Last year’s controversial decision to award China the right to host an international dog show in 2019 has culminated in several international petitions lobbying against it.

To date, a Care2.com petition has garnered 588,221 signatures asking the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), which organizes the annual World Dog Show, to not allow China to host the event unless it puts an end to the annual Yulin Dog Meat Festival.

Held in the southern Chinese province of Guangxi, the Yulin festival is a local event in which an estimated 10,000 dogs are consumed. Critics have accused the festival of treating dogs inhumanely.

The FCI has attempted to wash its hands of the controversy, saying the issue was voted upon by 68 countries attending the General Assembly last year, and it is the only body empowered to make such a decision.

FCI president Rafael de Santiago has said the 2019 event may have a positive effect on its host. “The FCI sees it as an excellent opportunity to raise awareness among the Chinese population that the dog, our beloved friend, is a member of our families, a living entity and most of all man’s best friend,” he said.

The China Kennel Club has also said the event can promote healthy attitudes towards pets. “The event aims to raise the Chinese government’s attention to companion animals and to call for the government to quickly establish laws that protect animals in order to save them from being abused and killed,” it said in a statement.

Despite several draft bills presented to China’s lawmakers for over a decade, no national law advocating for animal welfare or anti-cruelty laws exist in China.

Last year, the Norwegian Kennel Club urged a boycott of the 2019 event. The Norwegian Kennel Club said China’s other famous annual dog event, the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, was “symbolic of the lacking animal welfare in China.”

“The World Dog Show is to be a celebration of dogs. Therefore we cannot accept that it is given to a country where animal abuse takes place, and now urge the FCI to immediately take action regarding the matter,” wrote the Norwegian Kennel Club in a statement.

Likewise, the UK’s Kennel Club has also stated it will not be attending the 2019 World Dog Show in China.

The Canadian Kennel Club said the FCI should “revoke the privilege” and not allow China to host the show.

However, not everyone agrees with the heavy-handed tactics to strip China of its hosting rights.

The Irish Kennel Club advocated against holding a national kennel club responsible for the actions of its government. It warned that boycotting the event may give the impression that “one of the world’s most ancient and respected cultures is being demeaned.”

“Anyone who thinks that the boycotting of unrelated events, the publishing of patronising and downgrading speeches and articles are going to influence the government authorities in China is, in my opinion, badly mistaken,” wrote the Irish Kennel Club.

In another controversial issue, the FCI has decided to change the country of origin of the Tibetan Mastiff, Tibetan Terrier, Tibetan Spaniel, Lhasa Apso and Shih Tzu from “Tibet” to “China”.