Now it’s almost 2 years since last time I visited the shelter. As web master of CfD, I’m always keeping contact and by all the posts and pictures we’ve published over these past months beside all those portraits of handsome doggies and pretty volunteers I even got a glimpse of the shelter here and there. Well, that was not enough for me! What about infrastructure what about facilities – I cried, I want to know more.

I asked Kelly to be my legs and eyes and do a walk through the shelter. Kind as she is, she agreed and as she has not only legs and eyes but is a brilliant photographer, too, she provided me with more than a hundred views.
Now it’s time for a closer look and whow there’s a lot to discover indeed many that happened throughout these past months.

Where ever I look I find those little improvements and honestly I’m deeply impressed on the fine design and that’s by only picture how it will be when I can when I be there in person again?

Please have a look at this slide show and tell me if you’re as impressed as I am and may be you are able to visit the shelter.

(click any image for slideshow view – click -Key to come back)

Now it’s almost 2 years since last time I visited the shelter. As web master of CfD, I’m always keeping contact and by all the posts and pictures we’ve published over these past months beside all those portraits of handsome doggies and pretty volunteers I even got a glimpse of the shelter here and there. Well, that was not enough for me! What about infrastructure what about facilities – I cried, I want to know more.

I asked Kelly to be my legs and eyes and do a walk through the shelter. Kind as she is, she agreed and as she has not only legs and eyes but is a brilliant photographer, too, she provided me with more than a hundred views.
Now it’s time for a closer look and whow there’s a lot to discover indeed many that happened throughout these past months.

Where ever I look I find those little improvements and honestly I’m deeply impressed on the fine design and that’s by only picture how it will be when I can when I be there in person again?

Please have a look at this slide show and tell me if you’re as impressed as I am and may be you are able to visit the shelter.

Care for Dogs is announcing it’s next Adoption Fair! It will be at Central Airport Plaza shopping center Saturday, February 4th, 2012 from 11 am to 6 pm. Our staff and volunteers will be featuring a variety of young and furry friends (doggies and kitties) in need of a happy home.

It’s our first such event on a Saturday and we’re exciting how people like this day of the week as this year we increase the number of adoption fairs alternating Saturday with Sunday events.

Our dogs are vaccinated and spayed and eager to find a permanent family! If you’re an animal lover but can’t take a new animal in, we have t-shirts, stickers, postcards, magnets, plush toys, and other goodies all designed to show off your support of local rescue efforts!

Be aware: By joining with Modern Pets who will donate 10% of sales to CfD there’s even more on display & for sale like funky pet houses, beds & cushions.

We invite everyone to come out and celebrate the bond between man and his best friends.

Here some pics:

A personal view from Lindy on Woofstock:

Most good things “take a village,” and our first Woofstock Festival 2012 was no exception. On party day, Jan. 21, so many good dogs and their good people (plus one extremely cocky Persian cat) walked up a beautiful rice field-lined driveway in Mae Rim to celebrate the friendship between them.

The extraordinary event sprang from a rather ordinary goal: I was simply looking for a way to help what I consider to be one of Thailand’s best groups, Care for Dogs, with its far-reaching goals: to help as many of the sick, hungry and homeless dogs in Northern Thailand as is humanly possible. I admired the group during it 5 years, and was perched and waiting to help when I had a bit of free time. Well, organizing Woofstock took care of the free time issue, and gave me new friends to last a lifetime. My delightful friendship with our gracious hosts, Khun Nok and Patrick of Happy Gambol, has also inspired me to modify my behavior with my dogs – something they’ll be grateful for.

Woofstock was also one of the most fun days I’ve had. As participants are still pointing out, the event oozed positivity. The dogs seemed to be smiling, and the people absolutely were. One acquaintance remarked, “It was the first event that I’ve been to that I didn’t want to leave!” She admitted to having more respect and admiration for the dog she brought with her, and her family was more whole – attending a festival all together.

I have one haunting memory of the day. I watched a little girl on her cell phone BEGGING her mom to let her adopt one of the puppies. The answer was no. But I know there is a happy ending, as little girls grow up, and their love for animals will be free to flourish. And every single one of the six Care for Dogs puppies brought to Woofstock found a home.

