Interesting conversation but I cannot believe that anyone is justifying or downplaying the practice of boiling dogs alive. Because that is a practice that happens in China.
An important issue when discussing animal welfare is the concept of higher and lesser development (including intelligence) in animals. This influences how people should expect to treat animals, and I think that should go beyond cultural nuances. There is a moral expectation when it comes to treating animals fairly.
Getting back to the 'what about pate' argument, I am not for a minute suggesting that ducks are not intelligent. In fact humans know only a little about which animals are intelligent and which are not. But many people would say that dogs are quite advanced in terms of their nervous systems, experience of pain, and their own capabilities in terms of interacting with people. For this reason i think it is quite reasonable to object to the practice of boiling dogs alive, even if other practices, such as say boiling prawns, is not tackled in that same activist's conversation. In my view boiling dogs alive is more cruel and vicious than boiling prawns.
Another issue is whether that animal product could be obtained whilst minimising the animal's pain. Can pate be obtained without cruelty or with minimal cruelty? I have to say that surely dog meat can be obtained without something so cruel as boiling a dog alive. It seems a shameless cruelty which is easily avoidable at no true cost.
Just my thoughts
ETA: sorry if my replying to you triggered an email alert.