Some other dogs we met today

First of all today's photogenic dog award goes to Wan. She just needed to cool down!

Today I had the pleasure of meeting up with Amandine who has just flown from the USA for a 2 month holiday to work hands on with Care for Dogs.

Amandine founded Care for Dogs with Karin a year ago and is currently working & studying veterinary practice in America whilst at the same time trying to raise funds and awareness of our efforts to help the dogs here in Thailand.

We visited a temple in the city where we have been helping the health of the dogs there, vaccinating, feeding and dealing with some TvT cases. Amandine set about taking ticks off as many dogs that would allow her, much to the amazement of the school children who were fascinated that foreigners would get down on their hands and knees and de-tick so many dogs.

We saw the deteriorating state of some pups that were born about a month ago. More worrying, are that 4 more pups have been born there this week. This is so sad. A month ago we rescued a pregnant dog from here back to the shelter & she too has now had her litter at the shelter. This temple has been in need of help for so long. Lets hope we can now make a difference and sterilise all the females as soon as possible.

Our next stop was to check on a couple of dogs Amandine had helped when she was last here. We called in at Big C & met Valentino ( along with his friend Diane). Unfortunately his condition has deteriorated and the mange that plagued him before has returned. Amandine gave him some mackerel & Ivomec and made a deal with him, that if he took the medicine, she would visit him regularly to give him the mackerel.

Next we visited a temple near to Big C, Wat Don Chan. This was the site of an awful massacre of many dogs about 2 years ago, when the labourers killed, bar-b-q'd the dogs and left their heads for all to see. Apparently the number killed was thought to be well over 20. Today we found a few dogs there. A couple in a bad condition with Mange and a monk who wanted his pet Tshizoo vaccinated.

After giving appropriate medication and making another promise to return regularly, we made our way to Wat Doi Kam. I haven't mention the situation here recently, mainly because I have become so upset by the treatment the dogs were receiving by the monks and staff there but also because the numbers of dogs had dwindled away from 15 in February this year to 3 last month. Then out of the blue, some of the dogs that I feared killed or otherwise missing returned. The Doi Kam Pack has now reduced to 11 but this is made up of 4 new faces. Nik & Nak are 2 little cuties dumped about 4 weeks ago. They are obviously from a family environment and are quite affectionate. They have short legs, smooth brown coats and very kissable heads. 1 is female, so we shall sterilise her but today we took both of them to the shelter in a hope that someone might like to adopt them.

Whilst at the temple, we tried ( & failed !!) to blow dart a female that had now finished nursing her single remaining pup. Never did know how many she had, she hid them in the forest and only recently has the scrawny female pup ventured out for food along with her mum. Hopefully we can catch them both soon.

Weekly feed at Wat Doi Kam

I went with very low expectations and I was not disappointed.

After finding Oscar trotting up the mountain road towards the temple, about half a kilo away, I slowly drove to the car park and gave him lots of cuddles when we arrived there. I fed him 2 bowls of food, gave him some chews and also a bowl of clean water.

Just when I thought he was the only one I would see today, along came Sonja.

Totally disheartened and feeling angry again, I walked to the temple cooking area with a new large bag of dry food. The freshly opened bag, mentioned in last weeks visit, was completely gone and there was also a lack of evidence of feeding in trays & bowls scattered around at the rear of the monks store & toilets. I left the food in a conspicuous place and without finding any human to talk to about the feeding during the week, I left.

Back in the car park I found Butch lurking in the shadows and also Dam. He was very docile and especially around Oscar. Finally Mare turned up and polished off a couple of bowls of food. The new bumper pack of chocolate flavoured chews were nearly gone on these five. They were ravenous.

After satisfying their hunger I packed up and drove down the mountain and had a wonderful surprise to find Gina. She was skulking behind some trees in the forest and only came down to feed when I got back in the car.

So the 2nd poor creature to victim to the love of all living things, at a place where it is meant to be more respected than anywhere else, is likely to be either Pat, or her Mother, Lady.

I close with more rubbish.

