HO CHI MINH CITY – Ms. Huynh Thi Nhu Quyen, 44, spent the past 6 years renting a 2,000 m2 land in Hoc Mon district to raise hundreds of dogs and cats that were redeemed from slaughterhouses.

More than 500 dogs and cats abandoned or redeemed from the slaughterhouse are called “children” by Ms. Quyen. The land she rented was built with high walls, made bamboo beds, tarpaulins, gas pits… so that the animals could have shelter.

6 years ago, her family lost their pet dog, had to go to many slaughterhouses, civet meat shops, markets… looking for it but couldn’t find it. “In a few days of looking for dogs, I saw many dogs locked in cages, lying around waiting to be killed. Their eyes were full of compassion, so from then on I started to save dogs and cats,” the 44-year-old woman said.

For the first time, she saved a few children with her own money with a ransom of several hundred thousand dong to one million dong. Later, thanks to the support of the animal-loving community, many children were able to get rid of the situation of becoming bait.

Initially, they were raised at home, but the space was cramped, so for two years now, she has rented land in a spacious area as a rescue camp to feed more and not affect the neighbors.

The house on the property is home to hundreds of cat breeds. She said, each baby has its own circumstances when rescued, but most of the “baby” are sick, emaciated, panicking… because they have been treated badly in slaughterhouses.

At the beginning of raising large numbers, the woman had many difficulties in treating them, causing some animals to not survive. “At that time, I only knew how to feed and feed my “children”. Later, I learned about diseases of dogs and cats, and how to prepare medicines, so now I hardly have to go to the vet as much as before,” she said. petting his pets.

Every day, the cats and dogs eat about 65 kilograms of rice and 20 kilograms of pork and fish, and the cats only eat more seeds. Raw food is stored in freezers, bought from wholesale markets. In addition, she also collects leftovers from familiar restaurants and shops near her house.

Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Tri, an employee for Ms. Quyen, daily has the task of dividing the cooked rice mixed with minced meat into the bowl to feed the dog, twice a day for breakfast and dinner.

“Four years ago, I saw her working alone while the number of pets was too much, so I came to support her. The more I take care of her, the more I love the pets, and then stick with them until now,” the man said. 60-year-old man said.

Mr. Tri stayed at the camp all day to help her take care of the pets every day. The main work is feeding, cleaning, bathing, treating diseases for dogs and cats, receiving 4 million VND per month.

He said that the time of the Covid-19 epidemic last year was the most difficult time. At that time, the city implemented social distancing, so the food source was limited, and had to cook thin porridge for the cats and dogs to endure through the day.

In the past, in order to pay more for food for her “children”, Ms. Quyen sold tofu, for more than a year now she has switched to cooking noodles, selling morning and evening until 12pm.

“One month, the cost of raising is more than 60 million, so selling noodles alone is not enough. Fortunately, I have the support of my family and the community, so I can still take care of them,” she said.

At noon, taking advantage of her break time, she stopped by the station to take care of her pets, sleeping only 4-5 hours a day. The camp is also always open to welcome pet lovers to visit and support the “children” with food and health care.

“Now I just want the noodle shop to be more popular so that I can have more money to feed the children. It feels good to see them healthy, every time I visit them, I’m happy to welcome them,” said the mother of the group. cat said.

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