Care for Dogs Foundation Chiang Mai Thailand

even more posts

Michael — Sat, 12 May 2012 16:41:30 +0000

Sorry for the long delay we had in publishing our newsletter cause of that it would be to much sending all those posts written since the last one in one email.
But for those who don’t want to miss a beat, here are the links to some missed ones, just click “here…” and you will be guided to post that on our website:

Happy new Home for Umbra aka Ms. Pepper, here…
Joergen and the Care for Dogs Experience, here…
PTIS School Visit!, here…
Meet Susie, Snowy and Tualek, help us to look after them!, here…
Dog Meat Trade – a journey of a thousand miles begins, here…
Condemned to Delicasy – English translation of der Spiegel article, here…
Puppies, here…

Internationals – Volunteers at CfD, here…

We promise to find our (shorter) rhythm again and for those who who cannot read enough of Care for Dogs, may be you like to follow us at facebook, see http://www.facebook.com/street.dog.rescue.

New Hope Recovery Home

Karin — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:12:59 +0000

Please help to support “New Hope Recovery Home” for dogs with contagious diseases

Care for Dogs has taken a new path with respects to the treatment and care of dogs/puppies that have fallen ill with a contagious disease. Due to the high numbers of unvaccinated dogs, diseases like parvo and distemper (not contagious to humans though very contagious to other dogs) are very common in Thailand and spread quickly. Distemper starts with eye- and nose discharge, followed by pneumonia, diarrhea, and at the last stage, there are often severe neurological signs and seizures occur. Parvo targets the dog’s digestive tract and will kill off the lining of the intestines, leading to severe and bloody diarrhea. The dog is no longer able to eat and its body shuts down. Both of these diseases are 100 % preventable (through vaccinations!) and both, if not prevented, can be lethal.

Because of the inherent nature of the work we do, we regularly rescue dogs with these diseases. In a shelter environment, keeping these dogs separate from the rest of the group, to minimize the spread of illness, is a constant headache. Many of our dogs (especially the newly rescued dogs) have a fragile health system and are extremely susceptible to catching airborne and viral illnesses.

We used to treat dogs with these diseases in our quarantine room but as the distemper virus is airborne, it is very difficult to keep the infection under control and it would require a quarantine room with a sluice and very strict protocols to keep the disease completely contained. Even though every single dog and puppy that enters our shelter gets vaccinated on the first day of intake, we have sadly experienced dogs falling ill to the disease after intake. It baffles and saddens us that, though we try our best to bring them back to health, time and time again puppies and dogs succumb to this terrible disease.

In the past, we have also sent dogs infected with distemper or parvo to outside clinics and admitted them for treatment, but this solution proves very costly for our limited budget.

We have therefore decided to set-up a health center unit outside our shelter: The New Hope Recovery Home. We have rented a little house 10 minutes away from the shelter where we can take care of these special-needs dogs without jeopardizing the health of our other shelter dogs. We have currently 6 distemper patients which we moved to the new place: Adult dogs Madonna, Yippie, Kuku, and Peepu and puppies Yasmine and Frodo. Amo and puppy Somporn sadly didn’t make it and succumbed to this disease – RIP, Amo & Somporn! :’( The other doggies seem to be quite stable after Pam has given them weeks of intensive treatment, and we really hope they will make it through!

Currently Khun Ambe, one of our dog caretakers, is taking care of the dogs and Pam, our medical coordinator, does daily medical checks. Over Songkran holidays our volunteer Caroline helped to look after them. We are delighted that our new center has a fenced-in garden with shady mango trees. With one dog caretaker looking after them, we will be able to provide excellent individual health care for them. We hope that the improved facilities, the possibility of staying outdoors during daytime, and the individual care will help to stimulate the immune system of our patients which is crucial in fighting off these dreadful diseases. After recovery they will need to be quarantined at the center for another 4 months (as the distemper virus can shed for up to 4 months after recovery).

Peepu

Peepu taking a rest in the shade

Please consider to join our efforts and donate for our dogs at New Hope Recovery Home!

