diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.h b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.h
index 068a4c31ff..92bbe64a74 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.h
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.h
@@ -170,9 +170,15 @@ struct _qemuDomainObjPrivate {
     virCgroupPtr cgroup;
 };
 
-struct qemuDomainWatchdogEvent
-{
+typedef enum {
+    QEMU_PROCESS_EVENT_WATCHDOG = 0,
+
+    QEMU_PROCESS_EVENT_LAST
+} qemuProcessEventType;
+
+struct qemuProcessEvent {
     virDomainObjPtr vm;
+    qemuProcessEventType eventType;
     int action;
 };
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
index 4856f37671..d4396b0e0c 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
@@ -135,7 +135,11 @@
 
 #define QEMU_NB_BANDWIDTH_PARAM 6
 
-static void processWatchdogEvent(void *data, void *opaque);
+static void processWatchdogEvent(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
+                                 virDomainObjPtr vm,
+                                 int action);
+
+static void qemuProcessEventHandler(void *data, void *opaque);
 
 static int qemuStateCleanup(void);
 
@@ -815,7 +819,7 @@ qemuStateInitialize(bool privileged,
                             qemuDomainManagedSaveLoad,
                             qemu_driver);
 
-    qemu_driver->workerPool = virThreadPoolNew(0, 1, 0, processWatchdogEvent, qemu_driver);
+    qemu_driver->workerPool = virThreadPoolNew(0, 1, 0, qemuProcessEventHandler, qemu_driver);
     if (!qemu_driver->workerPool)
         goto error;
 
@@ -3561,17 +3565,12 @@ cleanup:
     return ret;
 }
 
-static void processWatchdogEvent(void *data, void *opaque)
+static void processWatchdogEvent(virQEMUDriverPtr driver, virDomainObjPtr vm, int action)
 {
     int ret;
-    struct qemuDomainWatchdogEvent *wdEvent = data;
-    virQEMUDriverPtr driver = opaque;
-    virQEMUDriverConfigPtr cfg;
+    virQEMUDriverConfigPtr cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver);
 
-    virObjectLock(wdEvent->vm);
-    cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver);
-
-    switch (wdEvent->action) {
+    switch (action) {
     case VIR_DOMAIN_WATCHDOG_ACTION_DUMP:
         {
             char *dumpfile;
@@ -3579,19 +3578,19 @@ static void processWatchdogEvent(void *data, void *opaque)
 
             if (virAsprintf(&dumpfile, "%s/%s-%u",
                             cfg->autoDumpPath,
-                            wdEvent->vm->def->name,
+                            vm->def->name,
                             (unsigned int)time(NULL)) < 0) {
                 virReportOOMError();
-                goto unlock;
+                goto cleanup;
             }
 
-            if (qemuDomainObjBeginAsyncJob(driver, wdEvent->vm,
-                                                     QEMU_ASYNC_JOB_DUMP) < 0) {
+            if (qemuDomainObjBeginAsyncJob(driver, vm,
+                                           QEMU_ASYNC_JOB_DUMP) < 0) {
                 VIR_FREE(dumpfile);
-                goto unlock;
+                goto cleanup;
             }
 
-            if (!virDomainObjIsActive(wdEvent->vm)) {
+            if (!virDomainObjIsActive(vm)) {
                 virReportError(VIR_ERR_OPERATION_INVALID,
                                "%s", _("domain is not running"));
                 VIR_FREE(dumpfile);
@@ -3599,13 +3598,13 @@ static void processWatchdogEvent(void *data, void *opaque)
             }
 
             flags |= cfg->autoDumpBypassCache ? VIR_DUMP_BYPASS_CACHE: 0;
-            ret = doCoreDump(driver, wdEvent->vm, dumpfile,
+            ret = doCoreDump(driver, vm, dumpfile,
                              getCompressionType(driver), flags);
             if (ret < 0)
                 virReportError(VIR_ERR_OPERATION_FAILED,
                                "%s", _("Dump failed"));
 
-            ret = qemuProcessStartCPUs(driver, wdEvent->vm, NULL,
+            ret = qemuProcessStartCPUs(driver, vm, NULL,
                                        VIR_DOMAIN_RUNNING_UNPAUSED,
                                        QEMU_ASYNC_JOB_DUMP);
 
@@ -3617,22 +3616,40 @@ static void processWatchdogEvent(void *data, void *opaque)
         }
         break;
     default:
-        goto unlock;
+        goto cleanup;
     }
 
 endjob:
     /* Safe to ignore value since ref count was incremented in
      * qemuProcessHandleWatchdog().
      */
-    ignore_value(qemuDomainObjEndAsyncJob(driver, wdEvent->vm));
+    ignore_value(qemuDomainObjEndAsyncJob(driver, vm));
 
-unlock:
-    virObjectUnlock(wdEvent->vm);
-    virObjectUnref(wdEvent->vm);
-    VIR_FREE(wdEvent);
+cleanup:
     virObjectUnref(cfg);
 }
 
+static void qemuProcessEventHandler(void *data, void *opaque)
+{
+    struct qemuProcessEvent *processEvent = data;
+    virDomainObjPtr vm = processEvent->vm;
+    virQEMUDriverPtr driver = opaque;
+
+    virObjectLock(vm);
+
+    switch (processEvent->eventType) {
+    case QEMU_PROCESS_EVENT_WATCHDOG:
+        processWatchdogEvent(driver, vm, processEvent->action);
+        break;
+    default:
+       break;
+    }
+
+    if (virObjectUnref(vm))
+        virObjectUnlock(vm);
+    VIR_FREE(processEvent);
+}
+
 static int qemuDomainHotplugVcpus(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
                                   virDomainObjPtr vm,
                                   unsigned int nvcpus)
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_process.c b/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
index ac5ffcfa04..ee39d5b391 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
@@ -861,18 +861,19 @@ qemuProcessHandleWatchdog(qemuMonitorPtr mon ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
     }
 
     if (vm->def->watchdog->action == VIR_DOMAIN_WATCHDOG_ACTION_DUMP) {
-        struct qemuDomainWatchdogEvent *wdEvent;
-        if (VIR_ALLOC(wdEvent) == 0) {
-            wdEvent->action = VIR_DOMAIN_WATCHDOG_ACTION_DUMP;
-            wdEvent->vm = vm;
+        struct qemuProcessEvent *processEvent;
+        if (VIR_ALLOC(processEvent) == 0) {
+            processEvent->eventType = QEMU_PROCESS_EVENT_WATCHDOG;
+            processEvent->action = VIR_DOMAIN_WATCHDOG_ACTION_DUMP;
+            processEvent->vm = vm;
             /* Hold an extra reference because we can't allow 'vm' to be
              * deleted before handling watchdog event is finished.
              */
             virObjectRef(vm);
-            if (virThreadPoolSendJob(driver->workerPool, 0, wdEvent) < 0) {
+            if (virThreadPoolSendJob(driver->workerPool, 0, processEvent) < 0) {
                 if (!virObjectUnref(vm))
                     vm = NULL;
-                VIR_FREE(wdEvent);
+                VIR_FREE(processEvent);
             }
         } else {
             virReportOOMError();