Dr. Katherine Polak, Head of Stray Animal Care Southeast Asia for FOUR PAWS

The dog meat trade is big business in Vietnam and threatens the lives of millions of dogs every year, many of them pets. Every day, pets are violently snatched off the streets, from yards, and even while out on a walk with their owners. These unlucky dogs make a brutal journey to slaughterhouses, markets, and restaurants, where a gruesome death awaits them. But times are changing, and the brutality and illegality of pet theft is no longer being tolerated by Vietnamese authorities.

In a landmark case, police in Thanh Hoa Province received a tip off regarding a gang of dog thieves believed to have stolen thousands of dogs since the beginning of the year. On September 15, 2019 the police successfully carried out the largest ever bust of a dog theft ring in Vietnam, resulting in the seizure of 51 dogs. According to the police, the gang carried stun guns and other sharp weapons, and rode motorbikes through residential areas late at night shooting dogs roaming outside. Police arrested a total of 16 suspected gang members and questioned more than 40 susp​ects. The gang not only brutalized neighborhood dogs, but also caused outrage among local people, particularly pet owners.

Following the interception, Police struggled to properly care for the confiscated dogs given their limited capacity for animal care, so the Asia Canine Protection Alliance (ACPA), of which FOUR PAWS is a member, stepped in to offer assistance. There were 13 dogs in need of immediate medical care due to severe wounds sustained during capture. Dogs with painful open wounds were anaesthetised, treated, provided pain medication and antibiotics, and housed in a temporary shelter for ongoing treatment.

The Asia Canine Protection Alliance is an international alliance of four animal protection organizations committed to ending the illegal trade of dogs in Vietnam: FOUR PAWS, Animals Asia, Humane Society International, and Change for Animals Foundation. ACPA is working to build collaborative relationships with the governments throughout Southeast Asia where the dog meat trade is prevalent, and has already secured a moratorium on the trade in dogs between Thailand and Vietnam. 

Following the confiscation, the police publicised the bust throughout the province using local media so that stolen dogs could be reunited with their families. 

Over the course of 2 weeks, all 51 dogs were successful reunited with their owners, who were devastated by their pets’ disappearance.

This bust pets a major precedent as dog theft is rarely treated as a criminal offense in Vietnam unless the canines are valued at more than VND2 million ($86).

“These arrests will hopefully go a long way in deterring future dog theft in Thanh Hoa Province, and potentially throughout all of Vietnam. While the dog meat trade is often defended as ‘culture’ or ‘tradition’, the reality is that there are significant health and societal impacts associated with the trade and these are becoming of ever-growing concern within Vietnam and internationally.”

Earlier in the week, the Food Safety Management Board of Ho Chi Minh City urged locals to stop eating dog meat in an effort to improve Vietnam’s national image with tourists. They also warned the local community of the health risks posed by consuming the unregulated meat. This followed a similar call by the Hanoi People’s Committee last year.

In addition to membership in ACPA, FOUR PAWS also runs a ‘Cats Matter Too program‘ in Central Vietnam with local charities PAWS for Compassion and Vietnam Cat Welfare to improve veterinary training, animal welfare education, and provide free spay/neuter services.

After being saved, these two stray puppies won’t stop cuddling up to one another.

These Two Stray Puppies Were Just Rescued, And They Refuse To Stop Hugging Each Other

 You might call it puppy love, but these two lovely friends can’t seem to keep their paws apart.

A pair of inseparable stray puppies have been melting hearts on social media after being supposedly adopted by Buddhist nuns in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The bigger pup is shown protecting a shrine within the temple as his buddy is held in his paws.

Another image depicts the dog in a Zen position next to a Buddhist statue, hinting that he is studying meditation with the masters.

The doggie pair was apparently taken in by the temple after being abandoned on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and given a fresh lease on life.

In reaction to the folks, hundreds of comments gushing over the canine friends swamped social networking site Weibo.

‘Because the dogs are now in the temple, they must sit in meditation like the nuns,’ one user said.

Others scolded the puppies’ prior owners for abandoning them.

‘I’m not sure how people can be so harsh. They shouldn’t have acquired the dogs in the first place if they couldn’t care for them!’

However, contrary social media chatter has called the dogs’ suffering into question.

A monk from Bao Hoa Son Temple in Khanh Hoa Province, according to one Twitter source, saved them.

“Those puppies were born at that temple in Vietnam, and the nuns taught them to stand and hug each other,” said Mira Eleonora Pantazopol Lordanescu, a linguist at Bucharest’s Faculty of Linguistics, painting a much bleaker picture.

“There is no happy ending… the little black one died because they don’t have any type of veterinarian treatment there for the animals they have,” Lordanescu, who uses her Facebook account to uncover alleged animal scams, maintained.