Vietnamese couple rescues 15 dogs after authorities cull their pets

AVietnamese couple whose dogs were culled by the authorities last year when they were in quarantine due to Covid-19, have now made it their sole purpose to serve the animals. Pham Minh Hung and his wife, Nguyen Thi Chi Em, had a pack of fifteen dogs who were all culled by the authorities in the fear that they might transmit the highly contagious virus to others.

The incident sparked widespread outrage in the country. People from different parts of Vietnam came together to raise funds for the couple. Now, they have been able to adopt and rescue a brood of 15 new dogs.

Last year, a video of them travelling with a pack of dogs on motorbikes had gone viral on social media when they had decided to escape to the southern province of Ca Mau due to rising Covid cases.

But the couple tested positive for Covid-19, and were put in a hospital for treatment while the dogs were left at a quarantine centre. The local officer killed the dogs without the couple's consent.

A petition calling for an end to the practice was also launched and had managed to gather more than 150,000 signatures. They received 120 million dong ($5,300) from donors and used the money to buy new puppies and save them from slaughterhouses.

"I was sad and cried a lot from missing the other dogs so my husband comforted me and told me we will raise other puppies," Em told The Independent.

"We would go into hiding in the jungle if that would save them," she adds. "I won't let them be killed again because I cannot go through such heartbreak a second time," she adds.

The couple says they spend most of their earnings to prevent these canines from going to slaughterhouses and restaurants where they may be served to customers. The rest of the money is spent on their food, medicine and grooming.

According to a report in TRT World, around five million dogs are consumed every year in Vietnam since eating dog meat is legal in the country. Vietnam comes second only to China in dog meat consumption.

The slaughter and consumption of dogs has multiple health risks including trichinellosis, cholera and rabies, according to World Health Organisation (WHO).