So let’s remember the magic, the kid’s art center, the story telling, the raffle prizes, the beautiful songs of Ana Gracey and Frans Bloem, the dog walks, the agility demonstration, the magician, and all of the smiles. Vet and dog behavior advice, dog baths and even one routine blood pressure check were all lovingly given. A food court served up vegetarian food such as som dam, sticky rice, samosa and lasagna for two- and four-legged customers – and plenty of drinks. Local businesses donated generously for the event or displayed their pet-related wares and seemed to give away as much as they sold. I thank them all, and I fondly thank my lucky stars that I was buoyed by Team Woofstock: Joy, Karin and Amber. And another 80 people pitched in as volunteers — representing Chiang Mai University, international schools (PTIS, NIS and CMIS) and Elephant Nature Park; it was a true community event! If you were there, thank you for coming. If you weren’t, we will probably love to do it again. There is still enough paint and play dough for another round or two. And there will always be enough puppies to go around, if your mother approves…..

Lindy Santitharangkul

Many more pics to get you a better impression of this fun event you find at Lind’a google+ gallery here…

A barkfelt “Thank You” to the following supporters, businesses, and organisations who have generously supported our Woofstock Event, e.g. by donating prizes for our raffles, by providing services and activities or food and drinks to help to raise income for homeless dogs in need. Wagging tails from all our 170 furry friends at our shelter!

• Ana Gracey
• AUA
• Butter is Better
• Chiang Mai Insurance
• Four Seasons
• Frans Bloem
• Galerie Panisa
• GiGi Pets Fashion
• Girasole
• Hair Pro
• Hand to Paw
• Happy Gambol
• Icedea
• Somchai Santitharangkul, Locations
• McCormick Hospital
• Modern Pets
• Namping
• Nice Nails
• Baan Ma Kap Maew
• Pet Mart
• Pet Shop Khun Kay
• Piccola Roma
• Khun Nuch – SomTom
• Khun Tan – Coffee Shop
• Healing Presence (Tameer Pam Barnslee)
• Taste of Heaven
• The Nest
• U.S. Consulate Community + Community Liaison Office

When trying to find new homes for adoptions we always try to make sure new owners understand that with taking a dog they agree to a life long commitment for taking care and we couldn’t be more happy when years later we learn our dream became true.

So read here what Lani Becker has to tell as her story shows much more than just how to take care:

I will never forget the day 4 ½ years ago that I went with the Nakorn Payap International School Care For Dogs Club to visit the shelter. I wasn’t sure what I would see, but knew that it would be something that would stay with me for a long time.

We went in and I was sitting on a bench taking in all of the activity around me. Dogs of all shapes and sizes, running, jumping, growling and chasing. Then from behind a wall came a small bundle of dirty white hair…slowly making his way to me. He came up and sat at my feet and laid his head against me and I was smitten. I fell in love with him at that moment.

When I heard that he had been hit by a car a few months earlier, was in a coma for ten days and just needs a quiet place to call home…I was ready to take him. However, I had to think this through and make sure that I was ready to take on the responsibility of a dog again. It would put a damper on my traveling.

After conferring with family and friends, and finding myself very emotional when I thought about him. I told Elissa that I wanted to take him. She began the ball rolling and called Care for Dogs who got in touch with the previous owners (thankfully they didn’t want him back) and on October 23, 2007 I went to the shelter and came out with this little guy.

We first had to get rid of the parasites that he had inside him, and this was a years worth of vet visits, medication and blood checking. It was a great day when we got a clean bill of health.

There was a lot to learn about Eddie Poodle. He didn’t bark (still doesn’t) except in his sleep. He would actually fall asleep sitting up and then collapse in a heap…still sleeping. A friend, who taught Psychology at the school was teaching the kids about various conditions that people have, and read that there is one which is common in both man and canine…narcolepsy. If you ever picked him up when he is in this state, he is like a limp rag. The episodes only last 5-10 minutes. At least I now knew what it was. They happen 2-3 times a day, and with no reason. They are what makes him special.

It took about a year for him to begin to gain weight (those darn parasites) and during this time his hair turned from an apricot to a white with a few apricot areas.

Eddie is my best friend. He waits for me in the afternoon, is known to sleep in bed with me, makes sure that my dinner plate is spotless, and loves to take tuk tuk rides. He still walks slowly (unless you throw his rubber ball and then there is speed in those little short legs). He can’t jump up on the couch or bed, but once up there can get himself down. You will never take him for a walk, for when you put his harness on him and attach the leash he gets very stubborn and won’t move. And those little short legs are very strong.

Eddie loves everyone, doesn’t have great eyesight, his hearing isn’t perfect… but he has a lot of love to give and has given it to me freely. I cannot imagine my life without him. The past four years have just flown bye and I still remember that day when I first saw him walking across the yard with his head down. Someone was sure looking down on us making sure that we met because we needed each other.

Thank you Care for Dogs for saving this little guy and giving him to me. Thank you Elissa for all of your support over the past four years. And I know he can’t read this, but thank you Eddie for your love. You are so very special to me.

