Entering the Wolf Pack

Blog number one from Thailand..

My journey over, minus a few hiccups, was smooth enough and I arrived late Sunday night. Arriving to a pitch black guesthouse I assumed that id be sitting on my case all night until a guy appeared from nowhere with my key. I am staying at Nai Yang Beach approx. 20 mins drive from the Soi Dog shelter in Mai Khao. Its very much a simple life vibe here, few shops, few restaurant/bars and a beautiful beach.

Today was my first day at the shelter, I woke up at 7.30 with hardly any decent sleep but excited. It was recommended I wear long trousers for the first few days to avoid excitable scratches but its insanely hot so I chanced it with shorts. The pickup point is right outside my guesthouse (half the reason I chose to stay here) and other volunteers came along until 12 or so of us piled into a pickup truck taking us to the shelter.

The people are exactly what I expected, travel bugs with energy and passionate about this cause. Most volunteers here at the moment are on their second week so I was paired with Christie (also a newbie) and after a tour of the shelter, assigned run A1.

From the offset it is obvious that every dog has experienced the dark side of human nature, if not missing limbs then multiple scar wounds are visible on nearly every dog. On the tour we met the survivors of the dog meat trade along with victims of abuse or neglect. Most are up for adoption but some unfortunately are either too ill, old or mentally wounded to ever be rehomed or chance living back on the streets.

Taking a peek inside the operating theatre I was amazed that these vets have been able to help as many dogs as they have. It is TINY and very basic. Soi Dog are in the process of building a new dog hospital on site, this is funded by charity donations and it is obvious from day 1 that this facility will transform the shelters ability to continue the amazing work they do.

No matter how tough you are with animals, it is intimidating entering a pen with 20 street dogs all barking, growling and jumping at you. As soon as I heard someone say that me and Christie seem 'confident' enough for A1, I knew these must be a rowdy bunch. I was first to squeeze through the gate, and my orange top was soon decorated with hundreds of dirty paw prints. Obviously, with the background stories of these dogs, its impossible to assume that I can stroke them all straightaway. I was wary of which ones were safe enough to touch but they gave enough warning if we weren't welcome to. Mine and their confidence grew throughout the day, learning their personalities gives a sense of relief towards approaching them. Exactly like a pack of wolves, there is a hierarchy among them in the pen. Weaker and timid dogs are bullied by the others and fights between them are common.

Dominant Gypsy

By the end of the day, jealously between the dogs was apparent as they fought for the attention from us. I am hoping to build control with the dogs in A1 and hopefully build trust with the dogs that didn't dare come close to me. Day one complete and with only a small nip on the back of my leg and a few scratches it has been a success.

Run A1

Please keep up with my blog, this is a very exciting journey and I am truly looking forward to documenting how some love and care can transform a life. Please donate at http://www.gofundme.com/jessiessoidogs if you are interested in contributing towards the future of this amazing organisation.