All of Our Dogs Are A Success Story
There are some stories that are more friendly to social media than others, some dogs are definitely cuter than others, but the fact is every dog that resides at Second Chance Dog Shelter was in a life and death situation. They are alive because the team at Second Chance saved them, so in that regard they are all successes. The staff are working at 100% , so the help from the volunteers is essential to the dogs too. There is no government funding of any kind for dog shelters here in Thailand, so the very existence of Second Chance is a success. Without the donations from kind and generous people who love dogs, it would be impossible. Every achievement is really against the odds here, 8 years of succeeding against the odds. Other shelters in the area have closed down and been forced to move away to cheaper rents, but that leaves a bigger burden on Second Chance to support dogs in need in the Pattaya area.
No 1 Jessy- The Distemper Survivor
She is at number 1 because she is Adrian the founder of Second Chance Dog Shelters favorite dog. She is almost symbolic of the Shelter in many ways. She was only 3 months old when she caught Distemper, the prognosis was not good, she was expected to not last long. So just like Second Chance she was up against it from day one. Well the prediction of not having a long life has been dispelled as she’s 6 years old now and going strong, she’s handicapped and obviously so, but the first thing you notice when you meet her is she is Incredibly happy. When Adrian arrives at the shelter every day (and every day means every day, 7 days a week, whether its a boiling hot summers day in Thailand or torrential rain) little Jessy goes crazy barking until he picks her up for her cuddle. She is a happy happy soul, a true success story.
No2 Street Dog to Old Age Shelter Dog
This is the story of uncle Ding Dong, like many other dogs in Thailand he lived on the streets, or in Uncle Ding Dongs case he lived on a beach. Volunteers fed him and kept an eye on him, he is a very good natured dog and had quite the life. Then he got sick and nobody knew where he was, for several days he was missing. Old age caught up with him ( he’s 14 ) and he couldn’t move, he was laying in his own mess and no one helped him. When he was finally found by volunteers he was taken to the vets and then brought back to Second Chance to see out the rest of his days. He has problems emptying his bladder and volunteers and staff at the shelter every day gently press on it to help him. His beach roaming days are over, but he has a bed, his dinner and his dignity, and everyday he is shown love and affection. A real success story.
No 3 Indi – Island Rescue
Indi the puppy was only a few months old when Second Chance got a call from a concerned tourist. Her eye was hanging out and she was very sick, she was also on an island, so Adrian and a few volunteers got on a boat and went in search on Gok Larn to find her. She was luckily quickly located, so back on a boat to the Thai mainland and off to the vets. She is blind in her eye, and presently she needs eye drops every 30 minutes in the hope that her sight can be restored. So when people ask is volunteering at a dog shelter in Thailand rewarding, imagine being able to tell people the story of the time you jumped in a speedboat and went on a search on a beautiful island to find an injured puppy, then cared for the puppy until its health was restored.
These stories aren’t unusual , Indi and Uncle Ding Dong were both rescued in the last few months. It’s good for the blog that I get a constant supply of success stories to write about. However for the dog shelter, it’s quite the burden as it hurts the finances as the level of care these cases require is far more than a fit and healthy dog, and the medication is expensive. It’s why we are so dependant on donations and volunteers. So if you can donate , thank you. If you can volunteer , we look forward to seeing you. If not please share this blog so more people learn about what we do !