Canine and Homeless in Phuket? The Hague Has Got Your Back

Gill Dalley, hard at work (photo: ASH).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the sixth year in a row, Grade 5 students at the American School of The Hague (ASH) are doing their best to support Soi Dog, a shelter for homeless cats and dogs in Phuket, Thailand.

Every year they choose a different project to fund: construction of a dog wing, then a wing for nursing mothers and their pups, then a wing for older, shyer dogs, then a clinic for cats... This year, the students are sponsoring the purchase of an ICU for puppies. When the suite is finished, a plaque on the wall will read, “Funded by the students of American School of the Hague, 2013!”

There are hundreds of wonderful animal shelters around the world and, unfortunately, there will never be a shortage of homeless animals. So why did we choose Soi Dog? For starters, it is a grass roots organization run by two British volunteers. Gill and John Dalley retired to Thailand from the UK in 2003, and started the Soi Dog foundation to work with the estimated 50,000 homeless dogs living on the island of Phuket.

The Dalleys have already neutered 50,000 dogs and cats, and released them back where they were found. They are currently aiming to sterilize 10,000 per year on Phuket, to bring the island back under control in two years. And they have made rabies in Phuket a thing of the past!

There are another estimated 300,000 homeless dogs in Bangkok, and luckily Soi Dog has started a branch there as well. In addition to population control, Soi Dog fights the illegal trafficking of dogs to be sold as meat in neighboring countries.

What makes Soi Dog special is the constant personal feedback students receive. A child makes a painting… Gill has a photo of it hanging in the Soi Dog clinic. Another writes a poem… Gill writes back to say she loved it. Our students do fund-raisers… their accounts are published in the Soi Dog newsletter.

Prior to our first meeting every year, I contact the Dalleys and we discuss what a feasible project might be. Once the perfect project is chosen, they send us designs, photos, price estimates, and a letter to the group.

We are very proud of our young students! They have big hearts, and many are animal welfare advocates in the making.

Contact Ms. Stuip at [email protected]—and watch Asian Woman of the Year Gill Dalley at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrlcoJ8c6VQ.

---

Please fill out the form below if you would like to post a comment on this article:

Nickname

(this will appear with your comments)

Email

Comments

---

Comments

There are currently no comments posted. Please post one via the form above.

MORE FROM

ONLINE ARTICLES