My experience at Care For Dogs, Chiang Mai

Emily

This was my best day in Chiang Mai… Actually this was my best day in Thailand… Perhaps my best day in the whole of SEA.

After a week in Pai, we arrived back in Chiang Mai and I was in search of things to see/do. My biggest passion in life is dogs, so when I came across the the Care For Dogs foundation online, I was very excited. Unfortunately for me you have to of had a recent rabies shot to be able to volunteer and I’ve never had one. Thankfully though Tatiana, the Volunteer Coordinator offered for me to come in and meet the dogs and see what they do. I’ve been to a dogs home before but seeing one in another country was fascinating.

The team at Care For Dogs (CFD) were so friendly and happy for people to come and have a look. I was welcomed with a lot of smiles and directed to the office to meet up with Tatiana. She gave me a tour of the dogs home and told me a little more of what they do.

At the moment, there are two shelters in Chiang Mai which home 120 dogs. Walking around the shelter I could see that there was a lot of work involved and was in awe of the work CFD do. Not only do they care for the dogs in the shelters, they also take in the locals’ dogs for any veterinary procedures for free, they travel around schools to educate pupils on what they do and the importance of their work, and they never turn down a dog in need.

The CFD’s slogan is, “Saving the world may not change the world but surely, the world will change for that one dog”. As I was being shown around, it was clear to me that they were true to their words. I met dogs of all ages in a variety of different health conditions. There was no shortage of hope here and the team were brilliant.

Thelma was blind, had many lumps and bumps and unfortunately skin cancer, but was clearly happy, comfortable and loved. She had the life that every dog deserves. A lot of love, a lot of walkies and a lot of chicken and treats. I know I shouldn’t have a favourite, but Thelma was mine.

After a tour of the shelter, we went for a walk with the older puppies. They were so excited and full of life. We had six dogs between us and it was great fun. I definitely wore the wrong shoes though. Flip flops + mud + excited pupper = mud shower. Oops, should of wore trainers.

Once the walkies were done, I was shown the bathing process. Two of the volunteers worked together to bath Charlie. At first he wasn’t sure so one person held and comforted him whilst the other gently washed him. Just like any other dog, once bath time was over he was ecstatic. It was time for treats and a quick walk in the sun to dry off.

Treats can be a great secret weapon when you’re trying to keep dogs calm. Apart from when they figure out where the treats are kept…

I had a fantastic experience at Care For Dogs and would recommend any one travelling to a Chiang Mai to visit. I’d like to thank the team again for having me there. I had a great day and I am so grateful for the experience.

You can check out their website here where you can find out more about them and read some of their success stories. Some of the dogs they have helped are unrecognisable. You can also donate with PayPal which only takes a few clicks. This is a non-profit organisation so every bit really does help and it’s an incredible cause.

Published by Emily

A strong love and passion for travel, dogs, coffee, dogs and motorbikes. Yes, I did say dogs twice.

40 Comments

  9. Hi Emily,

    Sounds like an adventure for your furry friends went great. Very cool to see animals well treated because in some countries they are food not friends.

    Thanks for sharing,

    Gary

    On Fri, Oct 20, 2017 at 5:09 AM The Blog of Travel wrote:

    > Emily posted: “This was my best day in Chiang Mai… Actually this was my > best day in Thailand… Perhaps my best day in the whole of SEA. After a > week in Pai, we arrived back in Chiang Mai and I was in search of things to > see/do. My biggest passion in life is dogs, so” >

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    1. Hi Gary,

      We saw a bit of that in Vietnam. A bit unsettling to see when we cherish our dogs so much but that’s just the way it is I guess.

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  13. This is great! It’s so easy to be overwhelmed by global issues, and so inspiring to find people following their passions and making good things happen. Thanks for the focus and hope.

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  19. A friend of mine were volounteering on a place like that when she travelled this spring…hm …wonder if it was Chang mai… She’s in India now and I think she did that there too 🙂 she’s doing a lot of things, haha, not just caring for dogs. But that’s one thing 🙂 it’s Hard work, but gives a lot! Emmaontheway.com is her blog.

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  22. Taking a volunteer “vacation” is on my bucket list. Would love to travel internationally and help an animal shelter out. Good to know about the rabies shots! Looks like it was an awesome experience!

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  23. Well-written, informative and captivating post.
    So good to see animals loved and cared for.
    Thanks for being a dog person.

    Seek peace,

    Paz

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  24. This looks amazing! So good to spend some time giving back when you’re on the road. I’m definitely going to look into this for when I’m out there in a few months.

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  25. WHAT GOOD DOGGOS. I’ve been thinking about going to Dogs in Brazil – but if there is one in Chiang Mai that’s much closer. It’s so wonderful and wholesome that you went and did volunteer work during your vacation. Great Post! I’m gonna start looking into it more 🙂

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