Buying a pet not only supports breeding farms where animals are often horribly mistreated but robs animals in shelters of a chance to find a nice home. Here, over 20 kind-hearted pet owners who adopted instead of buying tell their four-legged friends' stories.

Supida Fakmeetong with Grace and Songkran

“Grace was rescued from dog traders in Nakhon Panom. She looked so depressed when I saw her at the shelter. Her ear and tail were cut off. Her eyes told it all, so I decided to adopt her. As for Songkran, he was hit by a car when he was just a puppy. A motorist thought he was dead and tried to drag his body off the road. He found that Songkran was still breathing, so he took him to the hospital and sent a photo to a group that helps dogs. I decided to adopt him right away. His left leg still can’t move fully, but he’s really active. I beg people to consider adopting these rescued dogs because they deserve better. People always have this misconception that a dog with a tough upbringing will be aggressive. This is not true. Just choose those that are well-behaved.”

Supkanya Tripwattana and Clay Hemmerich with Blackjack

“We met Blackjack in Soi Ari. At first we thought she was dead because she was lying on the ground and not moving. When we went to check, we noticed she was badly injured. We didn’t know what had happened to her. It was quite late at night so we decided to take her to the vet. They said she might have been hurt by a person, because there was no sign that she had been bitten by a dog or hit by car. We actually didn’t want another cat, but leaving her on the streets again wasn’t an option, so we decided to adopt her. She've gotten breast cancer too but she is fat and fine now.”

Arom Petcharat with Srithong

“Srithong was dumped by someone along with her kittens at an abandoned building. Her kittens died because they were hit by cars and attacked by dogs. One day, as she was running away from a dog, Srithong slipped from the third floor of a building. The fall paralized her. Someone found her and the Pantip.com community took her to the hospital and nursed her until she got a bit better. I decided to adopt her because otherwise she would die as she couldn't walk anymore. I still have to push her stomach twice a day to make her defecate.”

Jess Barnes and Sasithon Wattanasin with Daisy

“We once bought a dog from Chatuchak Market, a pug called Khaofang, before we realized that it’s bad to support such terrible businesses. When she died after being hit by a car, we knew we wanted a new dog and that this time it must be a stray one. We saw an ad that there was a shelter for dogs near a temple in Nonthaburi. We met Daisy and her siblings there, but we decided to take her because Sasy fell in love with her eyes. I named her after my grandmother. We just took her to get spayed to do our bit to help stop the stray dog problem. People love pets when they are young and cute. But the truth is, having a pet is a commitment for life.”

Korawee Sapmanee with Olive

“I saw Olive’s story posted on the Unidog page after she was rescued by Adopt Me Please. Olive had been abused by her previous owners. Her first owner abandoned her because their dorm didn't allow dogs. Then Olive lived with another guy who hit her when he was in a bad mood. When I visited her at the vet it was love at first sight! She’s the most loved in our family now.”

Thidarat Suwannarach with Thung Nil & Kamuk Kamua

“Thung Nil was a stray but then some people locked her up in a chicken coop because they thought she looked pretty and they didn’t want her to escape. My friend, Mae Ginny from Rak Maw, and I decided to rescue her after one of the other cats they had in there was eaten by a monitor lizard. As for Kamuk Kamua, she is the reason we don’t support buying pets from irresponsible breeders. The conditions at the American Shorthair farm where we found him were really terrible. They fed the cats dirty, old cat food and forced Kamuk Kamua’s mother to keep breeding all year round. When Kamuk Kamua was born, he had no patterns like his siblings, so the owner was going to let him starve to death. I couldn’t stand that so I bought all six kittens and I take care of all of them. I heard that the owner has stopped running the farm because she got colon cancer. It might be karma.”

Rungnapa Chan with Thongsuk

“I followed the Rak Maw project and saw that Thongsuk had been taken in suffering from feline distemper. He had diarrhea and some bleeding. It was a life or death situation for him. But he’s a real fighter! I decided to shelter him after he was released from hospital. But I fell in love with him. He really buttered me up. I’d just lost one of my cats, so thought it best to adopt another one in need.”

Tan Onwimon with Boobie and Audi

“I rescued Boobie from the expressway when I was driving home late one night about two months ago. I noticed him running along the road all by himself but I’d already passed him by. I felt I couldn’t let him run around in a dangerous place like that, so I decided to pay the toll twice to go back and find him. He was freaked out by me and ran out into the fast lane. I was freaked out too! I didn’t want to be responsible for him getting hit by a car, but it took me a while to persuade him to come with me. He now lives with my other four dogs. Another adopted one is Audi, who I got from Adopt Me Please. When I walked into the shelter, I asked them which one had been there the longest. They said Audi. He just sat in the cage unresponsively unlike the other dogs. It was like he knew he was never getting out of there. I didn’t what any dog to be like that so I took him home. He's really active now!”

