A Crisis Looming For Rescued Dogs In Thailand (from Soi Dog)

A few weeks ago I wrote to you about the emergency situation at the government shelters housing dogs rescued from the illegal dog meat trade. With over 1,000 dogs rescued from smugglers the situation with overcrowding at government shelters and the need to build more shelter for the dogs has reached crisis proportions.

I would like to express my thanks to the many people who have responded to the current crisis. Though we still have a long way to go in raising much needed funds the outpouring of generosity has been heart warming!

Some great news: A long time benefactor of Soi Dog wrote to me a few days ago offering to match your donation towards helping the dogs rescued from the dog meat trade up to $10,000! What this means is that all further donations towards the sheltering of these dogs is doubled!

Construction has started on the first of the new shelters at the Buriram facility with the concrete base laid and proper drainage installed. It is anticipated that construction of this, the first of nine planned shelters will be completed within one month, relieving the immediate serious overcrowding at the Nakhon Phanom shelter thus making it possible to rescue more dogs.

However, we move seemingly from one crisis to another. The director of the Department of Livestock who is in charge of all the centers where rescued dogs are kept telephoned me late yesterday evening informing me that the public fund set up in August 2011 for running the provincial shelter at Nakhon Phanom, has been exhausted. This means that there will be no veterinarians to provide medical care for new dogs arriving and no funds available to feed the dogs!

I wrote earlier this month telling you the story of Nakhon, Phanom and Bo all three, victims of the dog meat trade, their limbs snapped off when smugglers slammed cages together on the back of the trucks. Please take a moment to watch this inspiring video of their story…

Nakon & Phanom’s little friend Bo is still at the shelter in Nakhon Phanom recovering from distemper. Once well enough Bo will be coming to Soi Dog.

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Nakhon and Phanom have already arrived at Soi Dog�s shelter (pictured above) and will soon be leaving us on their onwards journey to forever homes. Nakhon, Phanom and Bo would certainly be dead by now had they not received immediate care from the veterinarians at Nakhon Phanom. Without your support other dogs will not be so lucky.

What can be done to address the issue of caring for the dogs who arrive at the Nakhon Phanom shelter?…

Soi Dog is holding urgent discussions with the director of the Department of Livestock regarding future plans to care for rescued dogs. It makes sense to build the additional shelters at Buriram and have all the dogs in one place to make best use of what resources the Department of Livestock have. Buriram is only 4 hours drive from Bangkok making it more accessible and easier to get dogs adopted.

The other shelters at Khemmarat and Nakhon Phanom are around 11 hours drive from Bangkok. However, being close to the smuggler’s routes it makes Nakhon Phanom the ideal location for receiving newly rescued dogs for quarantine, vaccination and treatment of injuries before being moved to Buriram.

But without your support these dogs will have nowhere to turn!�Your support is needed now�to help build the shelters so that more dogs can be saved. But�only the first ten thousand dollars raised can be matched, so please give now to make sure your gift is doubled. Your donation of $100/�75 will double and provide 8 square meters of shelter for rescued dogs, a generous donation of $200/�150 will double and provide 16 square meters.

Only you can stop the dog meat trade. Just last week the Governor of Bueng Khan province called on the authorities there to stop the trade after we presented evidence of bribes given by the traders to allow the trade to continue. We will continue to put pressure on the government to act but need your support to do so.

Each�of the 9 shelters will cost approximately 1 million Thai Baht (34,000 US dollars) to build.