Checking in with the Tiger Cave Temple dogs
It's been a rough past year for the 100+ stray dogs that call the Tiger Cave Temple complex their home because there has been a massive amount of construction going on as they refurbish the housing and grounds in what kind of appears to be a never-ending process. These dogs never did have very much, but a lot of their shade and shelter has been torn down and the dogs of course do not understand what is going on and they are afraid.
The workers have a job to do though and they can be a bit rough on the dogs who are simply trying to go back to what they consider to be their home.
We have been working to try to encourage the dogs to find a new place to lie down rather than bark at and fight the workers because that is a battle the dogs will not win. While most Thai people are kind to animals, if a dog continues to get in the way of their job or is aggressive towards them, the workers will respond with much more aggressive force.
We have been making the rounds making certain that they have enough to eat and also checking for health problems in the meantime. For the dogs that are refusing to relocate we sweeten the pot by putting sausages in their bowls to try to encourage them to move to another spot.
Of course they all get really excited and we have to be quite careful so as to avoid any fights over food. Relax guys! We have more than enough for everyone!
Since this has been a primary focus of our efforts for several years now, the dogs here are in extremely good shape for a homeless pack their size and you can always tell when a dog is well fed when they are kind of picky about what they will eat. Some of the dogs just eat the sausage and then turn their noses up at the kibbles. Well, no worries I guess because there are other dogs in the same vicinity that don't have these choosy ways and are more than happy to clean their plates for them.
We also come bearing special treat gifts and all but a few of the particularly fussy dogs are very happy to get this.
As I have mentioned many times in the past I get a great deal of joy about the fact that the entire pack of dogs seem to recognize both the look and sound of my truck and will come running to the parking area when they see and hear me coming. They do not do this for the other cars so for any tourist that is visiting it must be pretty amusing to them that all of a sudden all of the dogs' ears perk up and as a group they all rush to the parking lot just for me.
This was kind of a New Year treat for them as we do not have the funds to always provide a meal of this magnitude. I know they love it and it makes me feel really good to see them all enjoying the special meal as much as they do.
One thing that was really good news is that according to the live-on-site monks that reside at the Tiger Cave Temple complex, there have been no additional drop-offs of unwanted dogs at the temple, and there are currently zero unsterilized females in the pack. While I didn't inspect all of the dogs due to lack of time I didn't notice any parasite infestations or wounds that could be from a fight or getting hit by a vehicle.
That's one heck of a winning day in our world!
If you would like to see how you can help out or simply spread the word, please visit our website at
http://krabianimalwelfare.org
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