Canine meat claims dog innocent family

Mr Walsh and Sammy the dog

Wandsworth: A Wandsworth family this week denied claims linking them to the dog butchery trade after a website advertised their home address as the London branch of an apparently fictional Korean dogmeat business.

Environmental health officers found nothing incriminating when they inspected the Walsh family home and computer on Tuesday afternoon, but police were called after fears that animal lovers or extremists might attempt reprisals against the family.

The site, Kim Daewoo's Dogmeat Company, which appeared on the internet on Tuesday, claims to offer a mail order service selling "low-fat quality" dogmeat. It boasts that its "steaks and roast dog, as well as other body parts, have an incomparable taste and are only of the highest quality".

Other pages on the site offer recipes for dogmeat and a facility for selecting particular dog breeds and cuts of meat for online ordering.

Visitors can also play an animated game where darts and boxing gloves are hurled at pictures of dogs - leaving man's best friend bleeding.

A map identifies the address in Southfields as the UK's first branch of the business and the website urges people to "sell your dog" for meat by bringing it to the "modern, equipped establishment".

But the only building at the address is the Walsh family home and the only dog is Sammy - a King Charles spaniel and family pet.

The council's environmental health team has been investigating other premises nearby in case there is a genuine canine butchery that might have published the wrong address.

Inspector John Hayward of Wandsworth Police said: "It is not known whether the website has given the wrong address or if it's some method of discrediting the Walsh family."

Michael Walsh, a semi-retired engineer, said that if the website is a spoof he could think of no reason why his address would be identified, but said the fuss was causing distress to his family.

One theory is the site might aim to provoke reactions from animal liberationists, but Mr Walsh said he had no background in any kind of animal testing that might have led him to be singled out.

He is involved, he said, in voluntary efforts to raise funds for research and development at Bart's Hospital, but added there was no animal testing element to the work.

Inspector Hayward agreed that "there is nothing to suggest that he's been involved in any kind of research involving animals". He also said of the website that "if it's just a joke then someone's put a lot of time and effort into it".

Police have set up a quick-response system to ensure the Walsh family have adequate protection and the Borough Intelligence Unit has told any officers responding to calls at the address to be aware of "safety issues".

10:09 Friday 12th July 2002

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