While Thailand may be best known for its beautiful temples, beaches, and delicious cuisine, it hides a dark secret. Throughout the country, millions of stray dogs and cats overwhelm the streets, beaches, and temples. The massive number of stray animals is due to several factors: for one, according to Buddhist culture, people can earn merit by feeding stray animals. This act of kindness helps dogs and cats survive, but it also means that they reproduce much more successfully. This, coupled with very limited low-cost spay/neuter opportunities in most communities, means that millions of dogs are born onto the street each year. In busy cities like Metropolitan Bangkok, stray dogs are often victims of road traffic accidents and injuries. In a misguided attempt to manage the stray population, many shelters throughout Thailand attempt to house hundreds to thousands of dogs, which does nothing to actually improve animal welfare.

Trang is a southern province of Thailand, on the west side of the Malay Peninsula. There are thousands of stray dogs in Trang, which are often seen as a public nuisance, potentially contributing to the spread of disease. The condition and welfare of many of the dogs is poor and causes distress among people who wish to stop their suffering. Trang has also struggled with rabies, a deadly disease which still claims the lives of thousands throughout Asia every year.

In the past, the local government has opted for the mass removal of dogs as a means of managing the dog populations, instead of more humane methods like spay/neuter. This was largely due to a lack of expertise, lack of veterinarians trained in high-volume, high-quality spay/neuter, and the absence of a local charity partner to support and guide their efforts. As a result of years of a catch and release policy, coupled with Buddhist thinking that forbids euthanasia in nearly all circumstances, the Trang government currently operates an overcrowded, makeshift shelter that is home to around 300 dogs. The lack of disease control, spaying/neutering, and staffing shortage severely compromises animal welfare for the dogs living there.

FOUR PAWS has teamed up with Lanta Animal Welfare (LAW), a well-respected animal welfare organization on the island of Koh Lanta, in neighboring Krabi province. The Trang authorities have previously approached LAW, requesting support to more humanely manage the street dog population, but LAW lacked the necessary resources to get involved. Now, with FOUR PAWS' support, the Trang government’s capacity can be significantly improved, with intensive training for veterinarians and shelter staff. The local authorities are also being trained in basic shelter protocols, as well as developing a sustainable dog management program in Trang province. With FOUR PAWS support, the local community is being shown the benefits of spay/neuter and responsible pet ownership, while sick and injured dogs at the Trang shelter are getting the medical treatment they need.

In November, FOUR PAWS has teamed up with local charity Headrock Dogs Rescue to help address the suffering of stray animals. The program involves an outreach team to work with the local community to improve animal welfare in a sustainable way through education and engagement. In and around the city of Bang Saphan, the outreach team responds to animal emergencies, provides desperately needed medical care, and helps increase pet adoption. The program also focuses on temples, to help improve the living conditions for the hundreds of dogs and cats that call them home. Temple dogs and cats are enrolled in a feeding, vaccination, and sterilization program, all at no cost to the temple. The outreach team also works closely with temple monks and nuns to empower them to provide better animal care.

Outside of the temples, the program sponsors sterilization, treatment, vaccination services for pet owners who might not otherwise be able to afford medical care for their animals. For stray animals that are deemed too sick or debilitated to be returned to their home communities or temples, our partner, Headrock Dogs Rescue will provide them with ongoing shelter and care until they can hopefully be adopted into a forever home.

Update March 2021

Since the program launched in 2018 there have been numerous achievements and developments for the 'forgotten dogs' of Bang Saphan, Thailand. Many hundreds of animals were sterilized and vaccinated, thousands of meals were distributed to hungry strays, countless emergency rescues and treatments were administered by the FOUR PAWS trained local outreach team and more than 150 dogs and puppies found their forever homes. Thanks to the cooperative project between FOUR PAWS and Headrock dogs, the lives of the people and animals in these communities have drastically improved. As a result of our training and support, Headrock is now confidently continuing their efforts to provide high quality spay neuter services, lifesaving emergency response and community education and outreach year round.

As the cooperation with FOUR PAWS has drawn to a close, we are happy and proud to have lent our support and expertise to this committed and hardworking group and feel certain that the future is bright for Bang Saphan's dogs.