"Sawadee Ka" to Soi Dog and Naiyang Beach

Like "aloha," the Thai word for hello and goodbye ("sawadee-ka" for women, or "-krap" for men) is the same. It provides a circular openness so while I'm on my way out, this journey is only beginning.

With Komarn on my last day

Leaving the shelter was hard yesterday, and I cried like a baby when I walked into run B2 for the last time. I cried because I would miss them dearly and I couldn't take all of my companions home with me. I also didn't want to think of the reality that if there weren't enough volunteers, they would not get the same amount of daily attention.

Everyone kindly comforted me and told me that I would come back to Soi Dog, and it would be easier the next time. That I would see that the dogs continue to endure as they did before... and they are right. You can't turn your back on a place that changes your life.

It is a ripple effect with the dogs. Gain one's trust and another is sure to follow, especially if they are bonded to each other. Remember those beautiful shy white dogs? The sweet, yet timid, Chocolate showed them that I was trustworthy and I walked one of them on my last day. It was one of the first times a volunteer had ever walked her (Rabbit) - she didn't move very fast or go very far, but enjoyed sniffing her way slowly through the foliage. Hunde started to howl in excitement for me every time I'd walk in. Iggy learned to savor a massage. Purdie, Singto and Soldier remained untouched, but they would at least tolerate me in the area without running away near the end. All 15 of these dogs has a story of growth and touched me deeply.

Today I took in some sun at the beach and reflected over the past few weeks. I keep telling myself that I haven't done very much, but I came to realize that I have. No, I didn't get a better handle of the Thai language like I hoped I would, or explore the entire island.

But I've seen amazing sunsets and storms, my little beach town flood, snorkeled in paradise, and visited Patong and Phuket Town. Most importantly, I've met lifelong friends and basically became a part of a pack of dogs, while hopefully making an impact on their lives. 

They have certainly transformed mine.

I have started to feel a calmness inside of me. Since I parted ways with Darryl and felt an overwhelming amount, I felt a little void of emotion. It was like I wasn't truly processing things as they came at me as I was still wrapping my head around the foreign feeling of being alone in a strange place.

This place, the people and the animals changed this. Seeing an almost happy family form in B2, with the dogs starting to frolic, play and be dogs warmed my soul. I realized this anxiety I felt too frequently is almost gone. I can live and enjoy the moment, and if needbe, take sadness in it. 

It doesn't hurt that I have few of the normal outside pressures of life, but it is important to learn and remember what it feels like without the daily rush. The only thing I am really anxious for is for Darryl to come visit.

It's a really nice feeling.

Tomorrow I head for Ko Lanta for a few days, where I will continue my "pursuit of calmness" with daily yoga on the beach and continuing to walk dogs at a bungalow called Time For Lime. They do great work and their proceeds go to Lanta Animal Welfare.

As one last monster storm rolled in during dinner tonight, the booming thunder, rain and wind enveloping me, I felt satisfied with I have done, and I'm beyond excited for what's ahead.

-Erin

Soi Dog - Bonding with B2

It's been an eventful 10 days or so since I last posted. I've traveled down south to the major touristy areas, Patong and Phuket Town, but a majority of my time during the week is happily spent visiting Soi Dog. 

I've met many lovely people who have come and gone. I eat dinner on the beach pretty much every night. Phuket costs more than I expected, but I accept it as a fee for living on an island.

Some moments are full of joy at the shelter.

Rub a dub dub

But I can't lie.. other moments break my heart into pieces, and remind me how much work there still is to be done.

I have 10 more days here and I want to share the dogs I've spent hours with in the B2 run - mostly just so I don't forget all of their quirks. We are asked to take notes so that future visitors and potential adopters have a better idea of what the dogs are like, as the staff here doesn't always have the capacity to get to know them as well.

I spent today in a different run as another visitor, Nanna, has fallen in love with B2 and I can't blame her! I have more time here than she does, so I am happy to share and meet new pups.