Our first rescue case in 2012 is puppy “Floh”. She and her sister had
been dumped on the street . Floh’s sister got hit by a car and died.
When Floh got hit by a car as well a kind village lady who had been feeding them brought her in yesterday. Floh has a broken back leg and got a cast and we hope she’ll find a new home once she has recovered.

This is one of many rescue cases that we face almost daily. We have only two choices to deal with the increasing number of rescue cases: Either refuse to take dogs and puppies like “Floh” in or try to further increase our adoption rate (currently approx. 200 dogs and puppies per year).

We therefore contacted Airport Plaza a few weeks ago and applied for an increase of the number of Adoption Fairs from one to two per month. Shortly before year end we got the good news: green light for 22 Adoption Fairs in 2012 (One already happened at January 8th)!

We are delighted about this opportunity but need your help to make this happen.
Please see list below that Airport Plaza has given to us – and check your calender and circle these dates.

January 22nd Sunday – had to be cancelled, sorry
February 4th Saturday
February 26th Sunday
March 10th Saturday
April 7th, Saturday
April 22nd Sunday
May 13th Sunday
June 3rd, Sunday
June 16th Saturday
July 7th, Saturday
July 22nd Sunday
August 12th, Sunday
August 26th Sunday
September 1st, Saturday
September 23rd Saturday
October 13th, Saturday
October 28th Sunday
November 10th, Saturday
November 25th Sunday
December 8th, Saturday
December 29th Saturday

> Often I hear people talking about win-win relationships when it comes to deals or building up a partnership. Well, I don’t know about others but Care for Dogs is lucky to be really in such a win-win relationship and our partner in this relationship is called Hand2Paw.

To those who don’t know before of Hand2Paw, see their facebook account by clicking here…) or have look on the Hand2Paw – partner page on our CfD website see here… .

Hand2paw provides a number of abandoned dogs in temples around Mae Rim with much needed help and Care for Dogs appreciates Hand2Paws work so much. The area in and around Chiang Mai is not that small and finding trustful partners who take care on some remote areas is a real gift. Temples are traditional places where people abandon dogs and students and teachers of this project have chosen several temples in the surrounding of PTIS School to take care of.

Joy one of the leading characters of Hand2Paw made one more step – out of experience setting up a school project and coming into contact not only with one temple but about 6 temples right now, decision was made to share this knowledge.
May be other individuals or groups (may be you) think about what to do about those poor doggies in the temple next door, just not knowing how to start how it could be.

Well, some tips might help and here they are and even more than a few tips it’s a whole handbook or rather a guideline, created by competent people who know what they are talking about, not only painting a big picture but even giving detailed information what’s all about.

Take a look and if not you or your school may be others might profit from this guide, just click here to handbook… to google docs or here as .pdf: Hand to Paw Temple Dog Handbook-A4_V1.
If it helps you can download this handbook as .pdf file and share.

** UPDATE After several days with Khun Mim we were asked by her to take “Spotty” in to the shelter, as it seems more and more that the former owner cannot be found (or don’t want to be found). Now Spotty is at the shelter and even as had entered our adoption program. So if interested contact us via email contact@carefordogs.org or shelter phone 0847 52 52 55 (English) or 0869 13 87 01 (Thai) UPDATE **

Look at this fine dalmatian dog we cannot believe he was abandoned so please have a look, may be you know who might lost him.

This message we received from Thai dog lover Mim who rescued him, please contact Khun Mim if you can help:

Thank you very much for your help.
We found him on 3rd Jan. 2012 wandered around through Suthep road for a day
so we decided to keep him save from cars.
Right now a small restaurant near here give us helping hands about the food
for him.
We walk him every morning and evening. Now he is in a good shape and
stronger, looks handsome.
The place we keep him is opposite of Education Gateway where Mr.Guido German
man working. Behind Chiang Mai University.

Thank you again for your kind support.

Best Regards,
Mim

*** UPDATE Good news this kitten got adopted UPDATE ***
We got info from Gill about a rescue in the streets of Chiang Mai, though for a real happy end some support from you is needed:

This very lucky kitten was rescued from the road by Japanese tourist Fiona who saw it just sitting in the traffic! Fiona does kitten fostering back at home so she knew that it was probably best to get the little kitty vet checked to make sure it was ok. The kitten had a slight eye infection which cleared up after a few days on antibiotics and it is now enjoying some home comforts and pampering with Fiona at her hotel! The kitten is just 6-8 weeks old and very sociable!

Fiona didn’t ask the sex of the kitten so we don’t know.. so if that’s not a problem and you would like to give this lucky little kitten a loving home call Gilly on 0871 89 1623 Email: gillysav@gmail.com