This project raises the standards for treatment of dogs with contagious diseases and we are delighted to make it happen. But if we want to secure the costs of the ongoing distemper treatments and the running of the center we need your help! We have set up the basis equipment but are in need of a refrigerator, a washing machine and a cooking station – maybe someone would be able to help us with these items (second hand would be fine)? Also safe fencing is important to minimize the risk of dogs escaping. (Two dogs have attempted to escape already but were luckily found again.) The set-up of a secure steel fence (including slope fencing) would cost approximately 100.000 Baht.

You can make an impact by sponsoring:

the stay and medical costs of a dog with distemper by donating 1.500 Baht (48 US$ / 37 Euro) per month or

one meter of safe metal fencing by donating 1.200 Baht (38 US$ / 29 Euro)?

Every sponsor will get a sponsor certificate for his/her support. Sponsors who contribute to at least 5 meters of fencing or at least 4 months of a sponsorship will receive a free Care for Dogs T-shirt!
If you visit www.carefordogs.org/donate you can find information about donations via Paypal, bank transfer etc. Please mention “New Hope” for any donations + the name of your sponsored dog in case of a sponsorship.

A bark-felt Thank you for your support for dogs in critical condition!

Machos at CfD!

Hanna — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:08:44 +0000

BEAUTIFUL, STRONG, ADORABLE, MALE DOGS ARE WAITING FOR THEIR FOREVER HOMES

Male dogs are very popular in Thailand – they are regarded as good guard dogs and the owner doesn’t have to be concerned about having unwanted puppies (although all the dogs for adoption at the shelter are sterilized, so if you opt for a female, you don’t have to be concerned about puppies).
We would like to highlight and give some insight to some of our adorable male dogs.

Some of them are quite urgent cases for rehoming, and we sincerely hope you could consider adopting one of them! Please contact our shelter if you would be able to offer a loving home for one of our great boys!

We have many dogs at the shelter, waiting for their forever homes.. They would make wonderful companions to many families, but some of them do go through hard times at the shelter because of the sheer number of dogs.

Especially with males we often see how difficult and stressful it is to find there place in the hierarchy of the pack. As in the shelter environment just some of their positive characteristics can turn into a disadvantage.

Characteristics like strong and dominant might become a misfortune if there are others equally strong characters around. Many of our male dogs love people and linger for attention of those few people around. Having the dream of becoming a loyal companion for humans can become stressful when there are other equally dedicated dogs around who seek for attention as well. The fact is that all these issues would become irrelevant if they find their new family, and need to compete with others for the attention disappears.

All of our dogs at the shelter are neutered and vaccinated!

So if you look for a dedicated loyal friend, a family dog with a presence and aura that gives you and your loved ones security then consider taking one of our handsome machos, you won’t regret it.

They are available for local or international adoptions.
Contact us via email: contact@carefordogs.org, or phone: +66(0)847 525255 (English), +66(0)86 9138701 (Thai)

Here just a collection of 6 sweet machos and just click the according pic to find out more about the dog:

JibJoy

Finn

Duk Dik

Jess

Harley

Gracen

Helper needs Help – too many Puppies!

Michael — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 05:31:06 +0000

Right now CfD is already over it’s capacity regarding the number of puppies we can handle at the shelter, so sadly we cannot take more puppies in. So we greatly appreciate all local efforts done by generous animal lover who take care on their neighborhood being active on their own.

Nevertheless we try to help the best we can even if it’s just providing them a platform to spread the news what’s going on and forward their plea for help.

And here is a fine example of such an animal lover, Robin, who lately found some street dog puppies in need located in San Pisua, Chiang Mai and took in 9 in total, different sizes and colors. They are about 3 months now, still very cute.
But now Robin needs support and people willing to adopt or take over some of the rescues. Do you think you can help if so please contact Robin via email hamjai@hotmail.com.

Good luck to Robin and the 9 cuties:

Maichi Looking for a Flightpartner Bangkok – Germany

Karin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:17:56 +0000

Are you flying from Bangkok to Germany?

.. and would you like to help a rescued street dog in an easy and uncomplicated way?

This is Maichi – waiting for your help to bring her to her new family in Germany!

Care for Dogs Foundation is looking for a traveler who is able (and willing) to accompany Maichi to Germany
where her new owners are longing to pick her up. The dog’s travel costs will be completely covered.

If you are traveling from Bangkok to Germany (any location will do) any time between June 23 and July 31, 2012, please consider accompanying Maichi, one of our rescued dogs, to her new home.

