Sixteen dogs are now safe and recovering well, after being saved by our team from a dog meat restaurant and slaughterhouse in Dong Nai, Viet Nam. Our rescuers found them cowering in the corners of their small wire cages. Two of them were still wearing collars, signs of their former lives as beloved pets.
A Facebook livestream over the weekend captured the inspiring moments the dogs were comforted and brought to safety. Many of the dogs had matted fur, tick infestations, skin conditions and infected eyes. The team transported them to a temporary facility where these traumatized animals are receiving much-needed veterinary care, including being neutered and vaccinated against rabies and distemper. When they have recovered, they will be assessed for local adoption into loving homes.
It’s the beginning of a new life for them, as well as for the owner of the facility, who was determined to leave the dog meat business altogether due to the stress and guilt he felt. “This work doesn’t make me happy at all. I don’t want to kill these animals anymore, it makes me feel bad,” Mr. Cuong said. Humane Society International has provided a grant to help him start a new business selling paint and gas cylinders in his community, which he said will be “a much more peaceful business.”
This transition of livelihoods was made possible by our Models for Change program, which was set up in Viet Nam in 2022 after successfully operating in South Korea since 2015.
