He decided he no longer wanted to be part of theatrocious dog meat trade in Vietnam and to close the doors of his businesses, a slaughterhouse and a restaurant that served that very meat. After 20 years on the market, 9 of which under his management, an entrepreneur is ready for a new start at work without cruelty.
His name is Dao Van Cuong, he lives in Dong Nai province and is known by all for being the owner of a dog slaughterhouse. In those walls thousands of dogs from all over the country were barbarically killed. The meat, intended for human consumption, was then prepared in the restaurant, also owned by him.
But things can and must change and Dao Van Cuong is the example. The man felt the strong need to say enough to the horror for which he was responsible. He tells it himself, confessing to the animal protection organization Humane Society International (HSI) the feelings of guilt and thoughts that gripped him:
For nine years I killed dogs and chickens, butchered them and served them to my customers. The money is good, but this job doesn’t make me happy at all. “
The entrepreneur joined the program Models for Changelaunched in Vietnam in 2022 by the association in collaboration with the Dong Nai Department of Livestock, Animal Health and Fisheries.
Dao Van Cuong has received support from HSI and, thanks to a financial contribution allocated by the organisation, now intends to open a paint and gas cylinder business. The last 16 dogs locked in cages at his restaurant waiting to be torn to pieces have been rescued and entrusted to the Humane Society International.
The dogs were moved to a safe location. They have terror in their eyes, many of them are sick. The HSI has launched an appeal to ensure adequate care for these dogs. However, the worst is over.
The same cannot be said for the other hundreds of dogs and cats traded in the Vietnamese province. There are around 500 restaurants offering their meat. The area is also a route for dogs transported to slaughterhouses in the rest of the country. Suffering in its crudest expression travels along these roads.
But the story of Dao Van Cuong is one powerful testimony of changewhich can serve as a source of inspiration for other restaurateurs and deal a serious blow to the dog and cat meat trade in Vietnam.
This is why the Humane Society International is fighting, which together with local authorities carries out campaigns to raise awareness among the population about the transmission of rabies and the living conditions of dogs and cats.
Here in Dong Nai and Thai Nguyen provinces we are proud to help the Government achieve its goal of eliminating human deaths from rabies resulting from interactions with dogs by 2030, including by addressing the dog meat trade. Vietnam cannot hope to eliminate rabies and achieve this goal without addressing the dog meat trade. We hope that our Models for Change in Vietnam program will become a key component of the country’s strategy to offer alternative and economically sustainable livelihoods to those, like Mr. Cuong, who depend on this trade, and that the program can serve as a practical complement to the legislative and regulatory reform,” said Phuong Tham, Vietnam director of Humane Society International.
With measures and contributions, the association intends to show citizens that there are other sources of income beyond the barbaric trade of dogs and cats and that these can not only be profitable but free of pain for others.