Praorujee Kanthasorn with Omo

“Omo was abandoned at a temple. The Adopt Me Please people rescued him as he didn’t get along well with the other dogs there. He was too old to fight with the stronger dogs. He stayed at the shelter for eight months waiting for a new home. No one wanted him because he’s really mischievous, but my mom wanted a new companion for our old dog and she specifically wanted a fluffy-haired one. I showed her a picture of him and she said yes. He really gets along well with our Bang Gaew who is normally aggressive with others. We were surprised by this. They play all the time and love jumping in the pond.”

Orawan Assavavichai with Charlie

“I used to think it was better to adopt a young dog as it would love and obey you more than an older one. But Charlie made me realize that it isn’t true at all. He had been looking for a home for nearly a year after he was rescued from dog traders at Nakhon Panom. After I lost one of my dogs, I decided to go meet him at the shelter. Straight away he jumped up to me like he already knew me. After thinking it over for days, I decided to adopt him. He gets on well with my two dogs and really, really loves me. Maybe he’s just grateful to have gotten a second chance. He’s blind in one eye and has already been through a lot. I advise people to not just choose a dog just because they are cute. There are so many ones in need—they just need a warm home.”

Tanyapat Kitipaisalnon with Pla Ngern

“Pla Ngern’s mom lived at a massage shop, but when the owner moved they just left her behind. When the new contractor came to renovate the place, they poisoned the cats. We were only able to rescue Pla Ngern and Pla Thong. Unfortunately, Pla Thong didn’t survive. Now Pla Ngern lives with me, my one other cat and three dogs. They all get along very well.”

2 Magazine with Tuna

“Tuna was found in the driveway to 2 Magazine's townhouse office a little over a year ago before he was taken in by girls in the office. Some staff tried to take him home but their places wouldn’t allow pets. So Tuna is now a permanent part of our office, and even has his own column in the magazine where he interviews other celebrity Bangkok cats.”

Nattaporn Achasappawat with Sasay

“Sasay stayed at a temple and was barely surviving on scraps from a nearby khao man gai vendor. When Mae Ginny [from Rak Maw] took her in, she had parasites, an eye infection and inflamed gums. But after he was treated for three months, I decided to take him home with me.”

Chanantida Khaocharoen with Namtal

“Namtal was a stray dog in Nakhon Pathom when she was hit by a car, which shattered her pelvis. It was feared she would never walk again. She was in hospital for a long time, then adopted. I don’t know what happened there, but soon she was in need of another home. My sister, who lives in Australia, followed the Unidog page and called me to say I should adopt Namtal. She was so skinny when she came to us and scared of everything. Luckily we have many dogs who helped her adapt and now her legs are much better as she runs around every day.”

Tom Van Blarcom with Zippy and Co.

"We have seven dogs now. At one point, we were up to 12. It just sort of happened. Zippy was dumped on the soi, with a cut so deep you could see the bone. Then a friend called us about a litter of soi dogs on their soi. Then one got pregnant, and we kept three of those, placed two in the US.  Another one I just saw in a soi, she'd been hit by a car and her hip was shattered. So we got her fixed up and kept her. Then I found one in the middle of Rama 3. I had to get a cop to stop traffic to catch her. She was pregnant and she gave birth to three more puppies. I kept one and Soi Dog Foundation placed the other two. All our dogs sleep in the bedroom, but my husband put an end to them sleeping with me in the bed."

Where to Adopt

Unidog
unidogthailand@gmail.com, www.facebook.com/unidog
Rak Maw: Generosity for Stray Cats
rakmaw@gmail.com, www.rakmaw.com and www.facebook.com/catroompantip
Adopt Me Please, Rescued from the Dog Meat Trade
adopt_me_please@hotmail.com, http://on.fb.me/ZmIMbT
Doglike.com: Just Share For A Home
02-860-1142 ext. 52, http://bit.ly/WgUGXX
Home for Handicapped Animals Foundation
02-584-4896, 02-961-5625, www.home4animals.org
Thai Animal Guardians Association
02-373-2886, 02-728-1658, www.thaiaga.org
Dog Chance
02-258-7097, www.dogchance.com
Soi Dog Foundation
081-788-4222, info@soidog.org, www.soidog.org
SOS Animals Thailand
086-303-9806, sos.animals.th@gmail.com, www.facebook.com/SOS.Animals.Thailand
The Voice for Animal
085-912-2777, www.facebook.com/thevoiceforanimals
Pueng Khang Tanon
086-602-3482, www.facebook.com/midroadlover
Dog Nation Team
www.facebook.com/dognationteam
We are finding home for dogs
081-702-2708, 081-868-9521, www.facebook.com/WeAreFindingHomeForDogs

Advertisement

Leave a Comment