For 8 years, I didn't dare take my child for a walk because the neighbors kept nearly 100 dogs and cats.

Living miserably in the "dog and cat neighborhood"

At 7am, dog and cat shops on Le Hong Phong Street (District 10, Ho Chi Minh City) were already opening. At NT dog and cat shop (387 Le Hong Phong), the staff had just opened the iron door slightly when nearly a hundred dogs and cats started screaming miserably.

The haunting screams of pets at the "cat and dog street" in Ho Chi Minh City (Clip: Ha Di).

Next to the pet shop, the residents in alley 379 Le Hong Phong sighed in frustration, quickly took their bikes out and quickly closed their doors. The residents here admitted that they had to keep their doors closed all day, only opening them in the morning to go to work and in the evening when they returned home.

Mr. Tung, a resident living in the alley, sighed when someone mentioned the effects that the people here have to endure because of the house selling nearly 100 dogs and cats at the alley entrance.

"It stinks! I've lived here for 30 years. Before, my main door had a vent, but in the past 7 years, I had to seal it. It already stinks just having a few dogs in the house, but here they keep hundreds of dogs at the same time. Honestly, our life is very miserable," he said indignantly.

Mr. Tung confided that this alley used to be the most peaceful place in the city. When his daughter was little, Mr. Tung often let her go out to the alley to play with other children.

8 năm không dám bồng con đi dạo vì hàng xóm nuôi gần 100 con chó, mèo - 1 — Houses are always closed (Photo: Ha Di).

The once cheerful neighborhood has now fallen into silence as all households have closed their doors day and night. The alley is no longer visited by children or the elderly because of the stench that permeates the entire alley.

Meals no longer taste good, clothes have to be hung inside to dry for fear of the smell... are the things that Mr. Tung's family has to endure.

Ms. Huong, a resident of the alley, said that every morning she has to sweep the yard in front of her house. Each time she sweeps, Ms. Huong is frustrated when she "collects" thick piles of animal hair.

Ms. Huong has lived here for more than 10 years, but in the past 7-8 years, except in emergencies, Ms. Huong confirmed that she has never taken her child for a walk outside because the smell of the pets is terrible.

"The stench is terrible almost all day long. Standing a few houses away, I can still feel it. I don't know if the dogs and cats there are of clear origin. I'm afraid my children will catch an infectious disease, so I don't let them leave the house. The house is cramped, but the children have to stay inside and can't go out. My baby is 7 months old, but the number of times he has left the house can be counted on one hand," the woman shared.

8 năm không dám bồng con đi dạo vì hàng xóm nuôi gần 100 con chó, mèo - 2 — The bustling alley, filled with the laughter of children and the elderly, is now silent (Photo: Ha Di).

Furthermore, Ms. Huong and other households are tired of the dogs barking all day long, especially during feeding times or when they see strangers passing by.

"Even though we closed the house doors, we still couldn't rest at noon. The dogs barked like drums. In the bedroom, my husband and I had to build a soundproof glass partition so our child could sleep there," said Ms. Huong.

According to Mr. Tung, the local residents have reported this incident to the local authorities many times. However, after many times of advising and working with the business, everything is still the same.

"If possible, I just hope that the dog and cat breeding facility will reduce the number of pets to 10-20 or the government will take decisive measures to relocate them to prevent these impacts on residents. We understand that it is very difficult to completely end these problems, but please think about the lives of the households here," Mr. Tung earnestly said.

Where do dogs and cats come from?

Posing as a person looking for a lost dog, Dan Tri reporter stopped by the NT dog and cat supply facility. Before he could say anything, the consultant continuously greeted him with a series of questions: "Lost your dog? Is it lost or stolen? Give me the information and I will find it for you, it will be available this afternoon."

The person in charge repeatedly affirmed that even if the dog was lost or stolen, it could be found within the afternoon.

8 năm không dám bồng con đi dạo vì hàng xóm nuôi gần 100 con chó, mèo - 3 — Animals of unknown origin lie around in cages at a dog and cat supply facility on Le Hong Phong Street (Photo: Ha Di).

When the customer provides the dog's information, this employee quotes a price of 100,000 VND to find the dog. In case the dog is stolen and sold to pet shops in the city, the customer must pay an additional ransom of millions of VND, sometimes even more expensive than the original purchase price of the dog.

However, if the stolen dog has been moved to another province, the staff asserted that "even if you pay 20 million VND to ransom it, you still won't be able to get it back."

8 năm không dám bồng con đi dạo vì hàng xóm nuôi gần 100 con chó, mèo - 4 — Nearly a hundred dogs and cats at the facility on Le Hong Phong Street (Photo: Ha Di).

The conversation was constantly interrupted by dogs barking at people. Moreover, the extremely foul smell rushed straight into the nose, causing the communicator to sometimes have to try hard not to vomit.

Among the dogs and cats lying panting in their cages, some had no strength left to scream. Even more horrifying, some of the cats were sick, their eyes were covered with pus, and some dogs vomited on the spot and then ate the vomit.

8 năm không dám bồng con đi dạo vì hàng xóm nuôi gần 100 con chó, mèo - 5 — The staff admitted that the animals here do not have papers or clear origins, and if they do, they are only... fake papers (Photo: Ha Di).

The staff said the animals here cost several million VND each. However, most of them were stolen pets or pets that their owners no longer kept so they sold them. The staff only informed that the dogs and cats here were fully vaccinated, but could not prove the origin of the pets.

Even another dog and cat shop on Le Hong Phong street confidently shared: "The dogs and cats here do not have papers. They are all fake papers. I will print out as many papers as you want."

This raises concerns about the safety of these animals and the difficulty in seeing an end to the miserable lives of the people here.

*Character names have been changed

Source