Weekly feed at Wat Doi Kam

Not a good day.

First of all I went to the car park to feed the residents, had a big bucket of food along with bowls, water and chews for a crunchy desert.

Along came Oscar looking forlorn and Mare came too. Butch stood back and the 3 of them ate a few bowls each. After quite some time Taylor turned up.

I walked to the temple and when I greeted the Pepsi stall holder, she just lowered her eyes. I went inside the temple square and looked at the bag of food I brought 4 weeks ago. It had only just been opened. I asked the women, that are now appearing to be regularly cooking up something in the kitchen area but I not sure for who, if they had seen any other dogs around? I was greeted with an emotional outburst that I finally understood to say that 2 dogs had died. I asked which ones & how she knew and she said they had not eaten and starved to death. She said that Sandy and another Black & White dog had died. So that tells me that either Lady, Pat or Gina have died.

I asked if she fed them during the week? She said she cooked them rice and vegetables. I asked her if she mixed the dry dog food I brought to their kitchen a month ago. She said she thought her cooking was better than that food. I bit my tongue a little and tried to explain about vitamins and protein. I also attempted to explain about dominant & submissive behaviour ( in dogs!!) but I fear it was all wasted. I just cannot get the Thai words that I know to actually say what I want to communicate.

I returned to the car park and found Sonja & Dam chasing chickens (protein) and after another half hour of waiting for other dogs to come out into the open, I packed up and drove away feeling very sad and wanting to scream so loud but not sure at who.

Here are just a few suggestions -

• people that dumped the dogs here in the first place


• folks that come and go, not thinking twice about these poor souls


• the staff at the temple


• the powers that be, for failing to establish an acceptable level of animal welfare


• myself for not finding time every day to come to this temple


• the majority of the population of Chiang Mai for not helping dogs here at the temple, or for that matter throughout Chiang Mai


• the majority of the population of Thailand for not helping dogs throughout Thailand


• me, for ........ there must be something I could have done

I will finish this days diary entry with a few pics of the car park at Wat Doi Kam, some, just some ( 1% of the visible total) of the rubbish, the remains of fires that are just adding to the smog and a very disturbing sight.

This rubbish bin must have contained something in the way of food for the dogs to have clawed it so much. Do they raid this bin in a hope that their next and maybe last meal will be inside ? I make no apologies for writing such sadness.

Weekly feed at Wat Doi Kam

Arrived at 08:00 and found Taylor, Gina, Blackie & Pat, half way down the mountain on the road, wandering in & out of the forest. Stopped and fed them but Pat & Blackie didn't come to a bowl.

Continued on up to the temple and found Oscar, Lady, Sonja, Dam, Butch & Sandy. No sign of Mare, let alone her pups.
And today I included a few bones in the cooking of the food. Butch really enjoyed his. Its so wonderful to watch them prioritise their eating. First they will take bones from the bowl, then the meat and after that, anything else thats left.

From the amount of food they ate, their skinny ribs protruding and the fact that the bag of food I took last week is still unopened in the monks kitchen area, it is obvious these poor guys are starving and desperate for food. This explains the pack wandering down the mountain.

The boys the temple has employed to tidy the place up have been continually burning the undergrowth, along with the massive piles of plastic bottles, bags and temple waste. In most parts of the forest / road approach there is no greenery, little to no brown either, just black burnt undergrowth. At the rear of the temple there are still mounds of rubbish so the burning will go on for some time.

Fires are burning along road sides and in forest in this area and throughout Chiang Mai, at night, the mountains have red lines up and across them where the flames continue to burn through the forests. By day, there is a foggy air throughout the region from the smoke.

Not a good day - Poisoning Planned!!

Its Friday, so I visited the Doi Kam Pack for a weekly feed. Saw & fed most of them and sat drinking coffee listening to the birds (Banded Bay Cuckoo & Jays) & watching Dam & Sonja play.