Warning: dog overload ahead. I may use the word "sweet" about 20 times, because at their core, all of these dogs want love.

Biggy

Oops - I didn't realize my "secret" favorite would be first in alphabetical order.
I was warned that Biggy bites when I first joined the run. She "warned" me once when I pet her to stop, but otherwise is dying for human affection. When you stop petting her, she puts a paw up to ask for more.
She doesn't seem to like other dogs much, and I can't walk her yet.


Brick

My three legged man of steel. One of the alphas in the pack, so he starts fights occasionally.
Will sprint to the fence to greet you, but wont walk very far on a leash.
Loooves human attention. I think he needs a nice couch to go live on and protect a home from the window. :)


Chernlong

Another alpha in the group, can start fights as well, but just like Brick he loves attention.
Sometimes has invisible boundaries and wont walk past halfway around the lake, other times goes the distance.
I think he gets tired on three legs!

Chocolate

I'm sad I don't have a better picture of Chocolate yet. I always know it's her (it was hard at first with all the similar looking black dogs!) because her tail wags emphatically when I say her name, but she is unsure in her approach.
She's hard to trick into a leash, but once it's on, she pushes her way through the gates. Then she fluctuates between being confident and shy. Super sweet girl.

Dorothy

Sweet, "fat" (compared to the other dogs) Dorothy.
Another alpha dog, likes to gently nip at your butt and legs when you walk in.
We suspect Dorothy had distemper at some point and as a result she has bitten her tongue somewhat   :( but she is still chugging along. Very easy to walk.


Hunde

Another dog I wish I had a better picture of, but she's so active!
She is a little tank on 4 legs - she sticks up for herself, but also plays mom to a few of the other black dogs.
Loves going on walks and she has stolen my heart.

Iggy

Very shy girl, but loves a good massage. Can get the leash around her neck, but she wont move.
My first day I learned an important lesson because of Iggy - do not pick the dogs up unless necessary. She flailed when I picked her up to get her back in the run and she ended up scratching me. Completely my fault.

Komarn

 

Komarn!!!! Words cannot express how lovely this dog is. She doesn't have a bad bone in her body. She's starting to stand up for herself more if she's picked on, but generally gets along well with all the dogs, is fantastic on a leash, and just wonderful in general.

Loo Loo

One of the last alphas in the group. She is very jealous of other dogs receiving attention so is sometimes the first to start a fight. Nanna is trying to figure out a way to get her back to Denmark. Loo Loo by herself is a treat and would love to go to a home with no other dogs (and maybe some ducks to harass).


Margarita

A very shy girl. It takes time with this one, but she does love it when you scratch behind her ears. I put a leash on her once and she spun herself in circles in a panic, so will just continue to be an observer and let her come to me.

Purdie

Ya Heard? With Perd! One of the more famous shy pups at Soi Dog. She will maybe sniff your hand, but otherwise is mainly untouchable. The more time you spend in the run, though, the more comfortable she is with proximity.


Rabbit and White - these two belong together

Rabbit - such a lady!

White

If you can't tell, these two have to be related. They need a lot of socialization as they are extremely shy, but will approach with great caution. You can get a hand lick or maybe an ear scratch if you pretend they aren't around. They have to approach at their own free will. Such beautiful dogs!

Singto

A heartbreaker. Poor Singto is lost without his sala to hide under, which they are working on rebuilding. He unwisely cowers in the corner next to the gate which brings him much more attention and contact than he would like. He will probably be wary of me the whole time. :(


Soldier

I guess the name fits if it means "stealth soldier who runs away from you at every opportunity". Soldier is very timid and afraid of people. I feel like we have made progress because he will at least sit in the same vicinity of me, if I pretend to not pay attention.

That's a wrap! And lest I leave this blog on a sad note.. here is, well, I don't know the name, but I call him/her Piglet. 7 months old, pudgy and hot dog shaped with very short legs - she also has a tail that curly-q's twice!

