theft of property following a complaint filed by a lady, Ellen Z. Whyte.

Mulbah was taken to court by Madam Whyte on allegation of killing her two dogs on 14^th street in Sinkor on June 17. Complainant Whyte told the court that Mulbah had killed her dogs on three occasions and used them for commercial purpose.

According to Complainant Whyte, Mulbah in recent time paid L$1,200 for one of her dogs he killed following intense pressure concerning the whereabouts of the dogs. Whyte contended that while it is true that dogs are animals, they too have rights and must not be killed at will. In Other parts of the country, there are also reports that dogs are been sold on main streets with people buying publicly.

Harbel, Margibi County, where Firestone Plantation Liberia, one of the largest producers of raw rubber is based, has in the past been viewed as one of the well known trading centers in dog. Over the years, and now, people are seen negotiating for dogs which are kept until the end of every month when the company is paying workers and the dogs are taken to Harbel where they are sold for up to US$ 50 and above depending on the size.

Dogs for rice becoming the norm

Sometimes the dogs are traded for US parboiled rice and some compensation.

Before the war era, dogs were believed to be sold in a local community, Buzzi Quarter leading to many avoiding residing in the area for fear of been termed as dog eaters. Residents of the Buzzi Quarter community were stigmatized as a result of the dog trading activities in the neighborhood which many claimed were dominantly occupied by people from Lofa County.

In Liberia, dog eating has been ascribed to people hailing from Lofa mainly the Lormas, Kissis, Gbandis but it seems as though it is practiced in recent time by nearly all the tribes. The Gobachop Community, one of the major trading centers for dog meat is dominantly occupied by people from Nimba and Grand Bassa Counties. Surrounding communities are named in honor of the Gios and Bassas; Gio Town, Bassa Town.

Across Monrovia, debates are raging in support for and against the habit of dog eating and trading. Some argue that dogs are human best friend and must not be eaten no matter the situation while others say there is nothing wrong with eating dogs.

“Dogs are humans it is only that God made them that way, so I don’t know why people will decide to eat them, sometimes dogs talk to you like humans especially when you keep them around you for longer period”, Madam Alice Coleman owner of a local restaurant expressed.

No health problem, man says

Emmanuel Saah, a 32 year old man said dogs are like any other animals and there is no unhealthy problem involved in the eating of dogs.

“Dogs are animal only that they live in town and so what’s wrong with eating them, in fact dogs are greasy than any other animals and good to eat, we call it town raccoon”, Saah asserted. Some of the dogs traded are very itchy and appear sickly but Saah said the ones that appear itchy are very greasy. As the trading in dog increases, there are mixed views with people claiming that restaurants and food centers are involved in the cooking of dogs since meat is very expensive on the Liberian market.

A thigh of black deer meat is sold between L$ 375 to 450 and other bigger animals such as reindeer, raccoons, etc are sold for higher prices. The high price for meat has also been blamed for increase in the consumption of dogs as some people see dogs as possible substitute for meat.

Candy that true our peopo so desperate that dey na turn to be the Gbetah people of Grand Kru in dog eating.............I thought the war was over.........

No, you wrong. Don't say dey eating dog.
Say more people eating dog now.

Before it was only Buzzi and Gizzi, and some Kru.

Now everybody eating dog. Young geh, young boy, Kpelleh, congau and even Vai people, Americo dem and all eating dog.

People from NKT and Saigon, from Paynesville.

Only people not involved in that nonsense are people from Old Road and Congau Town.

Where did you get this one from..I want see your source/link or whatever

People got the taste of dog after the wor and refuse to let it on. The Kissi, Loma and buzzi tribe were well known for dog eating but at present, it is nation wide.

You really from Old Road for true, okay yes. Few displaced people in keyhole and old road market where they have a dog meat restaurant doing that bad thing.

They say iffy korean people can eat it and they still Korean, then they can do it too and still be Gissi or from Barclayville in Grand Kru.

As for me, I cant look in the dog ear and eat it. Have you ever looked in dog ear before in Liberia?

Before the war, the Gbeatah people from Grand Kru were eating dog but for it to spread to other tribe it is sickening...We need to pass law to protect our pets in Liberia...Those who like to eat in restaurant in Liberia be careful oh cause u don't know what they cooking......