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Phu Quoc Dog Racing
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Phú Quốc Dog Racing on Phu Quoc Island
Trung Tâm Bảo Tồn Chó Xoáy Phú Quốc
The Phu Quoc Dog Racing race course was launched in 2017 and is quickly becoming a popular place to visit on the island. Not only is this touristy venue a race course but it is also a kennel and a museum of sorts for the islands most popular and recognizable animal – the Phu Quoc Ridgeback Dog.
What To Expect
The Phu Quoc Ridgeback Dog “racing” is not like your traditional dog race. The unnumbered dogs run around a 4 lane 400 m obstacle course like race track where they are challenged by the following obstacles: running through tall grass, climbing over trees, crawling under tunnels, and swimming in water.
To motivate the dogs to run there is a “trainer” chasing them while blowing a loud whistle. There are normally 2 races, the first one is the warm up race followed by the actual race. After the race is over, a staff member will provide you a tour of the facility and show you how the dogs are raised, bred, what they can do, and finally how they live. Watching the race and then touring the facility takes only about 45 minutes. The admission fee as of 2014 is 40,000VND ($2.00USD) per person.
Thanh Nga Phu Quoc Dog Racing Schedule
You can visit the facility at two different times per day:
- First tour session: 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM race | Second tour session: 2:00 PM to 4:00P M race
- There is a special race held on Saturday from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Location
The racetrack is located in Duong To Commune, just north of the Phu Quoc Airport.
You can also visit this venue by signing up for an “Island Tour” excursion offered by the various tour agencies found on the island, however it is very easy to get here by motorbike or bicycle as the roads are all freshly paved and smooth.
This is a unique experience found only Phu Quoc Island even though the conditions for the dogs are not the greatest.
Need To Know
- Like similar facilities in Asia, the Phu Quoc Ridgeback Dog Facility is not the most animal friendly place. The conditions are not poor but they are not the greatest either.
- You cannot place bets here as gambling is not allowed. To further discourage gambling, the dogs that are participating in the race are not numbered.
- The staff only speak Vietnamese however you do not need an interpreter here, just pay the 40,000VND admission fee, watch the race, then walk around the facility.
- You can also purchase Phu Quoc Dogs here and the locals claim that this is the best place to buy a ridgeback dog in all of Vietnam. The cost for a puppy starts at 1,000,000VND and goes up depending on color and age.
Press play and watch a race.
Phú Quốc Dog
More information about the Phu Quoc Ridgeback Dog:
The Phu Quoc Dog originates from the Phu Quoc Island and it is only one of three breeds that have a ridge running down their back, the others being the Thai Ridgeback and the Rhodesian Ridgeback.
In order to be considered a Phu Quoc Ridgeback Dog, the dog must meet the following criteria:
- From Phu Quoc Island
- The ridge must be neutral
- Webbed feet
- Large bust, slender abdomen
- Short hair which is less than 2cm in length
- A sharp rod like tail
Characteristics of a Phu Quoc Dog, according to the Thanh Nga Dog Kennel:
- They are extremely wild
- Hunt well
- Loyal to owner
- Their awareness of organization herd is very high
- Very agile ad skillful
- Bearing in the caves
- Protect children very well
- Have a good memory
- Swim and climb well
- Howling when there is a strange noise, dark sky, or a bright moon
- Strong jaw/bite
- Ability to dig caves
- Very gluttonous
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