Activity Report – March 2020
200 more dogs have been sterilized and were taken back to their living places. The total number of sterilized dogs now stands at 4,800.

The new partitioning of the shelter proved successful. Over the course of the month, I changed some dogs back and forth and now I have five stable groups in seven enclosures. Some connecting enclosure gates are open when I'm at the shelter; some enclosures are strictly separated from other enclosures. The dogs have accepted those spatial separations. They still have enough space to roam around, and don't need to fight for their preferred places or against dogs they don't like.

 

Due to the separation of the dogs, biting has become rare. The treatment costs have thus been reduced. Smaller scuffles are unavoidable; after all, I am dealing with dogs that had to learn standing their ground for most—if not all—of their lives.

 

The dogs are now being fed daily at noon. Twice a week they are getting rice food, and on the other days dry food. The puppies and some other dogs are getting specially prepared rice food every day.

Since  I'm now assisted by a volunteer who is in charge of the daily feeding, my workload is a bit less than normal. That's good for my physical and mental health.

Activity Report – February 2020

200 more dogs have been sterilized and were taken back to their living places. The total number of sterilized dogs now stands at 4,600.

By the new partitioning of the shelter, two more pens have been created. The newly created enclosures are connected by doors and can be used flexibly. That makes combination or separation of dogs more easily possible.

A volunteer is now preparing rice food once or twice a week. The dogs are loving the addition to the menu and it supports their digestive functions as well.

The last three pups I took in are already perfectly integrated. They have been fully vaccinated, and are growing and thriving.

All dogs at Wat Amparahm are also fine. They are having a good life at the temple on the beach.

Activity Report – January 2020

Soi Dog Foundation is going to fund 200 sterilizations per month in the Pattaya area for 2020. At the end of this month, 200 dogs had been sterilized and were taken back to their living places.

I had to take in three approximately 6-week-old puppies that had been dumped at a waste ground near the shelter where I monitor a couple of dogs. I put them in quarantine for a week, and fortunately it turned out they are virus-free. They now live together with the adult dogs and are thriving.

I detected another less dangerous virus—the papilloma virus—with several of my older puppies. I successfully treated the infection with Immuplex—an Echinacea extract.

All nine now 8-month-old pups that I took in six months ago are now sterilized. The wound healing process had been without incident.

I decided to create a couple of more pens inside the shelter to be more flexible separating dogs if necessary. The construction work started at the end of the month.

Activity Report – December 2019

With the end of 2019, 4,200 dogs have been sterilized and brought back to their habitat. The project funding for 2020 has been endorsed.

My work at the shelter is now by and large routine. In the morning, I clean the outer areas and the dog house. Drug delivery and feeding comes next - and bathing if necessary. Late afternoon, I return to the shelter for another round of cleaning and drug delivery.

Since Wat Amparahm is 40 km away from Takhiantia shelter, I can only see the dogs there every couple of days to feed them with dry food. They are being fed by a woman I employ with rice food daily. Whereas shelter life is not always easy for each and every dog, the dogs at Wat Amparahm - which is situated close to the beach - enjoy a life without fences, and are still being properly looked after.

Activity Report – November 2019
Our sterilization project entered the 16th month of operation and surpassed the monthly target of 100 sterilizations by 93 cases. The number of dogs sterilized and brought back to their habitat reached 4,147 at the end of the month.

Blood, liver and kidney tests have been conducted of almost all shelter dogs—including the new pups—during the last couple of months. Standard values haven't been found on any of them. Anemia is very common and blood parasites have been detected on a few of them. A treatment of Doxycycline combined with a blood support medication was necessary for most of the dogs, and still is for some of them. Liver and kidney problems are rather rare. Blood parasites are caused by tick bites. Tick infestation can only be controlled by administration of Bravecto which is effective for about three months.

Activity Report – October 2019

Our sterilization project entered the 15th month of operation and surpassed the monthly target of 100 sterilizations by 229 cases. The number of dogs sterilized and brought back to their habitat reached 3,952 at the end of the month.

I decided not to take anymore dogs into the shelter. The recent ten puppies have been the last ones. One of them has been adopted and is already with his new parents in Canada. Six of them are living in the shelter and are well integrated; the three others are currently with my volunteer Pat who found them motherless.

I had to give up my ideal of letting all the dogs roam free within the entire shelter all of the time. Too many bitings occurred, and I was therefore forced to separate the dogs into two groups when I'm not at the shelter. One group is occupying the house area and the other group the sala areas. But as long as I'm with the dogs, they are still free to stay wherever they want to. Since I'm with the dogs for at least six hours per day, a kind of pack rivalry will not crop up. Some of the dogs are also switching from one group to the other.

Activity Report – September 2019

Our sterilization project entered the 14th month of operation and surpassed the monthly target of 100 sterilizations by 137 cases. The number of dogs sterilized and brought back to their habitat reached 3,603 at the end of the month.

I lost another two dogs. One by a snakebite and the other one died on the operation table while being castrated. Three shelter dogs and one street dog living near my apartment have been castrated.

I still look after 28 dogs that are living in or at Wat Amparahm. Twenty of them are being fed by a market woman whom I provide with 75 kg rice and pay for her service. The other eight dogs are staying mainly on the temple market and are being fed by the market people. All 28 dogs are in good condition.

I also provide 60 kg dry food and 120 kg rice to a Thai feeder who looks after 60 dogs at Mabprachan Reservoir. Another feeder gets 40 kg dry food for dogs at Thepprasit Road. Just to feed all the dogs I feel responsible for, I have to spend 25,000 Baht every month.