Last month, our team in Thailand were alerted to an incredibly distressing case of neglect by a former volunteer who knew something had to be done to help these poor animals. He told us of two dogs caged up at a nearby property, where the owner had left them in such a tiny filthy space and rarely visited the house. He simply did not care about them. Ian, our Director of Operations at WVS Thailand had only a few hours to scramble together a rescue team after negotiations with the owner did not go successfully.
Things moved very quickly in this rescue as we only had a very narrow window of opportunity to rescue these dogs but thankfully our team were able to respond. What they saw was a terrible situation: both dogs were crammed in to a tiny cage that was covered in faeces and dirt, they had no food or access to water and their fur was so long and matted, it had gathered into clumps made worse by their appalling living conditions. This was one of the worst cases of neglect our team have seen and they did everything they could to get these dogs out of their situation.
To start with, Grace and Celia, as they were later named by our team, seemed very unsure about life outside of the cage and they were very unsteady on their feet, struggling to walk on the solid ground after so long manoeuvring the wire bottom of their cage.
On arrival back at the ITC, they were immediately cleaned up by our veterinary team and volunteers and thankfully were not suffering from any major infections or disease. We cut off most of their filthy matted coats and they already looked so much better!
They were soon going out on walks with our volunteers, playing in the large open grounds of our shelter and even learning how to get along with other dogs. It is miraculous how a little love and care from our team has turned these abused pets into bouncy lovable dogs.
We have been astounded by the support from the local community and how so many people have fallen in love with this rescue story. Grace has already been adopted by a local family and Celia is currently at a loving foster home while she waits to find her new forever home.
A quote from Ian Clarke, Director of Operations at WVS Thailand, is:“After a quickly planned rescue, the dogs were safely in our care and immediately cleaned up by staff and volunteers. We are amazed at how quickly they bounced back from their ordeal and both Grace and Celia have become instant favourites at the shelter. Last week their coats had grown out enough to get them a proper salon cut and present them to the world at large. The response was almost instant, as Grace went off to her new home this afternoon and Celia will go to a foster home tomorrow until she too is adopted.”
A quote from Luke Gamble, WVS CEO, is:“I am truly inspired by Grace and Celia’s staggering recovery after such a devastating start to life. It is all thanks to the commitment and compassion of our Thailand team and I am so proud of all that they have done for Grace and Celia and the hundreds of other dogs that come through our shelter. The support for this case has been incredible and I would like to thank everybody involved in helping us rescue dogs like these two.”