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.

Poodle that lost both legs in horrific car crash now bounces around like a kangaroo and ‘is happier than ever’

Jumping on her two hind legs, this happy poodle moves more like a kangaroo than a dog after losing her front legs in a car crash.  

The pup named Cora Rose was destined for euthanasia after her legs and pelvis were shattered in the accident in Stockton, California last year.

But Zach Skow, 39, and his wife Heather, 32, rescued her from an animal shelter and paid $10,000 for life-saving medical treatment. 

The determined pooch at first used a cart to get around but now spends most of her time bouncing around on her hind legs.

Mr Skow, who has four other dogs and cares for 115 through his charity Marley’s Mutts, said: ‘Of all our dogs, Cora Rose is the happiest.

‘Dogs can bounce back so quickly – she jumps, hops, all day long – she’s very strong.

‘She’s so resilient. Her quality of life is through the roof – losing her two front legs hasn’t starved her of anything.’

The couple first came across Cora Rose at the City of Stockton Animal Shelter in California, where staff were considering euthanasia after the December 2017 crash.

When they rescued Cora Rose, she had one leg in a cast and was suffering an osteo infection in the other, caused by bone protruding through the skin turning septic.

Mr Skow, who has four other dogs and cares for 115 through his charity Marley’s Mutts, said: ‘Of all our dogs, Cora Rose is the happiest’

After the operation, it took two months for the poodle to heal and then she could finally use her cart to get around

Mr Skow, who has a six-month-old daughter, said: ‘That kind of infection is like cancer for dogs.

‘The leg needed to be amputated immediately. One leg at a time had to be amputated, because she would have been under anaesthesia for too long if we had done both.

‘After surgery, she had a hard time because she still had a shattered hip and still couldn’t move properly.

‘It took two months to heal, and then she could finally use her cart to get around.’

Now, seven months after the surgery in March this year, sprightly Cora Rose is hopping around like nothing happened.

Mr Skow says Cora Rose and the other pups rescued him from alcoholism.

Now, several months after the surgery in March this year, sprightly Cora Rose is hopping around like nothing happened

He founded Marley’s Mutts in 2009 and says the animals are what helped him get sober.

Mr Skow, who also has a pig, horse and cat, said: ‘I had cirrhosis of the liver and needed a transplant.

‘My weight dropped from 183 lbs to 140 lbs, my skin was yellow and I had to use a catheter.

‘I had fantasized about ways of taking my own life. I didn’t recognize myself in the mirror. I looked like an old man.

‘One day I was weeping and crying when I looked back to see my dogs looking at me.

‘It made me realize that I was still the leader of their pack. They could still see the man inside.

‘The next day I started walking with them. Everywhere I went I had dogs with me.

‘Walking with the dogs meant I became healthy enough to undergo a liver transplant, but six months later doctors told me I didn’t even need one any more.

‘I never set out to be a dog rescuer, but they saved me.

‘Now we rescue hundreds of dogs a year. It’s the most heartwarming thing you can do.’

Mr Skow, who also has a pig, horse and cat, took in Cara Rose (pictured after the operation)Continue Reading