The real story behind the Vietnamese girl who found her dog ‘Flower’ dead at a meat stall

There's a photo making the rounds on the internet right now and it's guaranteed to ruin your day, so prepare yourself.

The photo shows a young girl squatting next to the roasted carcass of what appears to be a dog. She's resting her hand on the dog's back, as though petting it, while bawling her eyes out. According to the Daily Mail, the girl is 5 years old and Vietnamese. She was walking through a market when she saw the dog's body and immediately identified it as her missing and beloved pet, Flower. The girl's heart was broken, and now, so is yours. 

Warning: the photo is upsetting.

The Daily Mail says the photo has been circulating on Vietnamese social media. We haven't been able to verify the claim, so consider this story very sad, but unconfirmed.

We don't know whether the details being shared about the photo are true, but the story it tells is very real. 

That story is the subject of our upcoming documentary and series "Dog Thief Down." Dog meat has long been a delicacy in Vietnam, and "Dog Thief Down" focuses on the criminal gangs who steal pet dogs like Flower and sell them dog meat vendors, a black market trade that can earn them as much money as drug dealing. The multimedia project also looks at a new generation of dog lovers and animal welfare advocates who are fighting back against the dog thieves.

GlobalPost Senior Correspondent Patrick Winn traveled to Vietnam where he met people who eat dogs, people who love them, and people who steal them for cash. It's the world behind the viral photo.

Watch the trailer: