* * * UPDATE * * *
March 2013
Sasha has been adopted by a loving family in Wisconsin!
She said goodbye to her foster mom, Patarin, and journeyed to Chicago this past week, arriving here on Wednesday, April 17.
She was welcomed to the United States by Dawn, myself, and Ayize at O'Hare Airport - a very happy day, despite the historical deluge of rain flooding our region.
She quickly overcame her shyness at her intimidating surroundings (we received them in a cargo area amid large machinery and lots of noise) and immediately came out of her crate, wagging, to greet us and her old pal Kikku.
She enjoyed being cuddled, kissed, and held - and even willingly accompanied us out into soaking rain, thunder, and lightning to do her business.
After a quick check up by the vet, the girls stayed two nights with Dawn before setting off on a grand adventure to be united with their forever families.
Here is Sasha with her new parents, Linda and Louie Knopps.
Tropical Sasha arrived in the midst of a snow storm...and believe it or not, she loved it!
Sasha is now living it up in her lovely new home with her wonderful mom and dad, and her doggie sister, yellow lab Sandy. She enjoys an enormous fenced-in yard, complete with its own areas of wooded forest, plenty of space to explore, and lots of small critters to chase.
Sasha is one lucky doggie!
Thank you to all who made this possible, from Patarin and the Magic 10 Club for pulling, transporting, vetting, and fostering Sasha; to Dawn at ISDF for finding her forever people and facilitating her adoption; to kind-hearted international supporters who generously donated to help cover her costs; to Sasha's adoring new family who welcomed her with open arms.
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My name is Sasha.
I'm young, with my whole life ahead of me, and I dream that I can spend it surrounded by kind, loving people who like cuddling and petting me as much as I love to be cuddled and petted. Devotion is my middle name.
Now I just need to find someone looking for the kind of love that only a little survivor like me is capable of.
I am a victim of the dog meat trade.
I grew up on the streets of Thailand, in a "survival of the fittest" climate, where I had to fend for food and avoid many dangers.
One day, some men approached me and tossed a wire lasso over my head. They threw me in a small cage with many other dogs. It was cramped and I thought I would suffocate, as it was so overcrowded. The truck sat in the jungle for a couple of days before they made a run for the Vietnam border. During this time, I was not given food or water, and suffered in my cramped quarters. Again, I feared for my life - many dogs around me perished.
Then - to my surprise - I was rescued by some caring individuals and government officials. I was taken from my cage and herded into a large dog kennel at the government-run Khemmarat livestock shelter. Although my life was marginally-better once I was freed from that wire cage, we suffered from widespread disease and massive overcrowding. Food was scarce, we were practically one on top of the other, dog fights were frequent, and there was no medical attention available. Once again, I was surrounded by terrible suffering and watched as my fellow dogs died around me at a rapid rate.
Luck once more intervened, and kind Patarin spotted me and removed me from the shelter, transporting me to for veterinary care in Bangkok.
I was given proper food and saw a veterinarian for medical care. For the first time, I saw there might be a light at the end of the tunnel.
In my foster home in Bangkok with Patarin, I was shown kindness and affection. It was a glimpse into a life I never knew existed: one with a home and family to call my own, where I will never know fear again.
It's a life I so desperately want now…but one which will be brand-new to me and often confusing.
I have so much to learn about life as a pet dog. I know I can do it - I've made it this far already! - but please, won't you gently show me the ropes, and have patience with me when I make missteps sometimes, as I surely will? In return, I will repay you a thousandfold.
I just need a fair chance at a life I could only dream of when I was that frightened dog, crammed into a crate, baking alive in the tropical heat, who had given up all hope.
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