I came to the shelter in March 2007 to do a few days voluntary work and found that I simply didn’t want to leave. I am now on my third visit to Chiang Mai, this time for a year, most of which I hope to spend helping out at the shelter and fostering dogs at my home. The thing that impressed me most about Care for Dogs is that they are not looking for a quick fix. One of the main policies is a sterilisation program for female dogs because this has been proven to be the most effective way to reduce the number of street dogs.

They also recognise that a lot of the mistreatment or neglect of dogs in Thailand comes from lack of education and so there are volunteers working with schools to teach the children about how they should respect All dogs, not just their Pet dogs. School visits to the shelter are arranged and its great to see the children playing with the puppies and taking the older dogs for walks especially when its a child’s very first contact with a dog!

Its such a exciting experience for all of them, the dogs and children, and I think this is vitally important for the future welfare of all street dogs.

I feel really fortunate that I am able to spend my days doing something so fulfilling and worthwhile. I enjoy spending my time just loving and cuddling our dogs and taking time to restore their confidence in humans. Some have been through untold traumas or are family pets that have just been abandoned on the streets or in Temples so its wonderful to see them settle into the dog family groups here and get a feeling of security again.

And even better when we see them adopted into new loving homes. I always knew that dogs love unconditionally and here at the shelter its abundantly clear every day that all these beautiful dogs want is to be with people who will love them in return. And I am lucky to be a part of that.

So if you are thinking of volunteering, one of the most important things you can do here is just simply love the dogs. Play with them, cuddle them, sit quietly with them and just let them be.

Gill