Expats And Citizens Urged To Help Phuket’s Famous Soi Dog Foundation

Phuket’s Soi Dog Foundation is hoping to avoid the devastating effects of the holiday island’s coronavirus lockdown by bringing in huge quantities of dog and cat food.

Dog and cat lovers both in Thailand and in many other world countries including the USA all admire the dedicated efforts of the Soi Dog Foundation to rescue, care for and re-home as many as possible of the country’s stray and abandoned dogs and cats. As with the many other pet rescue charities across the country, its much-needed revenues mostly come from the general public’s donations or from their sponsor-a-dog scheme. In these troubled times, money is short and the lockdown is causing problems with obtaining and delivering the huge quantities of dog and cat food needed.

The organisation is non-profit making and is supported by pet-lovers in a number of Western countries including the UK, Canada, Australia and Switzerland, the USA and France. Legally registered in all the supporting countries, the charity first became known for its rescuing of stray dogs being trucked to nearby countries to be killed and eaten. Nowadays, the threat to its hundreds of pets is real, as the island’s strict lockdown will make its efforts far more difficult, hence the massive food-drop operation to ensure supplies don’t run out.

The closure of Phuket’s restaurants and the lack of tourists caused by the pandemic has meant stray dogs and cats don’t get to eat visitors’ leftovers and are now moving towards the many temples or entering housing complexes. Soi Dog officials are encouraging Phuket residents to feed and provide fresh water for street dogs in their areas, thus making sure they don’t starve during the prolonged lockdowns.

Adoptions by both expats and Thais is on hold due to travel restrictions, although enquiries can still be made and donations via their website are always welcome. Dogs have been humans’ best friends for thousands of years, needing nothing in return but love and a home, and will always be there for us no matter how desperate the situation.