It seems that Care for Dogs has at last opened up a channel for people to contact when they become concerned about the welfare of dogs being kept in terrible conditions.

This week we have received a couple of requests to help dogs in need and we are pleased that some folks have managed to make contact with us so that we can try to help them.

Today we visited a slum house in a back street near San Sai market, just north of the main city of Chiang Mai, following a call from some concerned neighbours of the property who became very anxious about the dogs as they were barking at night !

We learned before attending that 2 large dogs were being kept in cages and not cared for after their family had abandoned the home and left the dogs in the garden 2 years ago.

As we looked through the gate at the property, a single story house with most of what would have been inside the house at some stage, scattered about the entrance and an overgrown garden containing some ghastly looking cages. They were empty.

Standing in amongst this, with advice from the neighbours that the dogs were vicious and angry, to be snooping about with only empty cages felt a little un-nerving.

One of the neighbours who had been periodically feeding them, went to the front door of the house and out trotted an Alsatian and after a bit of encouragement, a Golden Retriever.

The guy who warned us about the vicious dogs led the Alsatian into a cage whilst we looked at the other dog. Why he did this, we shall never know but he said they had been this way for the last couple of years and we assumed he knew them better than we did.

We backed the car into the garden, scrunching the cleaned carcase remnants that people had previously thrown over the gate to feed these creatures, now bare of meat and reminiscent of the poor guys that we were now leading into the car.

The Golden Retriever had so little energy, we had to carry him into the car. He didn’t growl, he didn’t resist and where he was put, he stayed. The Alsatian walked quietly but positively into the car without any fuss.

Khun Nod was driving today, Karin was busy running the office in the front seat and I shared the back seat with these 2 guys that seemed to be very relieved to be out of their misery and being in the company of people who wanted to help them.

Their bodies were very thin, bones sticking out and skin drawn tight in some places and hanging saggy in others. Their eye lids drooping and eyes just staring, they looked exhausted and like characters from documentaries where prisoners have been released after long term captivity. I am not exaggerating, I am not sensationalising, this happened, this is real life.

Both of them had infections on their bodies, maggots living in holes and blood / body fluid seeping out from deep exposed muscle tissue and the smell was rancid.

Sharing their space, we found them not angry or vicious but meek and timid wretches that would have possibly been happy family dogs at one time.

We checked them in with Dr Tarn who will run some tests and assess their health in general after attending to their immediate needs.

Watch this space for an update soon!

After their initial stay at the clinic, we would be looking for a foster or a permanent home for them if you or anyone your know are able to help them please contact us asap.

Whilst at the vet clinic we checked in on another case, well 4 of them in fact and what wonderful cuties they are! You can read that in another post here …