Paul - Update

Gill & I visited volunteer Sarah's home where we met up with Paul who has been given reprieve from the pressure at the shelter.

I say "pressure" as he would get picked on by other mobile dogs and boys being boys, he would get into everything and that didn't bode well for his dragging limbs, wound sores being scrapped on stone and exacerbated. He would be kept separately & quietly as much as possible but sometimes he would just be in the middle of a fight and could not escape.

We found him in the bushes, keeping cool and a little hesitant at first. Sarahs home will provide him with a quiet refuge and somewhere to rest up, without fear of attack or deprivation of food.

After a few cuddles from Gill, he soon relaxed and settled with the attention from a couple of other guests we had along, a couple of NZ vets on their holidays here. One of them an orthopedic specialist, gave Paul a work over and suggested that all is not lost and that with care and proper physio, he might just be able to use 1 if not both of his back legs.

Gill immediately pledged to attend Paul as much as possible, giving his limbs necessary exercise and massage, to encourage muscle development. Worryingly, Sarah suggested that she would observe his development over the next 2 weeks and if there was no improvement, Cfd would need to reconsider his future. - Did I say no pressure here?

September 2007 at the Shelter - Chiang Mai Thailand

Stopped by the shelter today to pick up Sarah and took a few pics of the inmates!

And folks think the UK is an advanced civilisation...

Ten men have been found guilty and a further 16 have admitted involvement in what the RSPCA says is one of the largest dog fights it has uncovered.

In a video shown to the jury squeals of pain could be heard and phrases such as "shake him" and "come on boy" as the dogs bit each other. Read more...

Wat Kao Kwai - Chiang Rai

Visited a Wat in Chiang Rai and happened across some lucky guys being cared for by the nuns at the temple. Lunch had just finished & the nuns were giving the left overs to the quiet healthy looking residents at the temple. Some of the dogs looked old, which to me indicates they have possibly been there a long time and doing ok by the nuns. It was also refreshing not to see any young pups.

If only all temples were like this, where the monks and nuns actually gave food to the dogs & cats, rather than just letting them scavenge the waste bins and remain afraid of human contact.

Update for Nola - Nudee in Rama IX park Chiang Mai Thailand

Recently I visited Rama IX park to catch up with an old friend, Nudee.

I was astonished how fine his coat is and his head is not hanging to one side. His willy is still clear of TvT and he is running round like a youngster!! Wow!

Could it be to do with his new mate? I called him Buster, cos he has that sort of look about him.

Buster has got a bad case of Cherry Eye and he has a smart set of teeth to go with it!

The food vendors are happy to feed the homeless dogs here occasionally and I thing Nudee & Buster are the favourites, from their healthy waist lines.

I will be checking back on them again soon, as I like to keep Nola in the picture about one of her extended family. Check out her writings and work with dogs here

Care for Dogs shelter

Today I visited the shelter for the first time in a couple of weeks.

I was welcomed by the residents and pleased to see so many happy & playful characters. Some I recognised and I talked with them and cuddled those I was close to and introduced myself to many new additions, in for treatment or just hanging out becuase they have no where else to go.

The slide show below shows some of the familiar faces but there are many more pups & adults living there, waiting to find an adoptive home.

Teddy go home - Lost dog in Southampton UK

Just been reading about a lost dog in Southampton, England on a linked blog to this diary.

Teddy it seems was spooked by another dog whilst out walking and has been on the lam for a few days and my heart reaches out to the family & to Teddy, who are all very anxious.

The wonderful thing is, at this website where lost dogs can be reported, there is a forum that people can report sightings and keep up to date with the progress of the search.

Now isn't that a great idea!

Injured dog at Maesai Border

Amandine recently visited the border crossing area between Thailand & Burma. In amongst the people dashing to & fro between border controls, the throng of chestnut sellers and the typical sales chaos at these places, she saw an extremely sad dog.

The wound in his side is clearly made from a sharp weapon ( unless he ran through a plate glass window - I don't think so !) and the flesh remains exposed.

Amandine tried hard to tempt him towards capture, in order that she might at least get him to a vet but no one else she asked to help her was interested in the situation and the dog finally got nervous & wandered away from her sight.

As I write this, I have no idea as to whether the dog is still alive.

Typical Care for Dogs Temple Visit Pics

This slide show is fairly representative of visits to Temples by the volunteers of Care for Dogs.

Once again, Amandine's 'eye' for the shot make the photo's that much more special.

Most of these pics are from Wat Than Tham which is situated in a small village at the southern end of the Airport runway and others are from Wat Don Chan.

The elderly lady seen here, is a caring soul. Every day, she feeds more than a dozen dogs in her home and then makes sure approximately 20 dogs living within the temple complex across the street from her, get their feed too.