Vietnamese couple on dog-adoption spree after authorities cull their pets

Vietnamese couple Pham Minh Hung and Nguyen Thi Chi Em sit with their newly adopted dogs after their 15 dogs were culled by authorities without their consent while they were being treated for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in hospital last year, at their home in Long An province, about 60km west of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam February 22, 2022. Picture taken February 22, 2022. REUTERS/Nguyen Ha Minh

LONG AN PROVINCE, Vietnam (Reuters) - Nguyen Thi Chi Em's face is red with laughter as she plays with seven rescue dogs, rolling around with them on the living room floor as her beaming husband watches.

The Vietnamese couple took in the dogs after learning in October that authorities had culled their previous pack of 15 while they were in quarantine recovering from COVID-19.