For a dog that has always lived on the streets, they have never known anything else and therefore there isn't a great deal of room for sadness. We see this on a regular basis in the work that we do. Dogs that have always been homeless and had to rely on scraps and finding their own shelter tend to actually be quite happy to do that and the times that we have taken these dogs in for various treatments they are actually extremely happy to return to their outdoor life because that is all they have ever known. Being in our kennels or even in our yard is something that actually, at least initially, depresses them.
The opposite, where a dog spent its life as a pup being looked after by a person or family, only to be tossed away once it starts acting like exactly what a dog acts like - chewing on stuff, using the bathroom indoors when the owners don't train it, etc - these dogs experience tremendous depression because they have always had a life where they lived differently.
This is very noticeable for us when we encounter new additions in the temples where dogs are frequently dropped off by families that no longer want them. They avoid the other dogs, they don't really socialize, they sometimes refuse to eat and they get excited whenever a car comes by and while I don't know exactly what is going on in their dog brains, I fear that a lot of it is hope that their owners are just taking a little while to come back to get them. In the 4+ years that I have been doing this, the owners have NEVER come back to get them.
These dogs experience extreme difficulty adjusting to their new lives as they lack the skills necessary for survival in "the wild." We have to pay extra special attention to them and it actually takes a lot longer than you might think for them to adjust to the only life option that they have available to them at this point... in most cases, they do not get re-adopted even though we try our best to make that happen.
These dogs are frequently bullied and retreat to areas further and further from the main area and we have to be extra careful to monitor them during the times that we can get them to eat. They become afraid to eat because they are not familiar with the competition for food that exists in these environments. They likely spend all of their time in fear of everything around them and are confused as to why their bed and their safe home no longer exists.
Imagine finding yourself homeless for some reason one day and when you do achieve sleep all you do is dream of the comfort you once had only to wake up and realize that the nightmare is your actual life, not what you see while you are sleeping.
This is one of the most tragic things that we encounter in our work and for the people that do these drop offs of unwanted animals - they are really terrible people. There are so many ways in which this situation could have been handled differently including an adoption program. Even if you have to keep the dog outside in your yard for a time, this is highly preferable to just abandoning your dog at a temple far enough away that it can't find its way back to the only home that it has ever known.
We are currently working on a program like this for Thailand but if you live in another country there is a really good chance that there are re-homing shelters that can help to facilitate exactly this sort of thing for you. Please, instead of abandoning your dog at least LOOK to see if your area has a no kill shelter that can assist in finding a new home for your dog. According to the shelters that I have experience with in the western world, the people who work in these places do not speak badly to anyone who drops their dogs off... quite the contrary - they applaud your decision to do closer to the right thing by doing what you can to ensure that the dog at least has a chance at a new life.
Also, before you take on a cute little puppy, you need to understand that having a dog is a very long commitment that you must be absolutely certain you are financially and time-wise able to take on. Also, if you are thinking of getting a dog, please have a look at shelters and resist the urge to pay for a dog. Shelters around the world are filled with all manner of dogs including popular "brands "like Pugs and Corgis.
im_wid_stray, thank you for the photos, they are truly inspirational and I think a very accurate representation of what abandoned dogs go through.
If you would like to see how you can help out or simply spread the word, please visit our website at
http://krabianimalwelfare.org
เป็นผู้สนับสนุนรายเดือนหรือบริจาคครั้งเดียวได้ที่:
This is a very sad reality. And some people doesn't have a heart for them
yes agree - many foreigners living in Asia (especially here in Thailand) think it's cool to own a dog then a few years later realize that actually now they want to relocate its just a pain in the *** to have a dog and the poor thing gets abandoned. Very bad form.
well as you know coming from Phuket this is almost a "tradition" in Thailand and a very unfortunate one at that.
I couldn't agree more. Some people treat dogs as gifts or simply "pets" when in fact once you'd decide to get a dog, they are a part of the family. #adoptdontshop
adoptdontshop is the way to go. A lot of people have this impression that all rescue dogs are in some way damaged mongrels but they couldn't be more wrong. Many of the dogs in shelters including our own are pure-breed designer dogs because these animals are just as difficult - if not moreso because of the in-breeding - to manage compared with a mixed breed dog.
Apologies for the late reply. The internet in my place has been damaged by the typhoon. I couldn't agree more with you. Dog and cat shelters are often full already we just need to make a decision to adopt one to at least lessen the capacity and avoid buying from pet shops.
