Theory of Unknown Origin: ‘They’re eating the pets’

By Soncirey Mitchell
Reader Staff

The rise in xenophobia in the U.S. has opened the door for a range of stereotypes to step into the spotlight — including the renewed popularity of the claim that immigrants eat cats and dogs. Though the racist conspiracy theory has only recently received serious media attention, thanks to remarks made by former-President Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance, its American cultural roots stretch back more than a century.

The U.S. emerged as a colonial power in the early 20th century after seizing control of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines in the Spanish-American War. Americans became fascinated with the newly conquered people and, eager to justify the subsequent Philippine-American War and demonstrate its imperial prowess to other nations, the U.S. fed this interest with the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition — also known as the St. Louis World’s Fair — which showcased more than 1,000 Filipinos in human zoos.

Perhaps the most popular exhibit was a reproduction of a village populated by the indigenous Igorot people. Anthropologists used the zoo to further the racist theory that white people were more evolved than people of color by showcasing cultural differences that Americans would consider “savage.”

Proponents of U.S. colonialism could then argue for the necessity of “civilizing” the indigenous people — though thousands of civilians were imprisoned and killed in the process.

The alleged behavior among Igorots that drew the most shock and revulsion from fairgoers was the practice of eating dogs.

A group of Igorot pose for a picture during the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, which featured a “human zoo” where fair organizers forced the Igorots to publicly butcher and eat dogs for many of their meals. Photo courtesy Wikipedia / Missouri History Museum.

The April 11, 1904 edition of the St. Louis Republic reported, “After nearly two weeks of enforced fasting from puppy steaks and dog soup, the famished head-hunters are at last to be regaled with their cherished viands. Six dogs have been obtained, where or how is kept a dark secret and the dog-killing time is contingent on how soon the canine victims shall have been fattened for the feast.”

This spectacle was manufactured by the fair’s organizers, who forced the Igorot people to publicly butcher and eat the dogs for many of their meals. Recent research by NPR has revealed that dogs were only occasionally eaten by the tribe for ceremonial purposes; regardless, the idea that cultural others came to the U.S. and ate pets remained in the American imagination long after the fair ended.

The idea resurfaced in 1989, with the only proven instance of immigrants willingly eating a dog. The New York Times reported that two Cambodian refugees killed and ate a German shepherd in Long Beach, Calif., sparking outrage among area residents. Though they were arrested, a judge later determined that the men had done nothing wrong, as the dog was their property and had been killed humanely.

A small percentage of Cambodians do eat meat from dogs raised as livestock, according to the BBC, but the practice is dying out.

Though the 1989 incident in Long Beach was isolated and the two men had no malicious intent, baseless rumors continued to circulate that immigrants were “hunting” for pets in local parks. Former-U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., sponsored legislation that year, making it a misdemeanor to possess, sell or give away any animal “commonly kept as a pet” for the purpose of killing it for food. The law has since expanded to include the possession, sale or gift of the animals’ meat.

The law specifically excludes animals that Americans identify as livestock but nonetheless keep as pets, such as rabbits or pigs.

Stories about eating pets didn’t make national headlines again until 2016, when U.S. Senate hopeful Faye Stewart, of Oregon, attempted to weaponize the stereotype to justify denying asylum to Syrian refugees.

According to NBC News, Stewart claimed, “We took in some refugees, I believe it was some Vietnamese refugees, into this state years ago and it created a huge problem because their culture and their lifestyle didn’t mix with ours.”

“When they needed something to eat, they went to their natural ways of doing it by harvesting people’s dogs and cats, their pets,” he added.

Stewart later apologized for the allegations, which were quickly debunked.

The pet-eating stereotype has historically targeted Asian Americans; however, Trump’s recent claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio have widened the xenophobic net. The conspiracy plays off of existing cultural fears of Afro-Caribbean religions like Vodou, which originated in Haiti.

“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” said Trump at the Sept. 10 presidential debate. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”

The false narrative builds on an incident in Canton, Ohio, where an American citizen — with no connection to Haiti — allegedly killed and ate a cat. Springfield police, Mayor Rob Rue and Republican Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio all publicly condemned the accusation against their community’s Haitian population, with DeWine going so far as to call the claim “a piece of garbage that was simply not true” in an interview with ABC.

Members of the white-supremacist neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe have latched onto the conspiracy and used it to further their bigoted attacks against the predominantly Black Haitian population. The group has previously marched through Springfield brandishing swastikas to protest the refugees.

Conspiracy theorists have tailored the pet-eating stereotype to target Haitians by tying it to Vodou — also known as Voodoo — despite the fact that Ohio’s Haitian community is demonstrably Christian. American media has long vilified practitioners of Vodou, using the religion to generate horror stories that capitalize on racial tensions and the legacy of slavery in the U.S.

Vodou stems from a blend of cultures brought together by the Caribbean slave trade and combines various West African traditions with the Catholic beliefs of European enslavers. The faith and community surrounding it was perceived as a threat to European power because it allowed the enslaved to reclaim spiritual autonomy, which in turn could inspire rebellion.

Religions like Vodou spread to the U.S. through French territories like Louisiana and challenged racial power dynamics, inciting anxiety among the ruling class. U.S. media subsequently emphasized elements of the faith that European Americans would view as frightening or “other,” such as zombies and animal sacrifice.

Today, only a small percentage of rural Vodou practitioners in Haiti sacrifice and eat animals as part of their rituals. As documented by photographer Anthony Karen, the sacrificial animals are usually goats or other livestock owned by the faithful.

There are no known cases of Vodou cat or dog sacrifices in the U.S.

The false claim that immigrants eat pets has existed in the U.S. consciousness for more than a hundred years — various groups dust it off every so often and pin it on whomever it’s politically expedient to dehumanize to push their agendas until the hype inevitably fades.

In the case of the Trump campaign, the malicious lies have resulted in unknown entities leveling bomb threats against Springfield’s children. As ridiculous as these allegations seem, they build on years of racial prejudice and could have deadly ramifications if left to fester.