It’s an easy procedure. We will meet you at the airport to check in the dog together with you. In Germany, Maichi’s new family will pick her up at the airport. Care for Dogs Foundation will prepare all administration papers and all costs will be paid for by Maichi’s new owners.

Dogs of this size will be checked in as luggage – of course they have a special compartment. Upon arrival, they can be picked up easily at the baggage claim.

Are you interested in helping a homeless dog get to its new homes abroad?

If yes, please contact
Care for Dogs Foundation, Chiang Mai / Thailand
e-mail: karin@carefordogs.org
Tel. 0066 (0)8 9559 83 83
www.carefordogs.org

Happy new Home for Umbra aka Ms. Pepper

Karin — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 08:39:52 +0000

When our puppies get bigger we always get concerned that they won’t find a home any more. Ms. Pepper was one of them. However, when we got a visit from Andreea & her family they decided to give an older puppy a chance for a new life.
Here is what Andreea wrote back about their new life with Umbra:

Hey, where again was the site for doggie treat orders?

“Just wanted to let you know that Umbra (former Ms.Pepper) is adjusting great and is getting less scared and less shy every passing day. She is very kissy and very kissable and she makes a wonderful friend both for us, the grown ups and for my son who loves her a lot.She is starting to realize that the food bowl is indeed hers and hers only, the mat she sleeps on doesn’t have to be shared and her humans are there to comfort and support her whenever she needs.

Since the last email I sent, Umbra has really blossomed.

She is a really happy and amusing dog and it’s great to see her doing all sorts of tricks to amuse herself (and us as well). She is a very educated girl and I was surprised to see that while she can easily help herself on the vitamin batons we got for her, she never does so and waits for us to give them to her.”

Love my chew toys!

My best friend!

Love & hugs to Umbra from all of us – we are so happy you found a loving home!
— in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Smokey – Knowing Her is Loving Her

Michael — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 08:23:47 +0000

	Smokey
	This is an older female that has had a previous leg injury, but is now doing well . She has a beautiful coat, is independent and would need time to warm up to her new owner and home. Do you think you could help her with this? Come to the shelter and see for yourself.

Sing a Song on CfD – Spinning Wheel

Michael — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 07:48:21 +0000

Joergen a travel volunteer provides us not only with his help while here in Chiang May and the story of his CfD experience, but additionally he dedicated us a special version of his song “Spinning Wheel” he once wrote for teaching little Tibetan monks compassion to animals.

Just read his fine lyrics and enjoy listening to his song, may be you want to take it into your own repertoire of children songs:

Click this title (just audio): Spinning Wheel-CfD and listen with your ears and your heart.

Spinning Wheel – The NimmerMan – special edition for Care for Dogs 2012

Be kind to animals you may
D              A

Be one yourself some day
D                G

If they could speak to us
D                  G

I wonder what they would say
D                 A                   D

CHORUS:
(The) wheel’s still spinning round and round
D                                  G

It spins for every man and hound
D                           A

And you better learn it fast
D                      G

//: Or this life may not be your last ://
G      D              A                D

Black dog howling at the moon
Coming every day at noon
She just wants a little food
Show her that you can be good

If you want to help some dogs,
If you want to lend a hand
Then go down to Care for Dogs
They do everything they can

So show Compassion all around
To every being on the ground
Four legs, feathers, fur and scales
Remember no love is for sale.

For every single being here
Is learning one more lesson dear
So show compassion every day
You no longer have to fear

So when you see a furry friend
Act like a Buddha now and then
Say Om Mani Peme Hung
You are like a god to them.

Joergen and the Care for Dogs Experience

Michael — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 07:05:21 +0000

After providing CfD with some precious help for several week, Joergen did some more helpful things in sharing his experience at CfD and hopefully his story attracts more people to volunteer or support us in other ways:

Well I am home again after 2 months in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I got to meet up with a very good old friend of mine from Florida USA – after not seeing each other for 40 years, so it was a great and joyous reunion. My friend had been extremely helpful with helping me to find a flat and to get me “settled in”. I also got to work as a volunteer at a dog rescue center, Care for Dogs.

It was an amazing and fantastic time.

