Dear Sir or Madam

I am respectfully writing this email in the hope that you will read it..please please read it...

I am pleading for your government to change the law and end the horrific, barbaric dog and cat meat trade in Vietnam.

Dogs are companion animals...they love humans....dogs have saved human lives, dogs help and guide  blind people..dogs have saved soldiers from land mines by sniffing them out...dogs can sniff out drug traffickers...but above all of that dogs are extremely loyal and loving towards humans..

I have been seeing horrific videos of cruelty coming out of Vietnam towards dogs and cats .. videos of men on motorbikes shooting stray dogs and peoples pet dogs with poisonous arrows rendering them helpless to take them to slaughter houses to sell...I have seen pictures of live dogs with their muzzles bound with tape and their front legs tied and forced behind their backs dislocating their shoulders...I have seen a live dog tied up and suspended over an open fire being burnt alive...I have seen a live dog tied up and its head submerged into a pot of boiling water ...I have seen cages of live frightened distressed cats stolen from the streets and their  owners , waiting to be killed in the most heinous of ways...I have seen live cats bagged up and taken to be drowned in cages...their faces pleading for mercy to live as is their right...

But at the same time I have seen some of the most wonderful kind Vietnamese animal loving citizens...YOUR CITIZENS..people who go and rescue dogs and cats from the butchers ..citizens who pay to save their lives from a certain painful horrifying death and set up sanctuaries to keep them safe.

I have spoken to some of these wonderful Vietnamese Citizens who want to see a change in their country..they are desperate for change. They want other countries to see Vietnam as a kind, humane society towards cats and dogs..they don't want the rest of the world to see them like China or South Korea...

I have had conversations with Vietnamese people who tell me that a high percentage of citizens want to see animal protection laws brought in and to see an end to the cruel barbaric trade of killing dogs and cats for their meat..

But it is not only the cruelty aspect of this terrible trade but it also presents grave implications for human health and welfare..Citizens involved in the trade and those consuming the meat are at a high risk of contracting and spreading DEADLY diseases.... especially in the context of the catastrophic COVID-19 pandemic and all the zoonotic diseases...

Exposure to such violent acts will be affecting the mental health of adults and children alike and tourists who witness such demonic acts of cruelty.

All of this added together will be having a negative impact on Tourism and your Economy...

I know that my own country is far from perfect and we have some serious issues of animal cruelty to address ourselves..

Its time for Vietnam to take the lead and show the world that killing dogs and cats for their meat can no longer go on in 2021.

Im begging that you show my email to your President.

I would very much appreciate if you would respond to this email..

Respectfully yours,

Angela Jane
Eeva Paavilainen