Dog meat puppies are growing up in their new home

Bolt and Pupa grew up on a dog meat farm in Viet Nam. Their future was set: they would be slaughtered for food. But then HSI stepped in and rescued them and their families from a cruel fate. Now, they’re thriving in their new home, together! Humane Society International’s team in Viet Nam works throughout the country to tackle the dog and cat meat trades, calling for the strengthening of laws and regulations to prohibit the trades on grounds of animal welfare and public health and safety. Our goal is a nationwide ban on the cruel trades in the slaughtering and consumption of dogs and cats. We are committed to raising the profile of the issue to both the government and public by highlighting the inherent animal cruelty, the illegality involved in the trades, the emotional toll on pet guardians, as well as the significant risk the trade poses to public health and safety. We are harnessing the voices of the ever-growing pet-owning and -loving society in Viet Nam to influence policy makers in favor of reform, while also working to end the demand, and, therefore, the supply, of dogs and cats. We are also working with the authorities in two target provinces to launch programs to encourage responsible pet guardianship, increase pet sterilization and rabies vaccination coverage, promote compassion to all companion animals and support the enforcement of existing laws that are routinely flouted by traders and, thereby, disrupt their illegal operations. Our aim is for these programs to serve as models for other provinces and encourage national policy reform. In addition, after many years of running our Models for Change program in South Korea, we launched this program in Viet Nam in 2022. We are working directly with traders and industry workers who are seeking to leave the cruel trades behind them and transition to alternative livelihoods. As well as rescuing dogs and cats where we can and ending the cycle of suffering for countless others, our Models for Change program is inspiring other traders to follow suit. At the same time, our program is helping to raise vital public and political awareness of—and opposition towards—the trades, and serve as a blueprint for authorities to follow.