Many years ago, I travelled to Phu Quoc for the first time and was knocked back right away by its spectacular beauty of a tropical paradise, but not the native Phu Quoc ridgeback dogs.
I rode to almost every corner of Pearl island on a rental motorbike with travel buddies I met in the dorm by chance and visited almost best beaches in Phu Quoc. Dogs hardly try to run faster than fueled machines and their barking is often significantly overwhelmed by the loud noise from the engine. So that’s why I have ignored these native dogs of the island: Phu Quoc ridgebacks (chó Phú Quốc), despite their nationwide renown for superior characteristics for a long time.
Many times later, the native ridgebacks were somehow out of my sight (I didn’t even plan to visit a ridgeback farm to admire Phu Quoc dog racing (đua chó Phú Quốc), which is among the featured experience in package tour on the island), UNTIL the latest trip to the island. Well, I pedaled on my bicycle at a very slow speed, and things just happened everywhere. I suddenly was the crucial target audience, bombarded by the super loud-and-clear barks of a pack of native dogs, everytime my wheels rolled by remote farmsteads or fairly populated towns and communes.
I was not scared after all. Ever heard about the dog breed’s intelligent behaviour, I knew they were ‘smart’ enough not to bite me deadly like some dangerously aggressive German Shepherd or American Bully, but to alarm the owner of the premise where they were guarding, and also frightened me out of my wits. So all I did was to suffer the almighty barking and keep pedalling without fear to get out of their sight quickly. Those were among the weirdest moments I had during the trip. Curiously, I did some research then, and it turns out these ‘little’ cute dogs with the distinctive ridgeback hair as its name implies possess an unusual origin and wisdom. So what makes this dog breed so special?
Phu Quoc Dog Breed: Four-legged Guardians (and Hunters)
As the only native dog of Phu Quoc island, Vietnam, this rare species possesses various outstanding features compared to many other ones in the world. In Vietnam, Phu Quoc ridgeback dog is one of the four breeds national-ranked in the country along with the dingo, the Bac Ha, and the mongoose.
The special characteristic of this dog breed is the quite strange swirling ridge of hair running along its spine. This is the only feature of the three species of dogs in the world including Thailand ridgeback, Rhodesian ridgeback of South Africa, and Vietnamese Phu Quoc ridgeback.
The origin of Phu Quoc ridgebacks is still controversial in terms of scientific proof. Initially, two American scientists proposed that there is initially only the ridgeback breed in eastern Thailand and the African dogs. Thus Phu Quoc dogs are firmly rooted in the Thai breed and reached Phu Quoc Island 400 years ago. However, a Vietnamese scholar proves this hypothesis is unreasonable since at that time, Thai fishermen could not sail more than 400-500 kilometers to reach the Phu Quoc sea.
So far, it is generally believed that Phu Quoc ridgebacks originate from a French ridgeback lost on the primitive island and the breed has proliferated into wild dogs. More interestingly, the dog breed was once referred to in the “Larousse du Chien” (Larousse Dictionary About Dogs). After many years of natural selection, the island has formed a distinct gene, making them different from the rest of the world. Phu Quoc ridgebacks then have been domesticated to be helpful assistants of humans in hunting animals and fish.
As a hunting dog, a Phu Quoc ridgeback is considered to be beautiful if he is muscular, slender, tall and stately, with a hook-shaped tail. The ridge of hair on their back is very diverse, especially the shape of needle, arrow, saddle, guitar, and leaf, etc. The hair color of this dog breed also has its own remarkable features and comes in 4 color variations which are black, yellow, stripe, and spotted. Reddish-brown and golden brown are also popular colors of this breed. Hair is silky and short so even when it gets wet, the creature just needs to shake the water off a few times to quickly dry it out.
Being famous ‘hunters’ but when putting down the guard, Phu Quoc ridgebacks are such a friendly dog breed and easy to make friends. They can distinguish quickly who should be an enemy and an ally, and mostly never get trapped by toys. Try to bait them with whatever you’ve got, good food or seductive whistle, you will be surprised by how smart they are. These features can be admired in a local house, pepper farms or a Phu Quoc dog farm, where you should learn something more interesting about the native ridgeback breed and watch them show-off the hunting skills in a determined race.
Phu Quoc Dog Farm: Nurture And Preserve
Despite the rarity of native ridgebacks, you can count the number of the Phu Quoc dog breeding farm on the fingers of one hand. There once was a racetrack/breedfarm built in Cay Thong Ngoai Hamlet in Cua Duong Commune in 2000 and is the second of its kind in Vietnam after another in Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province.
Nowaday, the most popular destination is Thanh Nga Dog Farm & Dog Racecourse (aka Phu Quoc Dog Conservation Centre now), often mentioned in package tours and as an add-on option for tourists who visit Tranh stream (suối Tranh). Launched in 2014, this farm quickly became a well-known touristy venue to admire a determined race course, as well as a kennel and breed reserve of the island’s most popular and recognizable animal – Phu Quoc ridgeback dog.
The racecourse includes 4 racetracks with a length of 365 metres. Filling the track are 4 dogs taking part in a race. Each competitor must overcome 12 different courses, including fences, tunnels, swimming areas and climbing walls. The Phu Quoc ridgeback dog ‘racing’ is not like the traditional dog race, because these ‘guys’ are superior to the other. The unnumbered ridgeback dogs run around an obstacle course where their distinctive skills are challenged: running through tall grass, climbing over trees, crawling under tunnels, and swimming in water. There are commonly 2 races, the first one is a warm-up followed by the actual race. After the race is over, a staff member will guide visitors around the facility and show how the dogs are raised, bred, what they can do, and finally how they live. The entire tour with the dog race included takes only approximately 45 minutes.