Until next time....

-Erin

Soi Dog Day 1 - Puppy Party, the B2 Run and Kitties

Today I was picked up around 8am and got home around 6pm. I shared my ride with an older Australian couple and a young Norwegian couple (both had already visited the shelter previously) who were staying at nearby resorts. 

The dogs were separated into multiple areas and runs based on their age and level of socialization. Some of the shy dogs were put into the old dog or puppy areas because they managed better with this type of energy. Also on site are the main veterinary clinic, sterilization clinic, and an entire building dedicated to cats, but there weren't as many cats as they are adopted more frequently. Finally, there were newly built apartments for the Burmese refugees who also help out with the animals.

After a tour, the coordinator, Diana left me in the puppy area. It is exactly as one would envision it... I opened the gate and a swarm of wiggly puppies came running at me. I forgot how mouthy puppies are and immediately my shoelaces, pant bottoms, camera string and anything else they could get their mouths on were being tugged on. Sorry for the photo overload but OMG PUPPIES

Don't eat the camera!

It might look like black plastic tubing but those are my legs

This black lab (?) couldn't get enough kisses 

This white/black puppy was long and stout, like a wiener dog blue heeler

IT'S SO MUCH WORK GROWING UP

There were some shy dogs in the run, and one of them played mother to the puppies. I couldn't help but feel a little sad realizing that this was their optimal chance for adoption and as they grew larger, they would be looked at as less desirable. But I tried to focus on puppy time. I walked out of there completely covered in dirt and sweat - I guess I'll be needing to do laundry more than I expected.

The dogs have much more space than most shelters in the US, and they hose down their areas every morning so there isn't much waste. It's a constant juggling act to keep the dogs in runs where they all get along - fights do break out, but the employees there have an amazing command of the dogs. Today was hot and sunny so the other volunteers spent the day socializing and walking the dogs.

At one point I asked Diana what had happened to a few of the dogs (missing legs, eyes, etc. were common) and she told me that she didn't know because she herself had to stop asking. She simply stated that she wanted to last at the shelter as long as possible - as much of a fantastic operation as this is, it takes its toll.

After lunch (they pick up local Thai food - I paid $1.50 USD for veggie fried rice and a coke) Diana sent me to run B2, as they felt it had good dogs for a beginner like me to deal with.

This is my view from a bench under shelter. You'd think the dogs would all flock to the shade, but many hang out in the grueling sun.

Some of the dogs were quick to greet me, others cowered away. My job at this point was to just sit and let them come to me as they were comfortable, and take notes about how they were doing. I will continue to take notes during my stay so that the shelter has valuable information for potential adopters about how they grow with socialization.

I went through the list of dogs in the run and tried to evaluate how each interacted with me. It was an intense hour - the ones who wanted attention and love were the easy part, not so easy was seeing the pups that would hide in the corner. Both of the three legged dogs in there were hungry for attention, one of them almost quicker at running than the other "normal" dogs.

3 legs and faster than the pack!

I thought at first this girl would not warm up to me, but once I sat down next to her she loved a good cuddle

Goal is to get this lady and her twin to trust again

I ended my day with the kitties - there were only 5 that were able to socialize. Again, the three legged cat was the fastest of the bunch! I didn't have a chance to ask if they were all full grown, but I think cats here are just smaller. A few were definitely kittens. They were all extremely friendly and loved playing with a quickly destroyed cat toy. It was a good way to end the day as none of these animals showed distrust - they were happy in their surroundings and excited to see new people.

3 legged bobtail acrobat

It was a long and rewarding day. I also have never been more sweaty/dirty in my life so a shower when I got "home" was a-mazing. Tomorrow I should be allowed to walk the dogs in B2 and get to see their personalities shine in semi-freedom, for the ones that will tolerate it.

-Erin