We normally find ourselves feeling like Will Smith's character in the end of "I am Legend" when we are attempting to get these dogs into crates. We think to ourselves as they are resisting us that "we're trying to help you!"
We don't like to trap any animals if we can help it but the dogs that are not accustomed to humans being near them generally don't want anything to do with humans and are scared when humans try to approach them. This is because in the more rural areas dogs are not handled at all and many times they are treated like pests and are shouted at, have things thrown at them, and are kicked around on a regular basis.
We of course do not do any of these things and are merely rounding up these two females so that they can be treated for skin diseases, sterilized, vaccinated, and then re-released where we found them. These two were brought to our attention because they are basically pumping out puppies at least once a year and the pups always end up suffering and dying.
To some it might sound cruel that we sterilize animals in the wild but before anyone gets judgmental about this practice I think you need to understand the overwhelming problem that Thailand has with overpopulation of stray animals. Because of the overpopulation, ALL stray animals suffer because there simply aren't enough resources to go around to help them. They also tend to pack together in over crowded environments and this spreads disease. Furthermore, since there is no animal control in Thailand, communities will take it upon themselves to cull these packs once they become problematic and this is normally done with rat poison and this is an absolutely terrible way to die for a dog. It takes weeks and it is agonizing.
Therefore, us making them uncomfortable for a few days using nets is the more humane thing to do.
Before we ever even break out the nets we try our best to lure them in with snack and in particular, fried chicken. Almost any street dog has enjoyed fried chicken or at least the bones when picking through garbage, so mostly the offering of a full piece is enough to lure almost any dog into the crate without us needing to trap them at all. Unfortunately, that was not the case with these two and they would keep their distance no matter what we did.
We did manage to get them eventually though and nobody, including us, were harmed during the encounter. Once inside the kennel the dogs calmed down and we did everything we could to make their transition to the vet office as comfortable as possible. I am sure they were still very scared though.
We use protective gear when approaching any stray including and especially the very thick gloves to protect our hands. The fact that we wear flip flops while performing this would probably be frowned upon by any safety organization in western countries but it works for us and none of us have been bit on the foot yet because as you may or may not know, dogs will bite whatever is presented to them. They don't have a great deal of tact in their approach nor do they know the difference between bare flesh and armored gloves.
Back at the vet's office things look sad, but it will be better soon.
At this point the dogs normally stop being aggressive and can easily be coaxed out of the cage into the kennel and they normally will run to the furthest back area of the containing area. We don't like to do this and wish we could simply allow them to run around the yard but that simply isn't possible in this situation.
We try to make them as comfortable as possible, but we always have to be careful because they are still confused and scared and even though at times they may appear to have become your "friend" it is important to remember that these jungle dogs are very close to feral and have the ability to hurt you badly should they decide to do so.
They will only be kept here a couple of days during the operation and recovery, then once we get the green light from the veterinarian, they will be returned to where we found them.
A crucial part of the process after we drop them back off is to have our Thai staff go around to any locals and plead with them to not kill the dogs because sometimes our removal of the dogs is seen as a permanent thing and they get upset when we bring them back. We have had instance in the past where we have gone through all the trouble to sterilize a stray and provide them with medical care only to have an annoyed neighbor kill them a few weeks after they are brought back. The Thai staff explain what the situation is and even provide free dog food if the person is interested in helping to have this dog have a better life. We don't ask them to make the strays their pets, we just ask them to have a bit of compassion.
It's a tricky situation in Thailand because there is no government assistance of any kind. It is because of organizations like our own that these dogs get looked after at all and we don't mind doing it. All we can do is hope that the community will pitch in and understand that our long-term goal is to reduce the population numbers over time and if we all work together, this can be accomplished. It just takes 10 years or so.
If you would like to see how you can help out or simply spread the word, please visit our website at
http://krabianimalwelfare.org
Krabi Animal Welfare is a charity run entirely by volunteers and are a registered non-profit organization in Thailand and the U.K.. We aim to relieve the pain and suffering of dogs and cats within Krabi Province.
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