All photos via Soi Dogs:

Do you believe in miracles?

Above – Miracle, now happily living in beautiful Scotland. A world away, Miracle faced a much different fate. Many dogs like Miracle have fallen victim to the dog meat trade, snatched from the streets or from their homes only to face a certain slow and painful death.

The photo below was taken of Miracle when he and over one thousand other dogs were rescued. Because of our undercover agents investigations Miracle was saved. The generous donations of people like you fund these investigations. Only with your help will other dogs be as lucky as Miracle. Please donate today so that this evil trade is stopped!

I think Miracle’s photos sum it up why Soi Dog Foundation is determined to end this inhumane practice . Our undercover teams, operating as Watchdog Thailand are quite literally risking their lives in exposing and bringing to justice the people who profit from this misery. Sadly one of the team recently died, following a raid on the makeshift dog skinning camp pictured below.

Considerable progress continues to be made in ending the export of live dogs to Vietnam, but the local slaughter of dogs continues with at least 100,000 per year being killed for their skins alone. How many are being killed for his or her meat is anybody’s guess.

Just recently butchers in Nong Kai and Bueng Kan were arrested and their houses of death shut down. Raids have also been made on tanneries where dog skins are processed for making leather goods such as golf gloves.

Here is the face of one butcher recently arrested after a sting operation by undercover agents from Laos. He admitted to killing 5 or 6 dogs per day – nearly 2,000 dogs per year! There are many such butchers in the region. We were able to save the dogs awaiting slaughter. Sadly, one was a feeding mother and with no idea where she was from can only fear the worst for her puppies.

These dogs are now at a temporary shelter recovering, and will soon be moved to a permanent shelter built by Soi Dog’s supporters. They will join the approximately 2,000 other victims desperately in need of homes.

It costs a lot of money to keep our teams in the field and to care for the rescued dogs. The dogs have nobody else to fight for them, and only with your help will they be cared for and Thailand’s illegal dog trade be brought to an end. Every investigation and arrest costs money. The cost of looking after rescued dogs is huge. Please donate today so that this evil trade is stopped!

Without you they have no chance, and the traders and smugglers will win.

Ten thousand dollars alone is being spent on the production and erection of hundreds of posters throughout Thailand offering rewards leading to the arrest of dog thieves and those who employ them. Another ten thousand dollars spent on giving all the rescued dogs vaccines this month.

Because of your support we are also employing additional staff to find new homes for as many of these unfortunate dogs as possible both here in Thailand and overseas.

Members of the Magic 1000 Club are saving the lives of these dogs! If you are not yet a member, please join the Magic 1000 Club today. Without you, dogs like Miracle & Terri (pictured here) would not have had a chance.

Ending the trade is challenging and achievable with your support!

Your donation will go 100% towards stopping the dog meat industry and helping dogs like Terri & Miracle.

Thank you for your support.

John Dalley

john@soidog.org

www.soidog.org

P.S. Your donation  today will go directly to fighting the trade and caring for the rescued dogs.

Please click here to bring the dog meat trade to an end.

Filed under: Animals Requiring Adoption or Homes - Worldwide, CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, SHELTER - Information | Leave a comment »

Rescuer Must Move 200 Dogs While Recovering from Gunshot Wound

by Laura Simpson

April 30, 2014

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/rescuer-must-move-200-dogs-while-recovering-from-gunshot-wound.html#ixzz30StsK3sq 

All photos via Care2.

Still recovering from a gunshot blast to the chest, Warin Taphaothong would rather die than let the dogs go hungry. On the heels of yet another surgery to address deep infection, Warin is back at work. Today she wears a gentle smile and a light polka dot apron as she climbs onto her motorbike with a dozen magnificently large pots of food for the strays.

The wheels on the bike’s cart squeak and whistle under the weight of so much hot rice and chicken. Her sister Lem tries to stop the pots from tipping as the two disappear down the road. It won’t be long before the swarm of wagging tails emerge to greet them.

Last year, Warin was thrown to the ground by her brother-in-law Dom when she tried to protect her nephew from yet another beating. Enraged by her interference, Dom (who was a killer-for-hire) shot Warin in the chest. By some miracle the bullet veered away from Warin’s heart and instead went clear through her lung and into the ground below. Unconscious, Warin was rushed to a hospital in Bangkok while her brother-in-law began firing at the police who surrounded him. Dom took only a single bullet to the leg, but was never jailed.

After her long hospital stay, Warin agonized about the dogs. For years she had not only cared for the dogs at her sanctuary, but also in the community where she delivers food to street dogs and organizes spay/neuter projects, an unheard of ministry in Thailand. But for months after the shooting, Warin was unable to return to her sanctuary because Dom (unpunished for his crimes due to his political connections) remained free and steadfast in his vow to finish what he started. It was only after Dom’s unexpected and sudden death from cancer (perhaps a karmic slap) that Warin could return to the dogs who had lost so much during her absence.

Warin’s sister Lem and other volunteers had done what they could to feed and care for the dog’s during her Warin’s absence, but without the proper experience, they struggled greatly. Food shortages, disease outbreak and a major flood compounded the hardship at the rescue center. On top of that, the women were unable to settle the dogs who barked constantly, and consequently neighbors’ complaints have now forced the sanctuary to relocate.

“It’s going to take 1,000 hands to heal this situation,” Harmony Fund Vice President Daria Justyn said. “I look at this tiny woman and I see giant. She has such purpose, such a profound impact on the animals around her. We can’t count the number of animals who have benefited from Warin’s care and now it’s up to us to come together to help her carry on. We must set up shelters, fencing, utilities and bring in all the supplies needed to care for the animals in their new location.”

A parcel of land near the base of a mountain in a nearby area will become the new home to the sanctuary. It will have the capacity for electricity and city water, and Warin dares to dream of a proper kitchen to cook for the dogs. There is potential to create a sick bay for dogs who need to recover in isolation, and with no neighbors nearby, the dogs can be free to ‘speak’ as often as they’d like.

This is one of three rescue centers in Thailand who are counting on the Harmony Fund for immediate aid.

Those who wish to get involved may visit this page. 

If you wish to donate, please click on:

http://harmonyfund.org/donate/rescuer-survives-gunshot-200-dogs-counting-donations#page-top 

Filed under: Animals Requiring Adoption or Homes - Worldwide, CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, SHELTER - Information | Leave a comment »