Viet Nam dog slaughterhouse closes, setting puppies free

More than 40 dogs, including a litter of 10-day-old puppies, were set free from a slaughterhouse in Viet Nam on Friday after its owner quit the dog meat trade. An estimated five million canines are killed for meat every year in Viet Nam -- the second highest in the world behind China -- with some believing eating the meat can help dispel bad luck while others consider it a delicacy.
But attitudes towards eating dog meat are slowly changing, particularly in cities, as the animals are increasingly kept as pets. Most of the dogs killed in Vietnam are stolen pets or strays snatched from the streets using poisoned bait, painful taser guns, or imported from surrounding countries. Authorities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have urged people not to consume dog meat, but the trade continues.