A Dog Day Afternoon

Last night my son received a phone call from his friend Pam. She had found an abandoned, injured puppy, and had brought it home with her. She was asking for his help.

The puppy’s right front leg looked broken and was raw in two places from dragging herself around. Pam already has two dogs, both of them rescued dogs. She was asking Sean if he could pick up the puppy, take it to the Vet, and then deliver the dog to Care for Dogs so it would have a chance to find a good home.

Care for Dogs is a local animal rescue organization run by volunteers. Living in Thailand, if you are an animal lover, you are bound to be moved by the sad condition many animals endure. There are many street dogs here, starving for food, shelter, and affection. Even the dogs that have homes here are subject to abuse.

My son had mentioned to me before the possibility of volunteering at Care for Dogs. It is on my agenda, but I haven’t become involved with them yet.

Care for Dogs has the most appropriate motto I have ever been moved by, “Saving one dog won’t change the world, but surely the world will change for that one dog”.

When you visit their website check out the cute little dog on their logo. But don’t get any ideas about her, because we have already adopted her!

I can attest to their motto, Coco came to our home 6 months ago, skittish and shy, and very guarded. Today she is a loving, happy and well content dog. Her world has definitely changed. As well as ours! She brings so much love, laughter and joy to our lives.

Back to the puppy. My son gladly agreed to help. We went over to Pam’s, and picked up her injured puppy. The puppy was very scared, and obviously in pain. We drove the puppy to the Vet, her leg was x-rayed, and fortunately her leg was not broken. The Vet cleaned up her wounds, bandaged them, and gave her a shot of antibiotics, sent us home with more antibiotic pills, and instructions to bring her back in 3 days. The total Vet bill, including x-rays, was $21.00.

We brought her home with us. She was the cutest, most trusting little puppy. If we didn’t have two other big dogs already, she may have found a home with us. Our 9 month old Golden lab would be too rambunctious around her, we were afraid.

Our plans to take her to Care for Dogs never materialized though. One of our neighbors had been dog sitting for a friend, and after the friend picked up their dog, they were missing having a dog around. Sean asked them if they would like this puppy, and they were very excited and happy to take the puppy home.

A happy ending to a sad beginning. I am even more motivated to get involved with Care for Dogs now than I was before. I can see the difference helping one dog at a time can make in that dogs life. I plan on spending time helping out with the dogs they have waiting for homes, I hope to get many photos to help find new homes for these needy animals, and I plan on donating money to help feed these animals, also hope to help with their fund raising efforts.

If you are a dog lover, who would like to contribute in a small way to make a meaningful difference in the life of one dog at a time, check out their website. Care for Dogs is doing a wonderful job, not at just feeding and finding homes for needy dogs, but providing medical care, vaccinations, and spaying services to help control the future overpopulation of dogs in Thailand.

The great thing about Thailand, is your dollar goes so far. A $5.00 donation equals 150 Baht, and which would greatly help. Visit their website to learn more about this caring group of individuals who are doing so much good for the animal population in Chiang Mai.