Thieves use pepper spray on dog owner in HCMC

07:54 11/03/2022 - Law

Surveillance video has captured two men pepper spraying a dog owner in a HCMC alley while fleeing after trying to stealing his pet using a stun gun.

The men, wearing long-sleeve shirts and face masks, drove a bike into an alley off Phan Huy Ich Street in Go Vap District on March 7 morning.

They'd spotted a dog wandering around on its own and wanted to catch it. After the bike got near the dog, the man riding pillion shot it with a stun gun.

But the dog, owned by the family of Lien, managed to run away.

Inside their house, Lien and her son heard their dog yelp in pain. When the son rushed out to check what had happened, he was pepper sprayed by the man driving the motorbike.

The two men made their escape immediately. The whole incident took place within 30 seconds.

"They acted impulsively so we did not chase after them. We are lucky that we did not lose the dog," said Lien, who shared the video online.

It has been reported that Vietnam consumes an estimated five million dogs a year, second only to China's 20 million. Many dogs served at restaurants are stolen pets sold to small, unregulated abattoirs, reports say.