" width="225" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-16586" />
Jorgen taken pride in acting in the most honourable role as Pooper-scooper
The center was situated about 15 km from Chiang Mai. I rented a small motorbike (moped) to get me there and back. I was at the center 4 days a week – the three other days were for staff only. I shovelled at least a ton of dog-poop. With 160-180 dogs that are fed twice a day there will be a certain amount of poop and if it isn’t removed it will attract flies and other unwholesome insects and diseases – not to speak of the smell that would be if the poop was left lying around. So I spent most of my time traversing the compound with my shovel and a scoop. I just loved it. It is such a meditative task that you can do while floating. So I took it upon myself to keep the compound poop-free. I got the nickname the “Pooper-scooper”, and I was proud of it!! I did also get to give a few dogs a bath from time to time and to assist in other small practical matters. But the best was of course the interaction with the dogs!!!

There were 169-180 dogs – it varied a bit – of all kinds of mixtures of breeds. There was a Rottweiler, a couple of Siberian huskies (in Thailand! – with no sledge!!!), some schnauzers, cocker spaniels, pugs, and of course a lot of “Thai-dogs” – yellowish “general” dogs, which could be very sweet but also very feisty. A slow trickle of dogs were adopted by hopefully good homes, but new dogs were continually being added to the stock – some were left outside the center on a string, some were brought in by the police, and some were picked up by the staff, and some were transfers from other rescue organizations.

The compound was around 1200 m2. It was laid out with 3 dog platforms/gazebos under roofs and some separate enclosures for special cases such as chemo-therapy, post operative R&R, quarantine, geriatrics, puppies etc. One platform was inhabited by mostly male dogs, one with a motley crew, and one with mostly females – they had distributed themselves that way. The whole compound (except for the special enclosures) is an open area where the dogs can freely roam around and get acquainted (or in a fight). But most of the dogs had their preferred hang-out. In the Male-dog fortress there was always something going on – a fight (usually never a serious one), a quarrel, and an argument with lots of howling, growling, and yapping. They were the ones who started the howling concert every time a staff member left the compound. Oh yes, they can distinguish between the different person there – some get a whole concert and some just a cursory “howlette”. It was a very lively place. The same goes for the “Office-block” where there were all kinds of dogs – blind ones, lame ones, some with a missing leg, the Rottweiler, and they were quite rambunctious too. The “Ladies Castle” was at the back and was really quiet and mellow and usually very peaceful, except when an unwanted male dog came to prowl around – the ladies didn’t like that at all – then they would really gang up on him and tell him in no uncertain way that he was NOT wanted there and better hit the road jack.

" width="300" height="225" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-16588" /> Whenever I took a small break from the poop-scoop, like when I came back after having lunch (”kao pat jair” – fried vegetables & rice), at a wonderful little café-place at a petrol station nearby, I always went to their little peaceful haven where I was greeted with open laughing doggie smiles, and I lay down on the top platform and then the dogs would come and lie around me and on top of me having a really good time. They were overwhelmingly sweet. I could well have brought 2 or 3 of them home with me, but I had promised my wife and our own dog to NOT do that. But I did fall in love with one of them. Leaving her again was hard.

Every other week there was an “adoption fair”. That took place at a large shopping mall where we had a stall with a couple of tables with goods for dogs and T-shirts, and a collapsible dog-kennel with a sample of dogs for adoption. It was of course also done to promote the Care for Dogs organization, which relies solely on contributions. It was mostly the puppies that got adopted at these fairs, though.

The Staff, the regular workers at the center, were extremely nice and sweet, and there were of course many other volunteers besides lil’ ol’ me. A fantastic work was being done here. Not one dog was rejected or put down. All the dogs were tended and cared for, they were fed very adequately twice a day, they had a bath at least once a month, and if they got sick they were attended by a veterinarian. All the dogs were (or would be shortly after admission) neutered so they couldn’t make any more street dogs. There were 3-4 blind dogs who managed surprisingly well, and one of these who used to hang around the female castle got to know my voice and also the tread of my feet. She took quite a liking to me. There were also dogs with other ailments – a couple with a missing front leg who were able to get around reasonably well, there was one with a missing lower jaw – yes there were many small tragic cases that might make a tear well up. Sometimes I couldn’t help but wonder if we would have done the same at home. I think some of the more tragic ones would have been euthanized in Denmark – but this was the attitude at the center, that they didn’t euthanize unless it was because of some REALLY SERIOUS circumstances with much pain and no prognosis.

