The dog riding festival is an annual event held by the Meos in Jiaobang in the 7th lunar month every year.
Legend says that the first people to explore here were led by a dog to a place with water, saving them from drowning.
The area is often water- depleted and the first Meo settlers here believe that dogs bring good luck, according to SCMP.
During the festival, dogs are allowed to wear tailored clothes, hats, and silver rings, then placed on wooden trays, and walk around the village and through rice fields.
The villagers followed the dog lyke, singing and playing the bridge drum for favorable rain, harmony, peace and prosperity.
It is not yet clear what kind of dog will be chosen by the villagers to sit on a goodsman.
According to People's Daily, the villagers will gather on the roads where the dog convoy passes to express their gratitude for the animals that have helped their ancestors survive and pray for a good crop in the coming year.
According to the Independent, some have criticized the festival for saying that strangling dogs while riding is an act of animal cruelty.
Many people compare this contrast with the Ngoc Lam dog meat festival in Quang Tay province where thousands of dogs were slaughtered.
