One our Media Supporters is Phuket Gazette whom we thank for their continued coverage and support of the Soi Dog Foundations mission to provide care to Phukets unwanted and unfed dog and cat population.
PHUKET CITY: The Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) closed its center in Phuket City September 29 and relocated to the Mid Road Dog Shelter in Thalang, where it will continue its work in conjunction with the Phuket Provincial Livestock Association.
The SDF center, which was intended originally to be a clinic but soon became a shelter and adoption center for abandoned and abused dogs, had been open for 18 months.
Maxine Kent of SDF announced that extensive improvements to the Thalang shelter are underway and have reached the point where more than 100 dogs can now be transferred from the Phuket City site, which was never intended as a shelter and was not suitable for such a purpose.
Our aim is to find a home for as many dogs as possible, as these dogs make exceptionally loyal pets. We are also building a modern clinic on the site, which will enable us to provide on-site treatment. We will also be able to use volunteer vets in our ongoing sterilization program, which has seen over 14,000 dogs and cats sterilized in less than three years in Phuket alone.
Our objective, to solve the stray dog problem, remains unchanged, and international observers believe we are getting close to performing the number of sterilizations required to achieve this, she said.
However, she noted that funding for the program is running out, and the SDF is forced to rely on local contributions to complete its goal.
We can only finish the task if we can generate sufficient income from local businesses and local people. The only reason we have been able to achieve what we have is overseas investment, mainly as a result of the tsunami, and this has now come to an end.
There are now fewer animals on Phuket than there were when we started our work, but if the residents and businesses of Phuket wish to see an end to stray animals on the island, then they have to realize that this can only be achieved at a cost.
To adopt a dog, call 081-7884222. For more information about the Soi Dog Foundation, call 087-0508688.
PHUKET: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has appointed a committee to try to solve the problem of stray dogs in Phuket.
One main responsibility of the new Stray Dog Committee will be to promote coordination between the various government bodies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who, Gov Udomsak believes, are not cooperating efficiently.
Dr Prasit Koeysiripong, the newly appointed Chairman of one of the NGOs, the Soi Dog Foundation (SDF), along with Sunart Wongvorachart, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO), met with the Governor yesterday morning to discuss how they might encourage all the organizations to work together to solve the stray dog problem.
The Governor, who will chair the committee, appointed Dr Prasit and K. Sunart as his deputies and called for other organizations such as the Phuket Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) to join in.
Dr Prasit told the Gazette that, for a long time now, Phuket has had many organizations looking after stray dogs, both private foundations such as SDF and PAWS, and public bodies such as PPLO and the OrBorJor. Each, he explained, has a different view of how to carry out their work and this has led to disagreement, with groups unable to cooperate.
It is not a good situation if the leaders of each organization are not cooperating with one another. They have also faced communication difficulties because of language problems. Now we hope that each organization will work to understand the others, Dr. Prasit said.
Every year, six to seven million baht is spent on feeding, treating and sterilizing dogs and cats. It is not good to rely forever on donations from the private sector such as hotels or oversea funds. We hope to get state funding in the future, Dr Prasit explained.
I would like to establish an animal hospital because we have many vets in Phuket who could treat all kinds of animals, not just cats and dogs. We could exchange and update knowledge among vets and install a specialist lab. The hospital could care for animals day and night.
[SDF] will continue with its policy of sterilizing stray dogs because we feel it is the best way to reduce their numbers. We have to sterilize more than 10,000 dogs a year if we are to be successful, he added.
Dr Prasit said that he hoped to see controls on irresponsible dog owners as well. I think an important measure in solving the stray-dog problem is making owners responsible for their pets.
Dog owners should set up an area of their house or garden for their dogs, as people do in other countries. In other countries owners are even expected to clean up afterward if their dog defecates in a public place, he explained.
Soi Dogs President resigns
PHUKET: The Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) announced today that co-founder and President Margot Homburg Park has resigned from the organization for personal reasons.
In a statement, the SDF said that Mrs Parks resignation has been regretfully accepted by the board.
Vice-President John Dalley said, Her contribution to relieving the problems of the islands stray dog population cannot be overstated. She will be greatly missed.
Dr Prasit Koeysiripong has agreed to succeed Mrs Park as President.
The SDF statement said, [Dr Prasit] is highly respected in the community, and is seen by the rest of the board as the ideal person to lead the SDF as it continues its efforts to rid Phuket humanely of unwanted animals, and to relieve the suffering of its stray population.
Dog volunteers get awards
Gill Dalley: honoured for her courage and dedication to animal welfare
Phuket’s animals have been in the news this past month both locally and internationally, for reasons both good and not-so-good.
On the good side, at the three-day international conference for animals held in Singapore last month, which was attended by politicians, the media and representatives from organizations around the world, Phuket’s Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) and its volunteers received no fewer than four awards. The foundation itself received the prestigious Elizabeth Lewyt Award, and another one from the Humane Society for its post-tsunami work with animals in the region.
