Khao Tao, Hua Hin, Thailand 22nd October 2022

Yesterday was our last day of working at Rescue PAWS.  We thought we should give an overview of our fortnight of working there.

The daily routine was cleaning out and feeding the puppies, and then the volunteers would lead-walk the kennel dogs around the temple grounds while the staff cleaned out their pens before these dogs were fed and watered.  The rest of the day was broken up with beach walks either with the clinic dogs or the kennel dogs, feeding runs where we go out in the truck to feed various packs of local street dogs, puppy walking and puppy socialisation.  Plus the occasional bathing session (where we got as wet as the dogs).

Because we got to PAWS earlier in the morning than the other volunteers who had to wait to be picked up in the truck, we (Paul and Sue) would make a start on clearing the puppy pens and compound of poop, disinfecting and scrubbing down and then feeding the puppies.  There were two puppies in a pen in isolation as they were being treated for mange; they were moved to a separate pen to be fed and in the last couple of days Paul took it upon himself to shut himself into the dirty pen to clean and scrub down.

Always wonderful to see the dogs on the beach once off the lead running and playing in the sea and with each other.

Feeding runs occurred daily, morning and afternoon.  Various packs of dogs in the area are fed a combination of dry and tinned food.  Several packs are friendly and will run up to the truck and wait for us to get out, whilst other packs are more wary and keep their distance until the food is down and we have backed off.  We also went out one day when the staff were vaccinating and giving parasite treatment to owned dogs.

The first week we were finding our feet.  The second week we felt much more involved, building relationships with the dogs and becoming more proactive.  We (Paul and Sue) were tasked with building the confidence of two white kennel dogs, Kallie and Luna, who were both very timid and cowered in the back of their pen.  Following instruction from a member of the clinical staff, we spent about 30 minutes squatting in the pen with the dogs, completely avoiding eye contact and throwing them dog treats.  After a couple of days of this, they both started to cautiously approach us and eventually took treats from our hands and Luna allowed us to pet her.  Once we had gained their confidence, we first took them on lead-walks around the temple grounds and then lead-walks on the beach.  It was so satisfying to feel that we were starting to make a small difference.

On the last day of a volunteer's stay, a blue paint handprint is taken and added to the wall with the volunteer's name and year of visit.  

Two weeks at Rescue PAWS was not enough.  It has only really been the second week that we felt it was all falling into place.  We would both like to come back for a longer visit in the future.

Every single member of staff at Rescue PAWS is 100% dedicated to the animals’ welfare and making a difference within the community.  We had a great time and met some amazing people.  One of our fellow volunteers, Sally, is adopting Yogi a three-legged dog, and will be awaiting his arrival into the UK once all the admin and medical stuff has been done.  Anyone want to adopt a dog???