Phu Quoc dog helps disabled 'father' shift lottery tickets

By Pham Nga   June 10, 2020 | 05:45 am PT
A sheet of lottery tickets in its jaw, Lucky seldom takes no for an answer soliciting customers, to the delight of his faithful owner.

On a sunny day on Phu Quoc Island in southern Kien Giang Province, Ngo Van Ty, 49, and his canine companion take some time out in a rented hammock.

Eyeing Ty's lunchbox, the black dog nozzles him till a piece of juicy beef is directed his way.

"He understands every word I say. When I sell a lot of lottery tickets, we eat well. When business is bad, I tell him to eat whatever I feed him, which he willingly does," Ty said.

Lucky was adopted by Ty and his wife My Nhung, employed at a restaurant in Ha Tien Town at the time, four years ago.

Ty hesitated when first seeing the black Phu Quoc Ridgeback puppy, which "looked like a mouse," worrying the could not care for it.

Ty and his fur baby. Photo courtesy of Ty.

Lucky helps its owner shift lottery tickets. Photo courtesy of Ngo Van Ty.

"With the proper care, he will grow," Nhung told her husband. The couple called the milk-fed pup Lucky, hoping he would bring their little family some fortune.

Ty has struggled with leg paralysis since the age of three, following severe fever. In the last decade, he has made a living selling lottery tickets across several Mekong Delta provinces, Nhung doing whatever she can to contribute to household expenses.

After 20 years of marriage, the childless couple treats Lucky like a son, feeding him beef, sausages, and fruit.

In 2017, leaving their hometown for the city, Lucky was sent to Ty's parents, where he refused to eat or drink for days, remaining motionless at the door.

Once, Ty called his beloved pet.

"My good boy, stay home with grandma while we earn money to buy you milk and food," Ty told Lucky, who, following the call, fell on his food.

Two years ago, when the couple could no longer bear their longing, they brought Lucky to the city, where he followed Ty on his lottery rounds.

Once, sitting on Ty's tricycle, the dog jumped down, grabbed the ticket sheet from his owner, and entered a restaurant.

Surprised, customers were eager to bet their luck, bravely placing their money between the dog’s teeth.

"Sometimes no one buys a ticket, until they see Lucky," Ty said, adding he used to sell up to 300 tickets per day, but with the dog’s help, now shifts 500. The duo usually starts their rounds in the early morning and finishes by dusk to avoid the daily heat. At night, Ty, Nhung, and Lucky share a bed.

Lucky clearly favors Ty, refusing both food and drink when, once, he returned to his hometown on family business.

"On the fourth day, when Ty returned, Lucky could not stop wagging his tail over all the food he was brought," Nhung recalled. Since, Lucky has never left Ty’s side.

Lucky receives money from a buyer. Photo courtesy of Ty.

Lucky receives money from a buyer. Photo courtesy of Ngo Van Ty.

With lottery tickets in his mouth, the dog sometimes turns around to see his "father," worrying he could be lost again. Last year, Ty had a party with some friends and could not find his "son" no matter how much he tried.

That night, the disabled man came home and told his wife that he had lost Lucky.

"He is lying inside," Nhung said and laughed before the dog ran to Ty and wagged his tail. Previously, he walked three kilometers from Ty's place to Nhung's workplace to find his "mother."

Last month, the local authority gave rice to poor people. Lucky had another "mission."

Once Ty stopped his tricycle at the gate, the dog rushed inside and stood at the beginning of the waiting line.

"He does not stand in line. I put the rice bag on the ground, and he immediately took it to his owner," said Phan Xuan Tri, President of Phu Quoc Confederation of Labour.

Lucky also helps his "father" in many other things. When Ty finished eating, the dog took his dishes and bowls to the sink. When he was sad, he talked to his fur baby, who tried to touch him with its paws as if he could understand Ty's words.

The fur baby is also a guard, barking if someone enters Ty's house and takes anything.

Someone offered to pay Ty VND40 million ($1,739) and a new tricycle to have Lucky, but he rejected it.

"I am living in difficulties, but I have my baby. Once we are in good health, we will keep selling lottery tickets to have money and take care of each other," Ty maintained.

Lucky takes the rice bag to Ty.

 
 
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