Mê Thú Cưng - Pet Magazine for Vietnam Số 3 | Issue Three | Page 53

Expats Pet Owner Guide for Vietnam 50 55

house out the gate off-leash, or you are
distracted by a combination of noise,
blinding heat and temporary chaos
that sometimes happens here(we all
now that feeling). Or you are’ swarmed
‘and distracted on the street and they
steal your dog. Be vigilante of your
dog at all time. Always, leash the dog
before you open your front gate of your
house – never forget. NEVER assume
that a few minutes of free rump and
roam outside around the surroundings
of the house is good for them. They
could run around a blind corner and

you never see them again. It happens
that fast.
We are ‘pet parents’ not just ‘pet
owners’!
You have probably noticed that I use
the phrase “pet parent” and not “pet
owner”. Part of the problem in raising
a pet and being a pet parent is the
vernacular we use. For example,
what does the word “owner” imply?
It implies that the “owner” is able to
sell/trade/throw away/ignore/destroy
without consequence or conscience.
When we say we “own” something

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that is animate, it implies that this
animate object is enslaved to us and
we can do anything we want to without
permission or repercussion (mental or
physical). I have watched on more than
one occasion, a Vietnamese person
throwing a dog (dead) into a trash can
on the street!! Granted, the dog had
passed away but the manner in which
the dead animal was dealt with. Very
Bad!!
Our pets do not visit a veterinarian
unless there is an emergency. The
veterinarian visits our pets at our home.

Issue 03 | May + June 2014 | petmagazine.vn

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