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About HavePaws AI

Meeting with HSI

ABOUT HAVEPAWS AI

HavePaws is a project of HAVEPAWS SOCIAL ENTERPRISE CO., LTD., a 100% nonprofit social enterprise working in the field of companion animal welfare in Vietnam.

HavePaws was built with the goal of protecting dogs and cats, and supporting the community in cases involving lost, abandoned, stolen, or trafficked pets — including those at risk of entering illegal slaughter and consumption networks.

Since beginning operations, HavePaws has supported more than 550 cases through rescue, sterilization, vaccination, care, rehabilitation, and adoption placement. HavePaws also manages a community of over 80,000 followers across social media platforms, making it one of the most prominent community channels in companion animal protection in Vietnam.

HavePaws is a member of Asia for Animals Coalition (AfA) and has collaborated with domestic and international partners including Humane World for Animals (HWA), Thonglor Pet Hospital, and many other veterinary, rescue, and community organizations.

TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION

Alongside its rescue, sterilization, care, and community outreach work, HavePaws focuses on developing technology to address one of the biggest challenges in companion animal protection in Vietnam: pets going missing, being stolen, and being difficult to match with their original owners.

HavePaws AI is an artificial intelligence platform designed to help search for and match lost dogs and cats. Users can submit lost/found pet reports, upload images to the system, and AI will assist in analyzing and comparing images to suggest potential matches.

The core feature of HavePaws AI is image matching technology. When a pet owner loses their dog or cat, they can upload photos and information to the system. When an individual, volunteer, or rescue organization records a found dog or cat, that information can also be submitted. The AI system will automatically compare images, identifying features, and related data to suggest the most likely matches.

This technology helps shorten search time compared to manual methods such as scattered social media posts, sharing across multiple groups, or searching through images one by one. The goal of HavePaws AI is not to replace direct verification, but to help the community increase the chance of identifying the right case, match faster, and create more opportunities for lost pets to be reunited.

HavePaws AI matching process

APPLICATION IN THE 400 CATS CAMPAIGN

In the campaign involving more than 400 cats rescued by Ho Chi Minh City police in June 2026, HavePaws developed a dedicated campaign page on HavePaws AI to help people search for their missing cats remotely.

Users can upload old photos of their cats to the system. The AI will automatically compare them with images of cats recorded in the campaign and suggest the most likely matches. This gives families who are far away or unable to visit the location immediately an additional tool for a preliminary check before going for in-person identification.

The AI tool only supports the initial search step. Verification, matching, and handover of animals are still carried out in person at the location under the guidance of the responsible authority.

400 cats campaign

VISION

HavePaws AI is being developed not just as a tool for finding lost pets, but as a community data platform serving companion animal welfare in Vietnam.

In the long term, HavePaws aims to build a data system that can support:

  • Finding and reuniting lost dogs and cats with their owners;
  • Mapping hotspots for pet theft, trafficking, and illegal slaughter;
  • Supporting rescue, sterilization, rehabilitation, and controlled adoption;
  • Providing community data to support advocacy, policy work, and stakeholder coordination.

HavePaws believes that technology, when placed within a nonprofit model and directed toward community benefit, can become an important tool for protecting dogs and cats in a better, more transparent, and more effective way.

400 cats campaign

COMMITMENT

HavePaws is a 100% nonprofit social enterprise. Under its social enterprise commitment, all retained profits are reinvested into social and environmental goals related to companion animal welfare.

Community support helps HavePaws continue its rescue, sterilization, veterinary care, adoption placement, data system operations, and development of technology solutions like HavePaws AI.

Thank you for always standing with HavePaws on this journey to protect dogs and cats in Vietnam.