1. Sonja


2. Dam


3. Oscar


4. Taylor


5. Gina


6. Lady


7. Pat


8. Blackie


9. Butch


10. Mare (had the babies & teats now saggy)
    

Met up with Yu at Nakorn Payap International School to deliver to her some more soft toys for sale and then quickly returned to the shelter.

BAD NEWS! JJ climbed over the shelter gate this morning and is now on the run. He is wearing a plastic collar after his operation to stop him licking his wound. This collar is strapped on very well and is unlikely to just fall off. This makes his chances in the wild much harder and we can assume from his passive nature, he will not mix easily with any local packs of dogs, that would defend their territory and push him away.

Kh Yom & Paen were out on foot & motorbike searching for him most of the day and I drove in ever increasing circles looking too. Mary came to the shelter today, especially to see JJ and to her total surprise, he was not there to eat the bag of cooked meet and hot dogs she had brought along.

The reason Karin was not around today was that she was over at Maejo, Wat Vivek & Gasset Mai, doing her weekly feed of the dogs there. As I write this I received a call from her and I am still numb from what she has told me.

She visits Kachou market every week on her journey to Maejo and today she learned that in that area the local Orbitor (elected governor) is planning a street dog cull. Yes PLANNING ! It is said they have asked local residents to keep their own dogs in on a particular date and the local authorities will put poisoned meat down for the street dogs to eat, in order to kill the dogs.

Karin has spent much of her day talking with local people, talking with an animal friendly solicitor and trying to assess the numbers that are likely to be affected by this barbaric action.

Karin has been actively sterilising the dogs in this area for almost a year now and we are continuing to include dogs from this area every week in our program. Does this mean that despite sterilisation, these dogs will be killed? Do these people not understand that if you kill strays, more just move in to populate the same area, where as if you sterilise, the numbers reduce and there is not an influx of new dogs.

This is very bad news for Thailand, Chiang Mai, Dogs & Humanity

Weekly feed atWat Doi Kam

Up early today to mix the food for the Doi Kam Pack. The recipe I prefer is 1kg of mince pork, simmered in water with plenty of garlic, a little chilli & tumeric for smell, look & flavour, approx half a kg of mixed veg and then when cooked through, add 2 kg of cooked rice (slightly dry, not sticky or wet) and then approx 2 kg of dry dog food, all mixed in a big bucket.

Today I managed to feed Oscar,Butch, Dam, Sonja, Taylor,Gina, Pat, & Blackie but Lady didn't eat despite showing herself from the forest. After the others had finished, the female who last time I thought was pregnant, turned up, looking very thin with swollen teats. She has had the babies! They must be in the forest being hidden away by the mother. If they do not get to the shelter soon, they will grow up wild and scared of people and just add to the numbers. If they get to the shelter soon, maybe there will be a chance of socialisation and then adoption.

John joined me for the feed this morning and it was good to sit & chat and drink coffee. It was also good for me to spot a few birds and listen to them singing. (Blue throated Barbet, Eurasian Jay, Asian barred Owlet, White throated Laughingthrush, , White collard starling, Hill blue flycatcher, to name a few)

Delivered a new bag of dry food to the monks for feeding during the week.

Met up with Karin and visited a new Dog Behaviourist who is starting up business in Mae Rim. They have agreed to take a dog,Sammy, from the shelter and train him for 2 months free of charge, in the hope that this might increase his chances of adoption. Very impressed with the facilities we saw and the competance of the trainer.

Had lunch with Ann & Tameer, 2 other volunteers and discussed some of the cases we have at the shelter and how they might be able to improve their health using healing energy.

In the afternoon Karin & I visited a sick American man who was confined to his bed. His wife who passed away not long ago, had kept 5 dogs at the house and he now wanted to find altternative homes for them, especially as he was returning to the states in April this year.

All 5 are mature adults, one of them has 3 legs, another is a bit angry at life in general and stands back from the others. Another male loose in the garden was just a lovely natured street dog. There were also 2 females, one loose in the garden and the other, constantly tethered by a chain at the back of the house as apparently the 2 females would otherwise fight. This chained dog was a sorry sight and it was obvious that she was extremely scared and abused.

