How Australian woman has been lifeline for abandoned dogs in HCMC for 17 years

The 51-year-old arrived at the bridge connecting Districts 4 and 7 to find the weak puppies huddled in a box. The person who called her said a man had discarded the box from a motorbike a few hours earlier before speeding away. She says the puppies are around six weeks old.

"This is the most common age for puppies to be abandoned. Most die within a few days if unnoticed," she adds.

Gently stroking their fur, she offers the puppies water and soft food. The Australian, who lives in Thao Dien Ward in Thu Duc City, has been caring for abandoned pets in Vietnam for the last 17 years.

Elizabeth Homfray at a café in Thao Dien Ward in HCMC, October 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Ngan

In 2007, the interior designer first came to Vietnam when her husband’s work brought them to HCMC. She fell in love with the city after eating street foods and visiting traditional markets.

Each weekend, she asks Binh, a motorbike taxi driver, to take her around the city and through small alleys. During her trips, she saw emaciated dogs with bodies covered in ulcers and scavenging for food in trash bins with their eyes showing exhaustion. "Their weary eyes stayed with me," she recalls.

She grew up in the suburbs of Australia, and her family raised dogs as pets, treating them like family members, she says.

She began to feed stray dogs in HCMC by leaving food in plastic containers on the streets in An Phu and Thao Dien wards. But she was soon surprised to find the containers disappearing, possibly taken away by people scrounging for scrap.

So she switched to carrying dog treats in her bag, ready to give any stray dog she came across.

She also often visited pagodas with friends and noticed they were home to many abandoned and disabled dogs.

At that time she realized that veterinary services in Vietnam primarily catered to livestock, and limited care was available for pets like dogs and cats. This stood in stark contrast to Australia, where pet care is a lucrative industry.

Homfray decided to bring abandoned, sick and injured dogs home to care for them and find new owners.

She reached out to her father, a seasoned farmer skilled in animal care, seeking advice on treating wounds, assisting with births, and helping the dogs recover emotionally.

The villa rented by Homfray and her husband in Thu Duc City has become a haven for abandoned puppies, with new dogs arriving every few weeks. At one time in mid-2011, the two of them were caring for 30 dogs.

Her husband, who also shares her love for animals, fully supports her efforts and often takes care of their daughter while she ventures into narrow alleys, under bridges, or along canals to rescue stray dogs.

Once, she spent nearly three hours lying under a car to rescue a terrified and skinny dog that barked frantically and bit anyone who approached it.

Despite the searing heat radiating from the ground, she patiently waited for the dog to calm down and feel safe. When she finally brought it out the dog was still trembling, and she rushed it to a vet for immediate care.

To find homes for rescued dogs, she has created a Facebook community that now has 10,000 animal lovers. The group also helps report rescue cases and assist with related procedures.

When her husband’s work in Vietnam ended, the family chose to settle in the country, saying they had "fallen in love with it." In 2019 she established the 300-square-meter "Laws for Paws Vietnam" rescue station in Thanh My Loi Ward, Thu Duc City.

At an age when she was nearing retirement, she embarked on a new journey involving full-time work. The most exhausting time was when she relocated her shelter to Thao Dien Ward.

It took her eight weeks to find a new place for her dogs that would ensure that noise and odors would not disturb local residents.

Besides relocating the dogs' cages and cleaning and taking sick animals to veterinary care, she also sent hundreds of emails to find sponsors and funding for her rescue station. "I sometimes wondered if I was too old for this job," she admits.

Her station is often visited by groups of students. Watching them gently stroke the fur and hold the dogs close, she knew she could not give up.

Now her rescue station welcomes more volunteers, both foreigners and Vietnamese. They are eager to wake up early to feed and walk the dogs.

One such volunteer is Carmen Le Roux, a South African who joined the team in 2021 through her husband. They and Homfray together rescued a dog named Louis.

Le Roux admires Homfray’s strong work ethic. On average, it takes her over a month to complete a successful adoption, involving messages, meetings, home visits, and continuous follow-up communication. "She has incredible patience to ensure that the dogs are never abandoned again," Le Roux says.

She adds that while rescue work is challenging it becomes worthwhile when a frightened and lonely dog is saved and finds a new family.

Elizabeth Homfray (left) and her volunteers walk dogs in February 2024. Photo

"Many of the dogs that are adopted travel more than I do," Homfray says, referring especially to a dog she rescued in May this year.

The dog was abandoned in a landfill and later adopted by a Dutchman. Each week the man shares photos of the dog sitting on a beach or in front of a motorcycle.

In November Homfray received heartfelt thanks from a Vietnamese-American woman for changing her sister’s mind. She had visited the shelter with her sister, who previously distanced herself from animals, believing they held no value.

During the visit, her sister interacted with several dogs for the first time, taking them for walks and gradually forming a bond with them. The bond made her understand the value of pets and eliminated her fear of animals. "It is wonderful to see these rescued dogs treated as friends and receive the love they deserve," Homfray says.