Meet Our Team
Dr. Jean Lieu
President
Jean was born in Vietnam and grew up in Kien-Giang province, the famous origin of the Phu Quoc dog. From an early age, the Phu Quoc dog had been a member of her family. Today, she and her husband Peter are conservation breeders who established the first breeding program of its kind for this breed outside of Vietnam, as well as manage a non-profit rescue dedicated to the breed. When not in scrubs treating human patients, Jean is with her Phu Quoc dogs tending to their needs, whether it is with attention or just snuggling and spoiling them.
Peter Lai
Senior Vice President
Peter is a veteran of the US Army and has done tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. After leaving the army, Peter found his calling with the Phu Quoc ridgeback dog breed. Since 2015, Peter has trained, rehabbed and saved the lives of over a dozen PQDs and PQD mixes in Southern California. No one outside of Vietnam can attest to the fact that they have worked with the number of PQDs that Peter has worked with. His knowledge about this primitive breed is profound, based on real life experience with not just ONE dog, but a multitude of dogs, and not just ANY dog, but PROBLEM dogs. He is passionate in working with breeders and dog owners to help owners and dogs reach their full potential.
Elizabeth Akers
Vice President
Elizabeth was born and reared in Cape Town. Her passions include horses and Rhodesian Ridgebacks, which she established a rescue for in California in 1990. As time went on she took in Thai Ridgeback Dogs and more recently was enamoured with two Phu Quoc dogs which had been surrendered to her. She loves educating people about the ridged breeds as well as their genetic issues. She published the first site about Dermoid Sinus in the 1990s and posted lots of photos. She continues to work within her non-profit rescue, added a second non-profit rescue for horses. Elizabeth lives with two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, 14 horses, a few ostriches, goats, sheep, alpaca, mini donkeys and runs an Airbnb and a horse treat manufacturing business.
Meet our Advisors
Minh Khang Nguyen
Vietnam Kennel Association, Phu Quoc Breed Judge
Vietnam Kennel Association, Committee Chair for the Preservation of Vietnamese Native Breed
Khang Nguyen has been raising Phu Quoc dogs since 2010. As an official judge of the Vietnam Kennel Association since 2015, an expert of the Phu Quoc dog breed, and the Chair of the Committee for the Preservation of Vietnamese Native Breed within the Vietnam Kennel Association, Khang has made tremendous contributions to the dog world in Vietnam in promoting awareness of Vietnam's indigenous dogs. He is a widely respected expert and has been called on by the Vietnam Kennel Association and many kennel clubs to judge dog shows all across Vietnam.
Khanh Le
Breeder, Red River Kennel - Hanoi
Khanh is one of the country's most well-known breeder, based in Hanoi. A pharmacist by trade, Khanh is also President of the Pacific Kennel Club and has brought notoreity to the breed as she works constantly to improve and raise awareness of Vietnam's cultural treasure, the Phu Quoc dog. Of Vietnam's most prized Phu Quoc dogs, three belong to Khanh and are prized at over $300mil VND (approx $13,000 USD). Vietnam's Grand Champion Arrow (aka Loc, one of only four dogs to be conferred this title) also resides with Khanh in Hanoi.
Thoai Quan Tran
Breeder, Hung Quan Kennels - Saigon
Based in Saigon, Quan is known for his stunning dogs and for winning show after show all across Vietnam. Ti-Do, a famous fawn Vietnam Champion resides with Quan in Saigon. Well-known in the Phu Quoc dog community, Quan is respected for his uncompromising integrity when it comes to improving the breed and producing dogs that conform to the standards.