The man said he wanted to get rid of the 4 loose dogs as soon as possible but the chained one, he would like his housekeeper to take to her home.

Personally I wanted to take the chained one away there & then but then what about finding the poor thing another home. Maybe the housekeeper might free the dog at her home? As for the other 4, maybe someone will answer our advertisements and we can put them in touch with these for adoption? ( I can but hope!)

Weekly Feed at Wat Doi Kam

Tried to catch the TvT bitch on the way to the temple this morning but the other male dogs kept getting between me & her and I could not get near her. Keep trying ......

Felt bad when I got to the temple. Only saw Sonja and Dam. But after a lot of calling and whistling, a few more turned up for a decent meal.

Today I managed to see

1. Sonja - Feet much better for the rest at the shelter 2 weeks ago.


2. Dam - Bully boy


3. Oscar - Gentle old boy but definatly the boss


4. Gina


5. Pat


6. Taylor - Mange getting worse


7. Blackie - Limping on her front left paw (can't get near her)


8. Butch - So sad ( I just want to give him a big hug)

Where have the others gone? There were 15 here a month ago. Kam & Sandy are at the shelter right now but that still means that another 5 are out there somewhere.

Elephant Bill

Teresa joined me again today for the weekly feed at Doi Kam. A few of the pack were there to see us and get fed.

On the way up & back down, stopped to try to catch the TvT female around Royal Flora. Still the males got in the way but she did get some food from us. Called her Daeng.

The growth of the tumour is about the size of grapefruit and is bloody and a vet has told me, very painful.

Visited shelter to collect Jack, Misha and Patchok for their 1st Heartworm jabs at the vet today and to our surprise, Kam had given birth to her pups overnight. She was proudly feeding them, laying under one of the salas and all 6 looked healthy.





Today Karin, Teresa & I took the Heartworm cases to the vet and then went to Lamphun to perform a follow up visit on an adoption.

We eventually found the address, despite the adopters attempts to put us off we felt, and to our total disbelief, found a puppy that had 1 month previously been happy go lucky and was now very scared and frightened of any one touching it. It was in a cage and when the people took it out, it was firmly held and not allowed to play naturally. Furthermore, it just stayed in one spot, not inquisitive, seeking play toys or making friends. Momo bit me when I tried to touch him and his eyes spoke volumes. We told the adopters we were not happy and removed the puppy from the home.

We then went to the Lampang Elephant Reserve and looked for a dog that a kind person in America told us about. Apparently the dog 'Bill' had been kicked in the head 2 years ago by an Elephant and today, wandered about the reserve in a sad state. After a very protracted exercise, we managed to catch Bill using a tasty sandwhich laced with Sedaline sedative. Strong doggy, walked for ages after eating it but finally gave up after being surrounded by some of the reserves vetenary team.

We took Bill to our local vet and found that she had no movement in her jaw and could only lick through one side of her mouth where there was a gap in her teeth. The other teeth were badly infected and caked with debris, much of it was Elephant poo and the vet removed twigs, stones and so much rotting material that made the air in the clinic putrid. It would appear that she found poo was nutricious and soft, whats more, readily available!

Blood tests were carried out too and apart from her obvious poor diet and therefore low blood count, she has a clean bill of health. She seemed to have been previously sterilised too.

Took Bill back to the shelter and gave her a thorough clean & spray to remove the lice, flea and tick infestation. She smelt a lot better already.

Weekly Feed at Wat Doi Kam

Teresa joined me today for the feed. I think she fell in love with Butch and says she has a personal mission to fatten him up and get him to come to her. (Good luck Teresa :) )

Only half the pack here again today. Where are they?

It was great to have company with me to distract Dam, the dominant male, while the submissive ones got a feed with me, rather than just mopping up scaps after I have emptied the bowls on the carpark floor and drive away. I know this sounds terrible but thats the reality of the situation.

