Apart from providing treatment to sick residents in Ho Chi Minh City, Dr. Paul D'Alfonso, a 44-year-old American, and his wife have rescued several ill and abandoned pets.

The married couple formed an animal rescue group in District 7.

Dr. D'Alfonso, director at an osteoarthritis clinic in District 7, has constantly discovered many injured cats and dogs behind his facility. 

As animal lovers, he and his wife are devoted to saving these poor pets.

Love for animals forms rescue group

A friend of his wife adopted a paralyzed dog which was found lying on a sidewalk.

As the cost of treatment for the animal was high, the friend asked Dr. D'Alfonso and his wife, Lyna, for support. Therefore, Lyna held a fundraiser for the treatment for the dog called Cherry. 

“Both my wife and I love animals, and have rescued a number of pets. We realize that controlling the number of animals is important. To restrict their reproduction, we spend a lot sterilizing them,” Dr. D'Alfonso said.

He also realized that his money could not cover all costs for taking care of these animals for a long time. As such, he and his wife came up with an idea of building a forsaken animal care community.

As a result, Lyna set up an animal rescue group in District 7, or RAD7, in 2018.

The group rescues some 50-100 dogs and cats each year.

The group has four main members, and is cooperating with lots of partners and volunteers.

Aside from treating ill pets, the group specializes in finding adopters for abandoned animals.

Though these members have a full-time job, they are dedicated to helping animals after work.

“Parts of our budgets and donations from kind people are used for treating, caring for, training, and feeding these animals. The more funding we have, the more animals we rescue," Dr. D'Alfonso shared.

Dr. D'Alfonso said that he is looking after and treating four sick kittens. He and his wife are planning to adopt two more cats.

“We constantly take home pets that are ditched on the streets. We love to create a safe space for pets to keep them until we find new owners for them,” Dr. D'Alfonso said.

“We have moved to a new house, and we designed a separate room for animals."

Poor cats, dogs in need of owners

Vietnamese residents are changing their habits of taking care of pets, while more people are raising cats and dogs, according to Dr. D'Alfonso.

“I am deeply impressed to see that dogs are carried by their owners on motorcycles, while cats are put in pet carrier backpacks,” he said.

“I hope owners of these pets will be more responsible for cleaning pet poop."

Dr. D'Alfonso said that in his homeland, abandoned and sick cats and dogs are rescued by animal protection centers. This situation is common in the United States.

However, Vietnam remains short of such helpful centers.

To Dr. D'Alfonso, saving animals is a worthwhile job.

“It is my pleasure when we find a new house for a cat, or dog,” he said.

“This is an emotional journey [taking home deserted pets, looking after them, and finding owners for them], bringing happiness to me,” he said.

“Animals have no voices, so we must become their voices to protect them well." 

Dr. D'Alfonso expects to see the presence of the animal rescue group in other districts citywide and hopes the group will spread the message of protecting animals among residents.

He said that the group is seeking monthly sponsorship and donations from firms to better its animal-driven acts. Donated cash will be used for vaccinating and feeding poor pets.

The group is looking after some 20 animals that are awaiting adoption, or foster care.

Acquaintance stems from love for animals

Nguyen Ngoc Huyen, a 33-year-old resident of District 7, said that she lives in an apartment near that of Dr. D'Alfonso and his wife. 

“My first impression about the couple was that they took two dogs, one of which was supported by a special wheelchair due to its disabled right leg, for a walk,” Huyen recounted.

The two dogs were rescued by the couple.

“I started joining the animal rescue group in District 7 a few years ago, but I have just discovered that Dr. D'Alfonso and his wife live in the same apartment building as me,” she said.

They do love dogs and cats. These abandoned animals are kept at their home while they are awaiting adoption, she said.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!