We all know Mendip and his devotion to the good cause, and we also know not everybody gets the credit they deserve.
When it came to choosing 'which' dog, first choice was naturally the boxer as an overall safe bet; from my experience reasonably intelligent yet nutty as they get, people friendly, a goldstar softie with kids, devoted yet ferocious in defence of their kin; downsides come with every breed, dodgy heart which means short life span (9) and with Kim a quick and painless passing (she was playing in the garden, jumped up for something and hit the ground dead); with hindsight that was actually a plus, much better than a slow and painful end.
Another downside that short faced breeds suffer in Thailand would be respiratory problems. And of course cost, anything from 10k for a copy from the local breeding factory to upwards of 30k.
Jack Russell came second, again from experience; great Dane would be nice but out of the question, expensive to buy, and keep, climate is a problem for big breeds while hip dysplacia would almost be guaranteed from a Thai breeder; and same with GShepherd.
But our resident dogman had put 'rescue' in my head, so I asked around and got a stream of negatives from previous owners of rescue dogs. Let's face it there are millions of soi dogs in Thailand, rescue stations are overwhelmed and can do only so much with limited funds, and while the two I visited were inspiring in the sense of something being done, under my conditions they were not just uninspiring but quite off putting.
HopeforStrays up behind soi Country Club was the 3rd I visited, and decided this would be my last before going for a 'proper' dog. I was impressed with what they were doing with so little, but reality is where we have to stay, this wasn't for me, dropped a couple of large ones, got in the car to head home, and almost reversed into a cage of puppies outside of the compound which I hadn't noticed before. That's how coincidences work; every meet is one.
Of the five pups, nothing to choose between them though one stood out with white paws and tail tip, and that was the one the lad decided is going home with us. Just not yet, we had one more hurdle, but she was no match for farang wiles.
So we played it as though taken for granted, got the lad to throw in the occasional tip about puppies, and sealed it a couple weeks later by asking her which pet shop we should go to for the starter kit.
Next visit last Sunday, Jimmy had noticeably grown in those two weeks, and we arranged to pick him up today, a school holiday.
Not exactly sure where it is, up beyond soi Country Club and no doubt a local would be more specific. Couple hundred metres off the road, seemingly into nowhere if you didn't know it's there.
Past a mun patch...
Nobody visible when we arrived, and the welcome committee was these vicious beasts on day release.
Phone call and the boss arrived. This is Som, she runs the place, self taught vet, does her own vaccinations, stitches up bodies of injured dogs or those being eaten alive from inside, often at the scene, and also minor ops; vets are too expensive so she improvises. Last count was 22x dogs under her care, 16x at the compound and 61 at her home which must take some doing, she's in hock up to her eyeballs, and deserves either a medal or a straightjacket.
One shot of the inside, smells awesome if you're a dog otherwise not keen, flies and bugs everywhere, the spirit is high but there's only so much the body can do without the oxygen of hard cash.
First let’s get rid of a few ticks, by the dozen. Billions of flies, ticks of course, and whatever else breeds under these conditions, as before hygiene is not top priority, that costs money so Som does the best she can with meagre funds from official sources, and they look forward to farang visitors to chip in with time and baht.
We're going home...not yet.
First the vet for a checkup, blood test etc.
He had picked this up from a resident bruiser that managed to get into the pup box.
A few minutes later safe at his new home but first things first, straight into the shower...
Then literally home and dry