Adopt a Pet | Find Your New Best Friend

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.

What is the role of dogs in Thai culture?

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.

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.

It’s A Dog’s Life – Soi Dog is solving the stray dog crisis on Samui in the most compassionate way.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.