Emergency donate today to save homeless animals
Rescue dogs are often in a bad way, and their stories of suffering can be heartbreaking. Still, exposing yourself to this can be an excellent way to feel less helpless and become more active in ending the suffering of street dogs. Photo by Twenty20photos/Envato ElementsMost stray dogs in Thailand are well-natured and loving. If they’ve been abandoned, then they’re likely to be familiar with humans and desperate for love.
Always exercise caution and look out for aggressive behavior before interacting with stray dogs. Business owners can become annoyed and link stray dogs to a lack of trade if you feed them nearby. They can even take this out on the dogs, so failing to consider your environment when feeding a dog could do more harm than good.
The same is actually true of the stray dogs in Thailand, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be wary when interacting with them on the street. Unneutered or unspayed stray dogs will freely mate on the streets and so the problem exacerbates. That can lead to birthing puppies on roadsides and exponential growth in the stray populations. Many dogs are dumped at Buddhist temples assuming that monks will feed and care for them, but this is often far from the truth. The uncontrollable stray population affects everyone, and unwanted pets are seen as an annoyance to most resident monks. Many dogs are deemed undesirable once they’re no longer puppies.
Should you be careful of stray dogs in Thailand?
But sadly, I am far from the only deserving animal in their care, and providing for so many of us costs money. Finally, after a long month of intensive care in hospital, she turned a corner. Dr. Chris Brown from the TV Show ‘Vet Gone Wild’ came out to help at the Soi Dog Foundation, Phuket, Thailand.
This means you’re likely to have many fond memories of interactions with stray dogs from your trip to Thailand. The only way to end this suffering for good is to prevent the unnecessary birth of unwanted animals through sterilisation, as well as ensuring all animals are properly vaccinated. Because of our supporters, Soi Dog is now neutering and vaccinating more dogs and cats than any other organisation. But with millions of street animals still out there, we have a long way to go to end the misery once and for all in Thailand.
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After their procedures, when the dogs feel comfortable again, they’re taken back. Many people bring in dogs themselves, or have their own pets that they wish to have spayed/neutered. Fortunately, help has arrived, and the dog population is being dealt with. Soi Dog is a foundation that deals with dogs and cats across the kingdom.
As mentioned, stray dogs can carry a number of diseases, many of which go undetected and can be transmitted to humans. Stray dogs can also be ridden with fleas and ticks and are often unclean. Contact with stray dogs can expose you and your pets to lice and harmful bacteria. Photo by Twenty20photos/Envato ElementsThere are around 8.5 million dogs in Thailand, close to one million of which are strays and 730,000 believed to have been abandoned. Thai people love pets and enjoy pampering, dressing, and treating dogs like children. But responsibility for animals is often forgotten in Thai culture.
Dogs can be seen as domestic entertainment, toys, or a marker of wealth, rather than a member of the family as is common in the Western Hemisphere. Always contact shelters in advance and don’t just turn up offering your services. It’s not uncommon for volunteers to be vetted and have to prove their commitment to volunteering. If you do live in Thailand, adopting is much easier and as simple as signing a piece of paper claiming you won’t abandon or harm the animal.
A street puppy like Weewy needs a miracle to survive one of these diseases without specialist care and medication. Most countries require preparation, medical checks, and paperwork to accept dogs from other countries, so make sure you’ve done all the research before committing. Some countries strictly prohibit foreign dogs, so ensure that where you live isn’t one of these before setting the ball rolling. If possible, don’t make sudden movements and stop walking in the dog’s direction.
If you visited Phuket ten years ago, you’ll know there were dogs everywhere, most of them scrawny, hairless and covered in terrible sores. One of the problems is that hotel and construction workers like to bring dogs with them. The puppies are left behind and quite often the dogs themselves. Companies should therefore think out a policy concerning workers’ animals. Without you, countless animals are doomed to a short and miserable life on the streets.
Your gift will not only help neglected and abused dogs and cats of Asia, but it will also help all the animals who depend on Soi Dog for their survival. There are millions of stray dogs worldwide in need of loving homes, and you should avoid buying puppies that will easily otherwise find homes. Still, many street dogs will have experienced hardship, neglect, and even abuse from humans. Fear and trauma in dogs often manifest as hostility and anger. Groups of dogs are likely to get territorial or aggressive over food, which could lead to alienation or even dog fights.
These puppies, just like Weewy, would most certainly be dead now if it weren’t for kind animal lovers like you. When animals like Weewy are born on the streets of Thailand, they are destined to a life-long struggle for survival. Every day Weewy spent out there was like a lethal game of Russian roulette. She faced possible starvation, animal attacks, road traffic accidents and, of course, deadly diseases.
With many volunteer vets arriving, we were often running two or three mobile clinics simultaneously. It’s amazing to think how much supporters like you have improved dogs’ lives since then. Today if you visit Phuket, you’ll still see stray dogs, but there are far less of them, and it’s rare to see one in such a bad way. Soi Dog expects to spend about nine months here on Samui in order to sterilize the dog population. Afterwards they will move to Koh Pha-Ngan and then Koh Tao.
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Please make a gift today so more can get the care they desperately need. Thank you again for being a part of our journey – we couldn’t have overcome our own obstacles to do so much for dogs and cats in Thailand without your faithful support. I’m so grateful to have you on board, and I look forward to telling you more about the fantastic things you are achieving for dogs and cats in 2015. Gill just wanted to get her life back to help the animals again. Whenever the pain got too bad, she thought of the courage of the rescued dogs. She often said that everything they had been through made her experience seem small in comparison.
Street dogs are very territorial and could be protecting something without you knowing. Street dogs often dwell at housing complexes, and while homeless, they defend the land, children, and their puppies. If you’re approaching for an unknown reason or you’re an unfamiliar face, the dog will likely see you as a threat and be ready to put up a defense.
The odds of Weewy reaching adulthood would sadly have been minimal. To help the ever-increasing number of homeless animals coming through the shelter doors every day, we need more resources including space, medicine, food and staff. Lanta Animal Welfare – A dog and cat sanctuary on the island of Koh Lanta.
Gill also depended a lot on Ginger – the first dog we ever adopted and Gill’s VERY protective companion. When Gill was learning to walk upstairs on her knees, Ginger would walk next to her, one step at a time. Pamela, have you ever had a time in your life that was really difficult, but your only choice was pushing through? When you join the Sponsor Club you will receive a sponsorship certificate and three updates throughout the year including a special video at the end of the year. As the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold, there are many puppies at Soi Dog, particularly abandoned puppies, in desperate need of help.
You can also foster animals to look after them before finding a forever home. This can be a great way to get the dog familiar with people and advertise the dog’s availability for adoption. However, you and the dog are likely to form a connection, which can complicate things emotionally for both dog and human when you come to separate. Back then, we were a youngish retired couple determined to end the terrible suffering of stray animals in Thailand.
Author
Hi, my name is Lowell and I have always been interested in animals. I was born with a deep fascination for them that has only grown stronger as I’ve gotten older. This interest has led me to become a zookeeper. It’s the best job in the world because it allows me to work with animals every day and learn more about them.