In November 2006 Royal Flora opened and this place (Wat Doi Kam) just went crazy. Stalls selling stuff like gardening equipment, dried fruits, bamboo flutes & cd's and a whole range of other 2 minute wonders. The car park became a dusty rubbish dump and instead of 2 cars a day, there were around 1000. Rubbish at this temple has always been a problem, the staff just sweep it over the edge into the forest. But now, it is beyond words.

This week Royal Flora closed after its initial 3 months and maybe the pack at Doi Kam can get back to a routine like they had before November.

Noticed Sonja limping today and when I lifted her in my arms I saw why. each foot had at least one pad with the skin hanging off and raw flesh exposed to the ground. I took her back to the shelter after a vet trip, to have some R&R with daily dressings and a good feed.

Also took Sandy to the shelter for sterilisation. This little dog had been dumped at the temple about 2 weeks ago and just sat around the car park looking at each car that came, just in case it was her family coming back to collect her. She had lost weight and was not joining the pack.



In the afternoon, went to Winag Kum Kam to see BuunLai and Kh Chom the hairdresser. He asked me to visit a neighbour, who had a dog with a problem. Lucky is a dog they found wandering on a petrol station forecourt a year ago and thought it was a St Bernard puppy. The picture says it all. Poor thing cannot see, his nose is severely bruised from bumping into things. The vet diagnosed Glaucoma and prescribed some drops. He said the current meds the owners had from another vet were not to treat the same condition and wondered why ? He said to check results in 2 weeks after using the new drops. The vet also agreed with me that the dog may be Albino as the skin in his mouth, ears, eyes & nose were extremely pink. This the vet suggested could indicate that there were more issues awaiting to arise. I informed the owner of the diagnosis and I will visit him in 2 weeks to see Lucky.

Weekly feed at Wat Doi Kam

This is amazing. Been trying to get Kam to take food from my hand since starting these feeds 2 months ago without any sucess what so ever.

I have been sceming about how I could catch her and get her sterilised.

Horror ! Today she walks up to me and literally jumps into my arms. Her teats are enlarged and her tummy too. Her mood is friendly and she is definately pregnant.

The rest of the pack are here and enjoying the quieter times after Royal Flora.

Weekly feed at Wat Doi Kam

Brrrrrrr the cold is making the mornings hard for the dogs here and I really wish I could come every day.

I arrived at 8am and it is well after 9 before any of the pack arrive out of the forest.

The litter around the dusty car park is now sickening to see. For the past few weeks I have been taking a black sack home with me for the regular rubbish collections there. Today I take a large polystyrene box and 2 dumped colostomy bags as well.

Gina, Lady & Pat return home

After a tragic ordeal at the shelter, both mothers losing all their babies (except for 1 Molly), today Gina, Lady and Pat return to Doi Kam to join the rest of their family and pack.

It was a very rewarding time and the reunion was quite emotional for everyone.

All the pack came to meet the 3 and rubbed noses, bowed in a display of affection and they ran to cover the entire area, demonstrating how much they missed their freedom.

Wat Doi Kam

Met up with John, one of the other volunteers and we sat in the carpark drinking coffee, listening to Treepies, Laughing Thrush and Barbets, generally watching the dogs and enjoying the fresh and natural jungle environment.

We had gone along to see the dogs and maybe talk with the monk about feeding the dogs using the dry food that John was delivering from Care for Dogs.






Kam would not come within 2 metres of us. John showed me how he would try to encourage Kam to come near him and we schemed how we might catch her. Nets, traps, bait & maybe asking a local vet to come along with a blow dart and catch her that way. We just want to sterilise her before its too late.




I vowed to come here more often and get closer to the Doi Kam Pack and help John to keep these creatures as healthy as possible.


Noticed that Dam was limping. had a bald patch around one eye and his willy had a lump at the base of it, larger than we had seen before. Took him to the vet and found that the eye was due to a fight injury, the limp was not seen at the vets (attention seeking ?) and the lump was because he was because he was excited to see us!!! How embarrassing for us so called doggy experts!still, it gave him a change of scenary for the afternoon!