News about the dog meat trade in Thailand may only sadden most people, but for Phimpakarn Petpichetchien, it stirred her into action and desire to help.
PHOTO: YINGYONG UN-ANONGRAK
"After hearing the news about the dog meat trade I immediately wanted to help out as much as I could, because I knew I could. And once I got involved, I saw just how much help was needed. I started helping the Soi Dog Foundation in August of last year as a voluntary coordinator, and when SDF expanded its operations to Bangkok earlier this March, I knew it was my chance," said the general manager of the new operation, who worked tirelessly, often for 20 hours a day, during a crisis, such as the SDF's flood relief work last year.
The Bangkok-based operation is an integrated initiative between the Scad Foundation (Soi Cats and Dogs) and formerly Phuket-based SDF. John Dalley, co-founder of the SDF, saw the demand for help when he came to help stray dogs and cats in Bangkok during the Great Flood last year, which prompted the operation in Bangkok shortly thereafter.
The SDF's main goal is sterilising and vaccinating the street animal population, believing that this is the most effective, long-term and humane way to contribute to street animal welfare. Phimpakarn's own encounter is proof.
"There were six stray dogs near my house ... four females and two males. Soon the four females got pregnant and gave birth to a few dozen puppies in total. Some puppies were run over by passing vehicles, while some were turned into dog meat. In the end, only four puppies survived. But even four little puppies meant less food for the big dogs, so they had to fight for food and space. In other words, the more stray dogs there are, the harder it is for them to survive. I decided to contact Scad to have them sterilised," said Phimpakarn, who has always had a strong passion for helping local stray dogs, doing as much as she can for them, including paying to have the local dogs in her neighbourhood sterilised whenever she can afford it.
She further explained that the animal population growth rate is very high. On average, cats birth two to five kittens per litter, while female dogs can have up to 10 puppies per litter. Sadly, many of them wind up in the dog meat trade, which is something Phimpakarn feels is a cruel fate for any animal.
"I think it's bad to see stray animals as food. And I believe that birth control can help reduce further victims in the future," explained the dog lover, who now lives with eight dogs, two of which were rescued during the flood.
So far, about 8,000 stray dogs in Bangkok have been sterilised by the SDF; each dog is given a small tattoo on their ear to show for it. The goal is to sterilise 15 dogs and six cats every week, however, this service is currently only available for stray dogs. Phimpakarn hopes to see tangible results within 10 years. "This work takes time to see results. I do it one soi at a time, and hopefully I can help get the word out about the importance of sterilising stray dogs."
Vaccination is also a vital tool to ensure that stray animals do not cause problems to humans or other animals. Contrary to popular belief, rabies is not only prevalent in summer - in fact, it occurs all year round. "Just because you don't own the dog or cat in your neighbourhood doesn't mean you should ignore them or want nothing to do with them because you never know, one day you might be bitten or scratched. Over the past five years, more and more human deaths from rabies exist as it is still not curable. So we need to take action to prevent the spread of the deadly disease."
After having worked with stray dogs for several years, Phimpakarn's initial expectations have since changed. In the beginning, she truly believed that she could help all the stray dogs roaming the streets of Bangkok. But now, she has come to realise what is realistically possible. "At first I had no idea that there would be this many stray dogs! It's not possible for one small organisation to reach out and help all the stray animals. Besides, we have limited resources, and even if we work at our full capacity we still can't help every dog and cat on the streets of Bangkok. It requires public effort, too," said Phimpakarn, adding that the sterilisation of stray dogs requires skilled veterinarians who can stitch up the wounds carefully enough for the dogs to survive on their own without a follow-up check-up.
While the SDF has a dog shelter and a cat centre, it can only care for 30 dogs and even fewer cats. Phimpakarn encourages animal lovers to adopt or care for homeless animals, as living in a holding facility cannot compare to living in a loving and caring home. "We don't have a policy to take in stray dogs and keep them here indefinitely. So we use Facebook to find new homes for them. There are many people out there who are willing to help. We just have to find them," she said.
She also encourages people to love animals with their heart, not with their mouth. "If someone asks you if you love animals, think before you say yes. If you see a stray dog with a broken leg, would you take it to the vet? If you just simply look in passing and feel sorry for the animal, then you don't truly love animals. If you want to help but don't know how, you can always contact us. Don't just stand there and watch and only feel sorry for them when there is so much a person can do."
The SDF's sterilisation programme is free but donations are welcome. Unfortunately, the SDF does not provide transportation services, so it would be best for local communities to have their own project, which the SDF would be more than glad to help.
For more details or donations, visit
