Day 227- 233 The first day at Soi Dog was very interesting!
At breakfast I noticed that two girls from my hostel wanted to go to Soi Dog. Great! I have to say, the animal shelter is really well organized! There is even a pick-up service for the volunteers! There are "pick-up points" at certain locations. One of them is around the corner from my hostel. When you arrive at the animal shelter you are given instructions. You are assigned to certain enclosures and our only job is to walk the dogs, pet them and play with them. Since there are over 1000 animals in the animal shelter, not all of them can go out at the same time and for long. We are instructed to walk one dog for about 20 minutes and then pick up the next one.
Here you can see which enclosure you are assigned to. Of course there are lots of lines!
There are even QR codes for the enclosures! You then see a picture of the dogs, with a short description of what they like, are allowed to do, or are not allowed to do (for example, the animal may not be allowed in the pool for medical reasons). Equipped with a leash, you then go to the enclosure. There the animal keeper then lets the dogs out. There are a few free-range enclosures on the grounds where the dogs can be let off the leash and run around a lot. There are lots of paths and - as already mentioned - a dog pool! There are also rooms for cats
In the afternoon, each of us has a special dog from solitary confinement. It sounds harsh, but it's true. These dogs are kept alone because they don't get along in packs. My female dog is called Elewisa and is a little powerhouse. Unfortunately, she bites other dogs. The first thing I do is take her to an outdoor enclosure so she can run around properly. Only then does she realise that she is not alone and comes over for a cuddle. She also loves the pool. She runs in up to her belly, dips her head in the water and then shakes it really hard. It looks very funny!
The stable lady Elewisa What all dogs have in common is a sad past. Someone didn't want them, or they were born on the street. Some were hit by cars and had to have a leg amputated. Many are shy and even fearful. One time a dog didn't want to go with me and the animal keeper had to help me. Another dog came with me, but I took off my rain jacket. How could I! After that the dog was only afraid of my jacket. I found Wolfy the most tragic. He lived with a leash or something around his neck that was far too tight. That had cut deep into the tissue, probably down to the bone. I've seen pictures that I'll spare you. But let me put it this way: his head was only half attached. No wonder that Wolfy, after surviving the world of pain, still can't trust people. The keeper had to take me to the outdoor enclosures and there Wolfy was actually just standing at the door and wanted to go back. Poor guy. Tripod after an accident Wolfy, the scar on his neck is clearly visible (the wound was about 2-3 cm wide, the fact that it is such a fine scar now is admirable) and his tail is tucked in with fear. I met really nice people and we had a lot of fun together!
Ivar actually came to my hostel on Tuesday. The separation didn't last very long! His place was very touristy and he didn't feel comfortable. There were no waves for surfing either. Since I raved about my hostel and felt comfortable here, he came too! Ivar and I spent Saturday on the beach. The waves were really big! Being washed around in them a bit was OK, but that was all we could do! Unfortunately, the waves washed away the waterproof sunscreen pretty quickly. We got sunburned. Ivar's head was so bright that I called him Mr. Lamp. So we stayed indoors the next day. In the evening we drove to another beach that was quieter and went swimming after sunset.
