The ideal meeting place for pet lovers.

Passenger Cafe (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) was founded by Luu Bich Ngan and her husband, Huynh Chinh Du. It's a familiar meeting place where like-minded souls can meet and share stories.

Connecting hearts

Established in mid-2018, Passenger was initially built on the principle of being a vegan restaurant, free of animal products. Keeping dogs and cats was not part of the restaurant's original plan. The fortunate adoption of Thor – their first stray cat – ignited in Ngan a desire to rescue more dogs and cats. Of the hundreds of dogs and cats they have cared for over the years, the restaurant has found homes for nearly 50. Currently, the restaurant is home to over 20 animals.

Luu Bich Ngan (top row, left photo) hopes that Passenger will contribute to spreading positive energy so that the community will care for, love, and rescue animals more.

Young people love coming here to study and work. Many who can't keep pets at home choose this friendly and warm Passenger service to experience the love from animal-loving hearts and from the furry little friends like Mướp, Bông, Lu, Lily, Ranchu...

Not prioritizing profit, the young couple said they receive many incomparable values ​​that cannot be bought with money. "Everything is sustained by love. Passenger helps me connect with people who love animals and share the same outlook on life. The staff here are very loving towards dogs and cats. The cafe receives a lot of encouragement from everyone, and this motivates us," Ngân shared.

In reality, the shop across the street faces several challenges due to its limited space and the potential for animal odors. Furthermore, the dogs and cats sometimes clash, making them difficult to control when many strangers are present. This requires the shop to make an effort to maintain a clean environment and remind customers to be gentler with the animals. The shop's revenue is solely for business operations; the costs of caring for the dogs and cats come from the couple's main jobs. Ngân works as a graphic designer, while her husband is a freelance programmer.

Learn to cherish

According to Ngan, caring for these adorable four-legged angels helps people become more responsible and learn how to love more. "Dogs and cats also have their own emotional language and ways of expressing themselves – some want to be alone, others like human company; some like to be cuddled, others are easily grumpy. They need love after their days of wandering and suffering so much before. I proactively accumulated veterinary knowledge, learned how to communicate with them, empathize with them, and cherish them," Ngan explained.

Passenger actively provides timely support to many young people who lack experience in animal care. The shop's Instagram page serves as a communication channel to find new owners for dogs and cats. Most of the rescued animals are young or sick, some even abused or abandoned. This reality demands meticulous care. That's why, when finding new owners for the animals, Ngan always takes the time to learn about the adoptive parents' personalities, living conditions, basic knowledge, etc., and the key is still love for animals. Some animals are returned because they are difficult to care for, so Ngan keeps them at the shop and doesn't post them for new owners anymore. She emotionally said: "Every small progress begins with effort. We give the animals a new life, and in return, they give us the opportunity to understand ourselves, gain more confidence, and happiness. There are cases where the animals don't survive even after finding new owners, and this makes us feel guilty."

Based on her experience caring for the animals, Ngan hopes that adopters will not have prejudices against animals of local origin. "In reality, caring for native dogs and cats is very simple because they are very intelligent, adorable, and approachable. To us, dogs and cats may just be small living things, but they see us as everything," Ngan said.

The young owner, Bich Ngan, and her partner are committed to doing everything they can to save more dogs and cats. They hope their peaceful sanctuary will change people's perceptions of pets, encouraging them to care for and help these little animals whenever they have the chance. "For me, every time we rescue a creature, it means we are giving them a new life, a good life that all animals deserve. I believe there are many kind hearts willing to help animals," Ngan emphasized.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/diem-hen-ly-tuong-cua-nguoi-yeu-thu-cung-196240713200549065.htm