Dogs are man's best friend and are viewed as members of the family by many countries. Sadly, there are still some countries which allow these loyal companions to be slaughtered for meat.

Dog Meat Free Indonesia (DMFI), a group of animal rights organizations, has been working for years to end the cruel dog meat trade in Indonesia. They shared, "Every year, an estimated 1 million dogs are brutally captured and transported throughout Indonesia, crammed into sacks and cages, their mouths bound shut so tightly they can hardly breathe."

The group of advocates, which includes the Humane Society International (HSI), uses campaigns, lobbying, and working with local officials to end the inhumane and dangerous dog meat trade. The dogs suffer immensely before they are brutally killed, and people are at an increased risk of rabies.

"Only 7% of the population ever consumes dog meat but the trade threatens the health and safety of the whole country," states Dog Meat Free Indonesia.

After years of protesting, the capital city of Jakarta announces it will ban dog meat trade. This is a huge victory for dogs and the people of Indonesia.

HSI posted, "VICTORY! Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, has banned its cruel dog and cat meat trades. This lifesaving news comes after years of work by the Dog Meat Free Indonesia coalition, of which HSI is a member, and will save an estimated 9,500 dogs per month!"

More Indonesians are keeping dogs as pets and while several other Indonesian cities have banned dog meat trade, it needs to be banned nationwide.

HSI shares that even though there are laws against animal abuse there still needs to be a nationwide ban on the dog meat trade. "There are no regulations in Indonesian law explicitly prohibiting the trade in and slaughtering of dogs for human consumption. However, there are a number of existing regulations and laws regarding consumer safety, violence in public, transportation of livestock, animal abuse and theft of animals, as well as animal husbandry and animal quarantine, that, if properly and strictly applied, could dramatically curtail if not stop the dog meat trade as we know it."

Join over a million people, including celebrities like Ricky Gervais, in signing DMFI's petition asking President Joko Widodo to, "please take action to safeguard Indonesia’s dogs from cruelty and the nation’s health by ending the cruel and illegal dog meat trade."