Dog meat is the number one meat eaten in Vietnam which makes it one of the highest dog meat eating countries in the world, passed only by China. The number of dogs and cats slaughtered for human consumption is unkown, but we do know the numbers are in the millions per year.

 

Vietnamese authorities and local Vietnamese people are well aware of the tensions which the subject of dog meat brings. Within Vietnam more and more local Vietnamese people are discovering the joy of pet ownership and the number of loved pets within Vietnam is steadily increasing.

 

Being a pet owner in Vietnam is very difficult though and I have listed to many harrowing stories from heartbroken pet owners who had their loved pet stolen by dog thieves. Some people actually witnessed their own pet being taken, as they were left sobbing.

 

it is bad enough to have your pet stolen, but knowing your pet will be tortured before its death is unbearable for any pet owner. Dog and cat are deliberately tortured to make the meat as tough as possible.

 

In my many travels throughout Vietnam I have been told to my face, by Vietnamese men in Vietnam: “eating tough meat makes a man tough.” It is falsely believed that eating tough meat boosts a man’s libido.

 

Becoming a dog thief is a quick way to get fast cash. If you happen to get caught you will only receive a slap on the wrist from the police, a small fine and you get to walk free. individual dogs need to be valued at over US$100 before criminal charges can be laid.

 

Also, dog owners are the only ones who can press charges against their “property” being stolen, which almost never happens because dog thieves sell dogs to slaughterhouses in different provinces to the ones where they steal dogs. Most dog owners have no way of tracing their dog once it’s in the hands of a dog trader or dog butcher.