I have to admit I'm a little shocked to hear that not a single one of these people ever came back for their pet, dropping them at a shelter is better than nothing, people need to think more when it comes to getting a pet.
I would imagine that there are cases of "drop off regret" in some places in the world, but we have never had a drop off ever get picked up again locally.
I almost teared up reading this :((. Dogs are some of the most loyal animals out there, I just can't understand why some owners abandon their dogs once they grow up. Maybe it's because they're no longer cute as they were when they were puppies or I don't know, I just don't understand it. How can you abandon something that one brought you happiness and joy, sigh.
Thanks for your words. It is something that we don't understand either because when we approach these animals that have been abandoned they are clearly very eager for human touch because that is what they were born into. Imagine abruptly having all of that taken away from you one day when you just thought you were going on a car ride? :(
You're making me tear up again my friend, I hope people can learn to appreciate dogs more.
All reminders why I've never taken on a dog in Southeast Asia, cause I don't have the funds to fly with a dog around the world nor do I have a stable enough life in Cambodia to know I'd live there trouble-free until my dog would pass. I did have two dogs when I went to Cambodia in 2010, intending only for a month-long holiday.
Talk about depression, my beagle-mutt was 25+ years old at the time, and my golden retriever 17+ years old when I left. They both died while I was on vacation, my mom had to put them down 12 hours apart because they just gave up on me I think. I am still heartbroken about this decision to this day.
27 years with my dog, never more than few days apart, and then I wasn't able to be with either at the end, nor bury them. I digress, I have rambled, but I think now we've turned sheep lovers after our experience in Suriname with Harry.
ramble on. It's nice to hear these stories. Your family dogs lived good lives with a caring family and I am sure you have lots of good memories. Our family dog passed away while I was gone as well, so I can share your sentiment as far as wanting to be there is concerned.
You have the right approach as far as being aware of your financial and geographical limitations on pet ownership is concerned. More people need to approach the situation in exactly this fashion.
⋆ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ғᴏʀ sᴏᴜᴛʜᴇᴀsᴛ ᴀsɪᴀɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴏɴ ʜɪᴠᴇ
⋆ sᴜʙsᴄʀɪʙᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀsᴇᴀɴ ʜɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ
⋆ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀsᴇᴀɴ ʜɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ ᴠᴏᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʀᴀɪʟ
⋆ ᴅᴇʟᴇɢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʟɪɴᴋs 25 ʜᴘ⇾50 ʜᴘ⇾100 ʜᴘ⇾500 ʜᴘ⇾1,000 ʜᴘ
You have pretty much sum up my earlier age when I did some petting. We used to have a little pup given by a friend. Initially, he's the everybody's favourite fur ball. As the dog started to grow up, start to behave like a regular dog, go hang out with his friends, pulling stuff from trash bin, and we hoomans doesn't like him to be a dog 🐕 he's barking annoying, stay bark, don't bark with me, I don't give a bark, what the bark, until someone from the neighborhood throw him some poison whilst we're not at home.
But ofcourse now I know, it hooman's responsibilities of we're keeping them in our house. I still wanted to adopt one or may be a pair, but let's settle with my little hoomans first for now.
yes, I always advise people to come and visit shelters and hang out with the dogs first so they can have a look at how much work actually goes into having a dog before getting one. Dogs bark, dogs chew on stuff, dogs pee on stuff, this is what dogs do and if someone is not prepared to deal with this - the dog and the hooman are better off not being together.
Dear @kbv.animalwelf, we need your help!
The Hivebuzz proposal already got an important support from the community and is close to be funded. However, it misses a few votes to get past the return proposal and your could make the difference!
May we ask you to support it so our team can continue its work this year?
You can do it on Peakd, ecency,
https://peakd.com/me/proposals/199
Thank you!
Neither can I. It is difficult for me to imagine having a mind so selfish and lacking in empathy... Simply not caring that the animal that showed you so much love is now sad all the time because of your actions.
A lot of people I know get really stressed out when their dog is sick but unless it is sickness because of malnutrition (not enough food) we need to remember that dogs, just like people, sometimes just get sick and you just need to give them some time to get over it. The best way to know if you need to be more concerned about it is to keep an eye on their poo. If it is discolored or has worms in it, it is time to go to the doctor, otherwise it is probably just something that they will get over with rest in a couple of days.
Dogs get illnesses just like humans do and they are actually a lot better at getting over it than humans are!