Dog Whisperer

Jackson and Jordan, two puppies we recently rescued and re-homed. Hopefully we can do the same for Jazz and Nina!

When we arrived in Phuket 10 years ago, stray dogs were an ever present fact of life. Many were on the verge of starvation and suffering horribly from mange and other debilitating ailments. Then along came Soi Dog. John and Gill Dally retired from the UK to lead a life of leisure in a lovely golf course home near Laguna. Like the rest of us, they saw the terrible dog problem on the island, but unlike all others, they did something about it. The organization they founded, Soi Dog,  through care and hard, hard work, has reduced the problem to a tenth of what it was. More about John and Gill later!

To date, 34,500 stray dogs have been sterilized by Soi Dog, dramatically reducing unwanted puppy production and thus the sheer volume of unwanted, uncared for dogs. The sighting of dogs in great distress has become a relative rarity, but it still does happen. I was on my way to the store yesterday when not far from our house I saw probably the most pitiful pup you can imagine.

He was thin as a rake, covered in great open sores, and missing large clumps of fur. I had a sandwich in the car and tried to lure him to me. The harder I tried, the further he retreated. I couldn’t get near him. With a flash of inspiration, I called daughter Michelle and in a few minutes she was on the scene. As I watched from a distance, she approached the poor guy, only to have him retreat down the road. Mich worked her way along the other side of the road, and threw him a piece of ham. Cautiously he sniffed it, then ate it up. Crouching down and speaking to him in soothing tones, Mich held out more food. It worked! Ever so slowly he walked up to her and ate from her hand. She had the magic touch!

Once he saw that we were not going to hurt him, he relaxed and let us gently lift him into the car. Even then, it was painful for him to lay down as every part of him was raw and sore. Half an hour later we were at the Soi Dog rescue centre at the north end of the island. Little Jazz (as we named him) was gently moved into their treatment room in the care  of one of their 3 staff veterinarians, on an IV drip, and having swabs and blood samples taken for analysis.

As I write this, poor Jazz is suffering from septicemia as well as acute malnutrition. It is going to be touch and go, but all fingers are crossed. He’s a lovely little guy that deserves a chance. Mich and I drove home, pleased that we could in a small way be of help. We rounded the last corner to our house, and there, in the middle of the road, was a very sorry-looking dog. Virtually all her fur was gone to mange, and every rib and hip bone was sticking out. We went back into action, but that’s another story!in the