Tijuana, Mexico, Apr 8 (EFE).– The Lo Yen City Chinese restaurant in Tijuana, a border city in northwestern Mexico, was closed for using dog meat in its dishes and not having a business license.

Eyewitnesses said a person called the emergency services number after hearing a dog yowl, looking through a gate and seeing cooks at the restaurant in the El Rubi district butchering the animal.

Tijuana animal services workers and health inspectors went to the restaurant and found the owner, Yu Yu Chou, a Chinese national, cutting off a dog’s head.

Officials found another dog tied up behind the restaurant.

The restaurant owner told inspectors that he killed the dog, but the meat was for his own consumption and not for sale to diners.

Three Chinese citizens – the owner and two workers – were arrested along with a Mexican waitress and cook by Tijuana police officers.

The incident is “unpleasant” but provides an opportunity to regulate the way some of these eateries operate, National Restaurant and Prepared Foods Industry Association Tijuana-Tecate president Martin Israel Muñoz said.

“Diners don’t expect to be treated like this and you have to show lots of respect for the culinary activities in Tijuana. This kind of incident should not be allowed and we should work very closely with the (Baja California) state Health Secretariat and the city, enforcing the self-regulation programs,” Muñoz said.

“We know there are highly respected restaurants of this type in Tijuana. There should be an investigation to get to the bottom of things because what happened is not right, you can’t play with the health of Tijuana residents,” the restaurant industry representative said. EFE