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.

Before his rescuers showed up to free him, a homeless dog who had been stuck in a well for three days had given up hope.

Stray dogs in Thailand are “invisible” for most people. Nobody usually notices when one of them goes missing, but luckily for Simba, a stray dog who lives on the streets of Phuket, Thailand, a good Samaritan who uses to feed the homeless dogs of the area noticed he had been missing for three days.

He immediately went out to look for him, walking the streets of his town far and wide, with no results. Just when he was about to give up, he heard a cry coming from the bottom of a well. Simba was there, standing in the water, hopeless and terrified.

The good Samaritan called the local Soi Dog shelter, and two Animal Rescue Officers rushed to the scene, and managed to save Simba, raising him out of the well with the help of a rope.

“When Simba arrived at the Soi Dog Hospital, we noticed he had no nails left” Dr. Hope, the vet who treated Simba, told Just Something “He’d ripped them all off in his desperate attempts to climb out of his cold, dark prison. The vets immediately treated him with pain relievers and antibiotics, trying to cure the infection that ripping off his nails had caused, and gave him the first meal in three days”.
As you can see from the photos below, Simba made an incredible recovery in just a few weeks, and found in the Soi Dog Foundation a safe place to heal.
Simba is now a healthy and energetic 5-year-old dog, and is up for adoption here, ready to give endless love and kisses to his new forever family.