By Lynley Capon


CHIANG MAI, Thailand – Three years ago, I lived in a district where many street dogs lingered near the food vendors. Some dogs I knew then have died from disease or due to mishaps with cars on the busy road.

I enjoyed knowing a puppy named Hero, who has survived. Once a cute, white ball of fur, he matured into a gentle, extra-friendly chap prone to misadventures.

A year ago, I noticed him ailing and with bleeding from his penis. At first, I blamed trauma because he’d been hit by a car. But otherwise, the accident hadn’t seemed to trouble him.

As time passed, he developed ugly tumors that began to burst and smell terribly. Together with a friend who also appreciated Hero, I decided to contact a dog-rescue centre. After a few tries, we spoke to a group called Care for Dogs. Within an hour, a member arrived to pick up Hero and take him for treatment.

A few hours later, Sarah from Care for Dogs phoned to say that Hero had a sexually transmitted disease called TVT (Transmissable Venereal Tumor). The tumors and bleeding penis were symptoms. Sarah suggested keeping Hero in a safe place for two months while treating him with injections to kill the disease.

But Hero detested confinement. His cries and complaints upset the other dogs. Sarah had to return him to the streets, but she developed a good plan. Each week she picked up Hero, took him to a vet for a shot and dropped him off again. Now, three months later, Hero has recovered almost fully. Only one small tumor remains. Interestingly, our concern for Hero spurred the local people where he hangs out to care for him too. He even receives regular baths.

Since beginning in 2006, Care for Dogs has done wonderful work. A German woman, Karin Hawelka, and her French friend, Amandine Lecesne, formed the organization and transformed an area beside Karin's lovely home into a dog sanctuary. They have several volunteer workers.

I met with volunteers Sarah and Gill, who showed me around and introduced me to the many dogs. Typically, Care for Dogs has 70-80 resident canines at a time. Judging by the success rate so far, about 200 per year can find new homes, adopted by visitors to the shelter.

The volunteers told me many of the dogs’ stories, all with sad beginnings but often happy endings, thanks to timely care. For example, Misha, a victim of abuse and abandonment barely recognizable as a dog, entered care in November 2006. Her condition improved amazingly. She still has a tumor on a back leg, but it’s benign. Surgery to remove it isn’t worth the risk of infection.

Judy, a gentle dog, suffers quietly with heart problems and cancer. Cow Ai is a beautiful female. Someone decided to sterilise her by operating through her side and then sewing her up with fish gut. Petra survived poisoning, but has terrible epileptic fits that prompt the other dogs to bay frantically and rush to her side.

In a terrible case, Kazim entered the shelter with TVT and a burst tumor that had left his back painfully raw. Another tumor had invaded an eye socket, leaving him half-blind. With care and medicine, he’s recovering.

Some animals arrive with distemper. If treated in time, they can recuperate. Unfortunately, one dog, little Nan Fon, shook visibly when I saw her, and her death loomed. Once enduring spasms and chattering teeth, they’re beyond curing. Another dog, Licorice, had better luck. She survived and revived.

The list continues. Hit by a motorbike, Paul has paralysed back legs. Gill regularly massages his legs, and he exercises in a bath too. At the moment, he gets around deftly, dragging his hindquarters, which are covered to prevent abrasions.

Enclosures at the shelter serve different purposes. One is for puppies awaiting adoption. Human visitors get to see the cute puppies first. A litter romping about when I visited had been left, starving and covered in faeces, on the doorstep in a closed box. They soon attracted helpful attention from Gi, a resident dog with motherly instincts who has had several surgeries for a hernia.

A second enclosure houses nursing mums and dogs recovering from surgery. Three more enclosures shelter dogs with assorted conditions. Yet another keeps dogs in quarantine.

Several quarantined animals were adjusting from past distresses. Thanks to a tip-off, Care For Dogs had found 15 canines at a property where they’d lived all day, every day, caged separately in a dark room. Still learning about light and space, the animals remained wary of people. One still hid under a platform in a dark corner.

Care for Dogs strives to work in conjunction with the temples. If Thai people don’t want their dogs anymore, they tend to leave them at the “wats”. Sometimes the animals are fed and sheltered, but maybe not if the monks aren’t keen on dogs.

The volunteers at Care for Dogs liaise with some temples, treating dogs on site or taking them to the shelter for sterilization. A school at one temple has raised money for Care for Dogs, which then performs education programs, teaching people how to care for pets.

I enjoyed watching the dogs interact with each other – the baiting, affection, assertions by the “top” dog” and clamoring if any dog felt distress.

At various moments, Gill, Sarah and I all shed tears, sometimes because dogs left for the temples where they’d been picked up, or because some suffered. Seeing the dogs cared for and loved stirred emotions too.

Care for Dogs needs volunteers and funding. We paid for Hero’s treatment by donation. As I visited, an American family arrived to contribute big bags of dog food.

In fact, Care for Dogs just scratches the surface when it comes to assisting Chiang Mai’s neglected and abused dogs. My canine friend, Hero, carries a noble name, but the real heroes are these people helping so much with limited space and resources.

For more information: www.carefordogs.org or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ1F81apioQ


Gill massages Paul's paralysed rear legs.


Trembling, little Nan Fon confronts early death.


A Thai woman embraces a canine friend.


Napping puppies await adoption.

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