The admission fee is 50,000 vnd ($2.00) per person (as of 2021). The racetrack is located next to Tranh stream in Duong To, Phu Quoc and very easy to get here by motorbike or bicycle as the roads are smooth and freshly paved. The most concerning issue of this touristy destination is the poverty of dog breeding conditions. Some Phu Quoc dogs here are also available for sale. Contact staff in case you would like to adopt a puppy.
The other dog farm is a private premise of Mr Zdung on DT973 road, Cua Duong. Without a racetrack, this farm is solely for selling dogs, but you can take a visit too. The puppies look well-cared and the Phu quoc dog price here ranges from 2 – 5 millions vnd (equivalent to $85 – 215) plus shipping cost. However, Phu quoc dog prices have recently soared worldwide.
Why Are Phu Quoc Ridgeback So Expensive?
You may be stunned (me, too, when reading this story first reported in 2015) as enthusiastic buyers are believed to have to pay up to £40,000 for some puppies. Catherine Lane, a British pet lover, brought two Phu Quoc ridgeback dogs (named Moon and Sirius) from the remote Vietnamese island the previous year, and became the first person in Europe to own the dogs. Moreover, she’s also the first to breed a litter, and because of the rarity and purity of the breed (estimated around 800 dogs registered worldwide), they’re worth an astonishing £10,000 each (it’s rumored that one bid even hit £15,000). Wowww. Such a number! But the journey of the Phu Quoc parent is remarkable. ‘It was quite a drastic change: from the white sands of Vietnam to the rocky beaches of Brighton,’ said Catherine to Dailymail.
Even in the country, the Phu Quoc dog price is also exceptional when a ridgeback was reportedly asked for $15,000. If you are wondering why the hell Phu Quoc ridgeback dog is so expensive, here are some special characteristics to consider.
Natural Athletes
Phu Quoc Ridgebacks have a muscular body with high stamina and ability to run incredibly fast. With webbed feet like ducks, they can swim faster than most other dogs can as their habitat is on the island. Not to mention, they can also jump very high, and are even able to climb trees. That’s such a perfect partner to the local people, they can catch fish and hunt animals and watch out for the owner’s cattle.
Exceptional Rarity
Because they only exist on the island, the number of Phu Quoc ridgebacks is very small, even close to the edge of extinction once. There are only less than 1000 purebred Phu Quoc ridgebacks in the world, so it’s very difficult to find a purebred Phu Quoc ridgeback dog. That makes the Phu Quoc ridgebacks cost super high.
Distinctive Color
The three most expensive fur will be the tiger-striped brindle, fire gold, and like-ink black ones. Phu Quoc brindle ridgebacks must have a uniform and clear color stripes as tiger fur, while the golden ridgebacks have a magenta color and red light. The black ones must have jet black, without any other hair color. Last but not least, the more black spots its tongue has, the more valuable the dog will be.
Great Intelligence
Many people argue that Phu Quoc ridgeback is among the top breeds. Thanks to their intelligence and curious nature, they can learn new commands very quickly and be able to understand new lessons within a few weeks even when they are young. It is said that when Phu Quoc island is opened for tourists, the wild Phu Quoc ridgebacks can perform their tricks to get food from the visitors.
However, they are tragically not voted in any list of the smartest dogs. The reason is kinda ridiculous but true: they are too rare, not enough to form a standard set in the world. Phu Quoc dogs could participate at international dog shows only if there are 1,000 dogs recognized as purebred. It is an absolute requirement for breed recognition.
Absolute Loyalty
Phu quoc ridgeback dogs are among social animals, loving people and not so aggressive to strangers (as my story above mentioned). However, they cleverly never eat food from strangers – only the food from their owner.
These watchdogs can be trained to be good territorial protectors, a guardian protects their owner in any circumstances by barking or giving a threatening look, but they rarely attack the threats. (Some aggressive dog breeds would engage people in a dangerous manner, and the owner takes full responsibility in case something bad happens).
Where To Buy A Phu Quoc Dog
The first stop should be, of course, dog farms in Phu Quoc, for purebreds. In the last few years, more and more people are interested in this ridgeback dog breed, some of them becoming the kennel breeders for Phu Quoc dog lovers, as belows.
Vietnamese Phu Quoc Ridgeback Dogs of Southern California
A Vietnamese Doctor at the helm of the kennel club in Southern California, in hope to introduce this rare breed to the community and eventually to the American Kennel Club to give this wonderful dog the recognition they deserve
Phu Quoc Ridgeback
The website was established by Catherine Lane to sell her puppies in 2015, as well as to provide informative facts about the Phu Quoc ridgeback dog for the potential owners. Contact her for any update of her litter.
Phu Quoc Ridgeback Poland
They were among the first Phu Quoc Ridgeback kennels in Poland and Europe at the time, after their Vietnamese friends had told them that this breed was basically non-existent in Europe. Like the kennel in Southern California, the founder also decided to start breeding this rare breed so that Phu Quoc ridgeback dogs would become appreciated and recognized more in the world.
A documentary video about Phu Quoc ridgeback dog
So, the next time you travel to Phu Quoc and see a ridgeback dog barking, just be happy as you meet one of the cutest and rarest dog of the world!