When walking around in Chiang Mai city and in the area as a whole there were of course dogs everywhere, but they weren’t strictly speaking ”street dogs”. They all belonged to somebody or some place. They would lie outside the temples, in front of a shop or workshop, in a family’s driveway, in the yard of an apartment building. But of course not all of them were in good health and fit for fight, so the staff of the center also spent time going around checking on the dogs they saw, offering treatment and neutering as needed, and following up on previous “customers” and adoption families. After treatment the dogs were delivered back to their owners if possible.

" width="300" height="225" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-16587" /> It was a really good place for the dogs – I would say that these dogs are the lucky ones – they have food and water and shelter and companions and people who care about them and love them. What more can a dog want? A little freedom perhaps – but that is of course dangerous what with all the traffic and the danger of being picked up by a dog-meat squad who wants to take them to get slaughtered for their meat. It is forbidden in Thailand but it can still be found and many dogs are caught on the street and freighted to Laos or Vietnam to get slaughtered there. But also in this area have Care for Dogs been active.

As you can see I had a fantastic experience there at the center and in Chiang Mai, and if anyone should want to go to Thailand, which is a wonderful place with beautiful, friendly, and smiling people (I haven’t smiled so much for ages), then consider spending some days with Care for Dogs helping out and talking to a few dogs, instead of just loafing about on the beaches, in temples, or in girly-bars. They will be days well spent I can promise you. And it FREE!!! As opposed to many of the other “volunteer programs” that you can find.

”If dogs run free – why not we – across the swooping plain” – Bob Dylan

PTIS School Visit!

Amandine — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 04:09:14 +0000

Recently, Care for Dogs hosted an educational visit for one of the local schools and over 20 of its’ students! The shelter was buzzing with the sound of happy voices as the students arrived and gathered along to see the work we do at Care for Dogs. At around 10am, the students circled up outside the shelter and prepared their energies to help learn more about street dogs and help actively play a part in dog rescue work!

After an introduction by Fred (a long-term volunteer and multiple time adopter!) and Amandine (co-founder and multiple time adopter!) regarding the shelter, the street dogs, and the importance of sterilizations and vaccinations, the students gathered up in mini groups and rolled up their sleeves and prepared to start the day!

The students came along with a group of tiny puppies, recently rescued from a nearby temple, whom Care for Dogs had agreed to keep at our shelter in the hopes of finding homes for them. So our first activity of the day was to start with vaccinating the puppies (some of the students had to look away as others gathered up the courage to give the shots!) and placing them in our lovely quarantine area (to observe them for a while to make sure they didn’t come in with any illnesses before placing them with the rest of the dogs). The students were so in love with the puppies that it was hard for them to let the puppies go! But our Shelter Manager, Ann, and our Thai staff reassured them that the puppies were in good hands and encouraged the students to come by, in the future, for happy visits with the pups.

After the students had placed the puppies in their new kennel, they laughed and giggled as they took turns washing bowls, blankets, dog beds and shampooing the dogs out in the main area with our volunteers Irene, Julia, and Hanna. Some of the students took dogs for a long run which both human and doggies seemed to enjoy a great deal! At one point, one of the dogs was pulling on the leash so hard, it was hard to know who was walking who

The students showed particular interest in the work that was done in the surgery room and were amazed at the boards we had up that showed pictures of rescued animals when they’d arrived at the shelter in poor condition matched with pictures of how they had looked after receiving love, affection, and medical care. The students went around the shelter, each group accompanied by one of our volunteers, and asked lots of questions regarding the dogs, where they came from, how they were rescued, and what they were suffering from (ie: severe mange, TVT, cancer, fractures, etc). They seemed to inherently understand that these dogs deserved compassion. Though the students first seemed cautious around the dogs, they started petting and kissing them as they saw what incredible creatures they were.

After a long day, lots of rescue stories, and some dirty work, the students gathered up again outside the shelter to regroup. Each student seemed to have found at least one “special” doggy they’d really bonded with. As we watched the students wave goodbye out of their school van windows, the volunteers and staff felt a warm glow of recognition that there had been lots of lessons learned today.

Written by Amandine Lecesne and Irene Rawles