Australian woman spends 17 years rescuing dogs in Việt Nam

by Quỳnh Anh

We are all willing to invest our precious time to pursue a dream or ambition.

Some focus on building their own careers, while others take a more leisurely path, seeking peace amid the hustle and bustle of life.

Elizabeth Homfray takes care of a dog. — Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Homfray

At 55, Australian Elizabeth Homfray has dedicated her retirement to ensuring that every dog in her care lives a safe and happy life.

Seventeen years of rescuing dogs in Việt Nam serve as a testament to the compassionate heart she has shown towards these loyal animals.

In 2007, Australian interior designer Elizabeth Homfray moved to Việt Nam with her husband for his work assignment in Hồ Chí Minh City.

Each weekend, she would ask her regular motorbike driver to take her through the city's narrow alleyways.

There, she frequently encountered emaciated dogs with sores, scavenging for food in rubbish bins, their eyes weary.

It was then that Elizabeth began feeding the strays.

Elizabeth often visited temples with friends and noticed they were home to many abandoned and disabled dogs.

At that time, she discovered that veterinary care in Việt Nam primarily focused on livestock, with little attention given to dogs and cats, unlike in Australia where it was a lucrative industry.

Elizabeth (right) is teaching children how to care for dogs. — Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Homfray

This realisation prompted her to establish a 300sq.m rescue shelter, Laws for Paws Vietnam, in Thạnh Mỹ Lợi, Thủ Đức in 2019, even after her husband’s assignment in Việt Nam had ended.

Then her family decided to stay and settle here, having fallen in love with the country.

Now she is working at the shelter as the founding director as well running the education program and day to day operations with mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome dogs that have been abused, abandoned and need medical attention.

“I see Việt Nam as my home,” she said.

“When I arrived here 17 years ago, Việt Nam was full of potential

“I could see many business opportunities and the freedom of growth in community projects as well without overwhelming bureaucracy that exists in the west."

When she began rescuing sick and abandoned dogs, Elizabeth called her farmer father for advice on treating wounds, assisting births and healing their emotional trauma.

The toughest period for Elizabeth was relocating the shelter to Thảo Điền, spending eight weeks finding a suitable space, that wouldn’t disturb the residents with noise or odour.

She sent hundreds of emails to secure food donations, move kennels, clean and take sick dogs to the vet.

Elizabeth has a dedicated shelter that not only is a safe refuge for the dogs but also is an education centre with successful adoption programme.

Every weekend she opens her doors to student volunteers who learn how to care for dogs correctly.

She loves the dogs unconditionally. — Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Homfray

She also visits schools to spread the message of proper dog care.

Elizabeth said: “They learn about walking dogs on leashes, cleaning up on the street after their dog so their neighbours don’t get upset, how to groom their dogs and also they help us clean the shelter imbibing a sense of community pride.

“Our goal is to find a forever home for all dogs under our care.

“Many local shelters unfortunately don’t have the processes in place for this and easily get overwhelmed with too many dogs.”

One of the most memorable stories for her in the journey of dog’s rescue is that of Mekong the husky who was rescued from the Mekong Delta.

She finds it highlights the lack of education about breeds in countries like Việt Nam.

The owner of Mekong said that he saw the husky puppies on Facebook and went and bought one from the breeder.

However, once the dog got to about nine months, he could no longer keep up with the amount of food that Mekong wanted to eat.

He was only feeding her his leftover food which is what he had done with his local breed dogs. Obviously, this is no way to feed any dog least of all one her size.

Mekong also started shedding all over the house and the owner’s wife and his mother-in-law got very upset about the fur being everywhere.

So, he chained Mekong outside.

“We got a message from someone who was visiting her hometown and saw her chained up unable to walk and extremely emaciated,” Elizabeth said.

“She only weighed about 18 kilos, and she should have been at least 30 kilos.

“She had severe skin issues as you can see by the photos, and it took us probably a year to get her to the condition where she could be adopted.

Elizabeth (right) is teaching children how to care for dogs. — Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Adell Homfray

“Huskies are incredibly beautiful dogs that require expensive diets, large amounts of exercise and a cool environment to live in.”

The villa rented by Elizabeth and her husband in Thủ Đức often saw new arrivals, mainly abandoned puppies.

The highest number reached 30 dogs in mid-2011.

The adoption fee at her shelter is around 53 dollars, contributing to the costs of vaccinations and sterilisation.

They don’t get any government support and rely solely on donations from the public.

They are a registered charity now in the USA and are working on setting up a representative office here in Việt Nam to be more official.

In 2025 she is hoping to open a bigger shelter in Đồng Nai that will be specifically for our senior dogs and some dogs who have behavior issues that limit their adoption opportunities.

“We will also make this a community-based tourism initiative as well,” she said.

“Where people can enjoy the beauty of Đồng Nai rural area and help at the shelter there as well as part of their holiday here.”

Elizabeth’s husband, also an animal lover, supported her by caring for their daughter while she went on rescue missions in narrow alleys, under bridges, or along canals. VNS

Elizabeth has connected with many expats in Việt Nam who share her profound love for dogs. —Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Adell Homfray