In addition, the late Leone Cosens, who sacrificed her own life trying to assist others during the tsunami, was honoured for her years of service to the animals of the island. A permanent memorial plaque is to be erected in the Nai Harn area where she lived and worked.
Gill Dalley was also honoured for her courage and dedication to animal welfare. Gill lost both her lower legs after contracting a rare bacterial infection while retrieving a dog from a flooded field. Returning to Phuket from hospital only five days before the tsunami struck, she was nevertheless immediately involved in both the human and animal relief efforts.
Hong Kong businessman Paul Bartels has promised to donate 300 kilos of dog food a month for the next year in recognition of Gill’s award and he is also providing funds towards the memorial for Leone. Local businessman Paul Moorhouse, chief executive of Layan Gardens, has generously offered to cover any additional costs.
Americans Merritt and Kim Clifton, who edit Animal People newspaper, visited the island immediately after the conference. While here, they toured the island extensively. Using tried and trusted survey methods, they estimated that the island’s total dog population is now around 10,000 animals. A previous census carried out a few years ago put the figure at around 17,000, so it would appear that what many long-term residents have noted is correct: the stray dog population is decreasing as a result of the extensive sterilization programs that has seen several thousand animals de-sexed over the past few years. The Cliftons estimate that, at the current rate of reduction, the stray dog population could be totally under control within three years.
On the negative side, however, they noted a real shortage of wildlife on the island. Many species, they feel, will never return, though they noted that in the hills, many former coconut plantations were being reclaimed by nature – and it is quite likely that some animals and birds will be able to flourish in such areas as a result. They were impressed with what they saw at the SDF clinic, but felt there were major issues at the dog pound. The pound hit the front page of the Gazette again last month. Lack of funding means it will shortly run out of food. The SDF is monitoring the situation and has been providing additional supplies. The organization is currently in negotiation with Nestlé Purina, who had previously donated large amounts of dog and cat biscuits for post-tsunami relief, in the hope that it can supply food at preferential rates. SDF is also seeking to take over the management of the facility.
SDF has asked me to pass on thanks to a number of Gazette readers who made generous donations of both food and money towards their projects. It hopes that, with continued support, it will be able to find a long-term solution to the suffering of stray domestic animals living on the island.
PHUKET:The Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO) on September 16 ordered the Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) in Tambon Rassada to suspend operations on the grounds that it is not in compliance with Thai law because it is not registered under the name of a Thai veterinarian.
PPLO Chief Sunart Wongchawalit told the Gazette that Phuket has up to 17 animal rescue foundations. Under Thai law, each must employ a graduate in veterinary science from a Thai university and be registered with the PPLO. Such permission is generally granted within a week, he said, provided the foundation meets all criteria.
K. Sunart explained that the SDF was the second animal rescue group ordered closed by the PPLO. The other one formerly worked out of Chalong, he said.
He added that the SDF closure was only a warning, but added that the force of law could be applied if the clinic continues to operate without proper licensing.
As for the real reason behind the closure, K. Sunart admitted it was because the SDF had failed to post an apology on its website for comments it formerly posted there critical of the Mid Road Dog Shelter in Thalang, which is run by the PPLO.
“They were even warned by the Thai branch of the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) to remove the comments on the website,” he said.
The Soi Dog Foundation is one of many WSPA-affiliated groups.
“The information was all wrong,” said the Livestock Chief. “They apologized to us on September 16, promising to remove that information from their website and issue an apology. They removed the information, but have yet to post an apology.”
Animal rights advocate Margot Homburg-Park, head of the SDF, said she was shocked by the closure order. She said the SDF clinic would cease operations until it came into compliance, after reapplying under the name of a Thai veterinarian already in their employ.
“I was told we could operate as a clinic until we had formal foundation status, then get the proper license. There is another clinic that doesn’t have a license and they are not closed down,” she said. “So I think there’s a personal issue.”
She said that the clinic was complying with the order by not sterilizing any animals, but that it had a moral obligation to continue caring for the many dogs that had been “dumped” there.
“We have now applied for the license in the name of our Thai vet. All the paperwork has been submitted, so I hope we get the license and can start operating again, because we are losing a lot of time – normally we sterilize 30 animals a day,” she said.
She said WSPA had never complained to them and that the SDF had already apologized to K. Sunart about the website information, which was removed long ago.
“If there is anything wrong, somebody has written a letter to the PPLO complaining about the pound, making very strong statements, and signed that letter "Soi Dog Foundation". But we did not write that letter,” she said.
“We had meetings with the PPLO about ways to help the Mid Road Shelter. Why would I write a letter of complaint?” she said.
Robin Holding, WSPA Asia Region Director, told the Gazette that he had never talked to the SDF directly about the problematic website information.
“I was informed by Roger Lohanan of Thai Animal Guardians [another WSPA-affiliated group] that he had advised Margot to remove the information from the website, otherwise it would make life difficult for SDF – or even have them forced off the island. That’s all I know about it, really,” he said.
