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Still happens today in Vietnam. If the owner refuses the random, the dogs are butchered and sold as meat. It's happened to a couple of people I know.

jjtheblunt 5y ago
Does the owner then visit violent retribution on the thieves?
- AussieWog93 5y ago
  In both stories I heard, they just paid the ransom. It was only around 500USD and they were all wealthy, well-connected people.
  - jjtheblunt 5y ago
    Does that seem as unconscionable in Oz as it does to us Yanks?
    - AussieWog93 5y ago
      Yeah, it's pretty abhorrent. But it's not surprising - poor people do desparate things to survive. Talk to a South African if you have the chance - they'll open your eyes a bit. :)
      - jjtheblunt 5y ago
        Sad stuff, crazy stuff.
    - mytailorisrich 5y ago
      I saw an article on the BBC about scammers in the UK keeping track on dogs/cats reported lost/stolen and then pretending that they have it and demanding ransom. This might be even worse than an actual 'kidnapping': Owners end up no closer to finding their pet with the impact of having been conned out of money on top of it. That's on top of actual dogs theft, which have apparently boomed over the last year. It's not only in 'poor' countries... Unfortunately, animals are pretty much property in law, so the penalty is on par with stealing a bike from someone (although in the UK there are laws against cruelty to animals, which can kick in depending on circumstances). Recently it was reported that someone who drowned their neighbour's cat because it kept digging up his vegs in their garden was only sentenced to pay £1000 compensation (and short prison time but suspended, so same as nothing).
      - jjtheblunt 5y ago
        It kind of makes me think these cruelties are why the vigilante justice motif was born
mc32 5y ago
Similar story about someone from VN. Person left their dog to be watched while they went away for a few days. Came back and went to get the dog. Sitter claimed the dog ran away. Someone else ratted out the dogsitter saying they had barbequed(?) it.
wahern 5y ago
I wonder why Vietnam doesn't have a dog farm industry, like South Korea. Is it because eating dog is considered low-class or otherwise relegated to grey markets, notwithstanding actual popularity?
- AussieWog93 5y ago
  When I was there back in 2016, it was sold openly but not nearly in the quantity that you'd find beef, chicken or pork. It was more of a specialist item like rabbit or venison is in the West. I don't know for sure why they don't farm it, but I can't see the economics making sense. Stray dogs are common, and farmed dogs would need to be fed meat. You'd almost certainly get more pork per kg of feed, and pork is more desirable than dog as a meat.

jjtheblunt 5y ago

Does the owner then visit violent retribution on the thieves?

AussieWog93 5y ago
In both stories I heard, they just paid the ransom. It was only around 500USD and they were all wealthy, well-connected people.
- jjtheblunt 5y ago
  Does that seem as unconscionable in Oz as it does to us Yanks?
  - AussieWog93 5y ago
    Yeah, it's pretty abhorrent. But it's not surprising - poor people do desparate things to survive. Talk to a South African if you have the chance - they'll open your eyes a bit. :)
    - jjtheblunt 5y ago
      Sad stuff, crazy stuff.
  - mytailorisrich 5y ago
    I saw an article on the BBC about scammers in the UK keeping track on dogs/cats reported lost/stolen and then pretending that they have it and demanding ransom. This might be even worse than an actual 'kidnapping': Owners end up no closer to finding their pet with the impact of having been conned out of money on top of it. That's on top of actual dogs theft, which have apparently boomed over the last year. It's not only in 'poor' countries... Unfortunately, animals are pretty much property in law, so the penalty is on par with stealing a bike from someone (although in the UK there are laws against cruelty to animals, which can kick in depending on circumstances). Recently it was reported that someone who drowned their neighbour's cat because it kept digging up his vegs in their garden was only sentenced to pay £1000 compensation (and short prison time but suspended, so same as nothing).
    - jjtheblunt 5y ago
      It kind of makes me think these cruelties are why the vigilante justice motif was born

mc32 5y ago

Similar story about someone from VN. Person left their dog to be watched while they went away for a few days. Came back and went to get the dog. Sitter claimed the dog ran away. Someone else ratted out the dogsitter saying they had barbequed(?) it.

wahern 5y ago

I wonder why Vietnam doesn't have a dog farm industry, like South Korea. Is it because eating dog is considered low-class or otherwise relegated to grey markets, notwithstanding actual popularity?

AussieWog93 5y ago
When I was there back in 2016, it was sold openly but not nearly in the quantity that you'd find beef, chicken or pork. It was more of a specialist item like rabbit or venison is in the West. I don't know for sure why they don't farm it, but I can't see the economics making sense. Stray dogs are common, and farmed dogs would need to be fed meat. You'd almost certainly get more pork per kg of feed, and pork is more desirable than dog as a meat.