Lamyai/Gypsy (Adopted!)

*** UPDATE!! ***

December 2014
Lamyai left the WSK dog condo in early November. She throughly enjoyed being pampered at her foster home in Bangkok with Soot Liang Woo where she experienced life as a 'house dog' for the first time ever. 



Soot reported that Lamyai was as lovely as ever and had a sweet, gentle, superb character - quiet and a bit shy, but very gentle and trusting with people. She did great with Soot's other dogs despite her long confinement at WSK. 
And she had a silly streak! Soot sent us this video of Lamyai being playful for possibly the first time ever in her life, since she was finally in a safe and calm environment - it touched our hearts to see it. 
We are so very grateful to Soot for all she has done for this deserving little girl. Lamyai's life has made a complete 180-degree turn because she intersected with this angel on earth, who steered her in a course that seemed impossible one and a half years ago, when her fate appeared to be a very long life in a very small cage.
Hats off to you, Sooty, for once again coming through to save a dog in urgent need!!

* * * * *

A wonderful couple - AJ and Max, right here in Chicago - read Lamyai's tragic story and contacted ISDF about adopting her. Upon learning that she was all ready to fly but still needed funds to travel, they reached out to friends and family who answered their call for help immediately and generously.
Within days, Lamyai's new parents and their "village" had fully fundraised the entire amount needed to pay off Lamyai's medical bills, import fees, travel paperwork, and flight costs. 
Hats off to the inspiring dedication of her new family, who knocked our socks off with their commitment and resolve to save this sweet girl they had yet to even meet!
Within days of reaching out to us, Lamyai was on her way...

Lamyai arrived at O'Hare Airport on Monday, December 1 along with New Delhi sisters Bella and Heidi who came in on a different flight at the same time. All three were joyfully greeted by Dawn and Chuck.

All three girls headed to the veterinarian's office for a quick checkup where they were lovingly welcomed by our veterinarian and her staff. 



The puppies befriended shy Lamyai there, though she was so tired from her journey that she preferred to cuddle in Chuck's arms over any other activity.



Chuck brought Lamyai - who is now named Gypsy - to her adoptive parents AJ and Max in Chicago the following afternoon. It was a warm and long-awaited meeting for her new family!



Here is Gypsy settling into her new digs. She seemed to be saying, "Toys? What are toys?? Ohhhhh. Toys are FUN!"

Happy, loved, free from confinement, and SAFE at long last! Gypsy cuddling with her new daddy upon whom she has decided the sun rises and sets. 
Oh Gypsy - how we have waited for this moment - you have realized a dream for so many people around the world who love you…

Thank you to all who made this possible, from Soot Liang Woo for saving this dear girl from WSK's dog condo; to international supporters of Soot's work and ISDF for donating towards her flight fund; to the Wilton-Iniguez family for welcoming dear Gypsy into their hearts and home with open arms.

* * * * * 

My name is Lamyai.

It's a mysterious name, the Chinese word for "dragon eyes" - and mine certainly are two of the deepest liquid amber pools you will ever lose yourself in. 
But it's also the name of a popular fruit in Asia. And like the fruit, I too am sweet to my core. One taste and you will be hooked. Or so I dream...

My story began alongside my beloved sister, Linchi (Chinese for lychee) when we were born in the streets on the outskirts of Bangkok.
Our area attracts many drifting immigrants looking for work. Unfortunately, a large number of these people hail from neighboring nations where eating dogs is commonplace. We were trusting of strangers and would approach anyone who called out to us. 
While this earned us many pats and tossed tidbits, it also brought us to the attention of a local kind-hearted animal lover. She knew that our location was one of several hotspots for dog meat trade smugglers who seek out easy prey for the capture, to be transported and sold across the border for slaughter and consumption. It broke her heart to imagine Linchi and I trussed, bound, and moments from being prepared for someone's dinner plate, so she collected us both and began looking for a safe place to shelter us.

Concerned for our safety and with few options, she brought us here to the Wat Suan Keaw (WSK)'s so-called Dog Condo, approximately one hour outside of Bangkok. Though WSK's two dedicated animal-loving caretakers do their best to shelter over 1500 of us who have been brought here over the years, it is a gargantuan task. As a result, many of us unintentionally dwindle in miserable, perpetual confinement, often for our whole lives.

I was one of those dogs. 
For my entire life - I am approximately one and a half years old - I have been confined to a small cage with bent bars that is partially suspended off the ground.



I am gentle, sweet, meek and submissive - and hence, often in the crosshairs of stronger, more dominant dogs. Here, kibble is sometimes scattered haphazardly on the soiled concrete ground so dogs with food aggression issues targeted me. Linchi and I were too young and small (at first) and too gentle (as we aged) to properly defend ourselves. Adding to that, we were not yet spayed at the time, and no one wanted more puppies underfoot. 
The WSK caretakers thought it safer and healthier for us to stay in a cage, as so many of us do. And because there are hundreds and hundreds of us and never enough time for us all, this cage became our tiny, cramped jail. 

We lived in here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except on the very rare occasion when one of the handful of WSK volunteers had a spare second free to take one of us out for a momentary cuddle…

…but then we had to return to our "prison" when it was time for them to go home again.
As if life wasn't sad enough, my sister Linchi - always weaker than I in body - contracted a high fever. She fought valiantly, but in the end, she crossed the Rainbow Bridge. And my broken heart had to tolerate the additional sorrow of enduring my prison alone without her.

I am in this same cage still.
Even during the infrequent times when I am given a chance to exercise in the "safe" area for puppies in the upstairs portion of the shelter, I am behind bars. And that area, while a vast improvement over my cage, is sadly not much bigger than my everyday space. So there again, I can't do much but be by myself and watch the second floor world go by through chain link, for the brief and rare moments I am there.

Is a lonely life in a cage all that lies ahead of me until the end of my days?

The volunteers here love me and hope someone will find it in their hearts to take me home. Can one of you show me what a real life is like, with comfort, love, and a security I have never known?
Thank you for reading my story.
Love, Lamyai

For more information about adopting Lamyai - or any of our available dogs - please contact Dawn Trimmel at (414) 426-4148. Thank you!

* * * * * 

I live at the the WSK Dog Condo.

Located in south-central Thailand, Wat Suan Kaew (WSK) translates into the Glass Garden Temple. The thing is, nobody calls it that anymore - they just call it "Thailand's dog condo". And the temple is no longer renowned for its good works, as it once was - but instead is regarded as a place to dump unwanted dogs and cats.

For us Westerners, the word 'condo' conjures up images of a condominium: a beautiful, high-end building resembling an apartment - except units are owned, not rented, and lovingly tended to. However, the only resemblance the dog condo bears to the real thing is the way its residents live stacked in vertical columns. The 'condo units' are just the small, and often rusty, cages in which many of WSK's dog and cat inhabitants tragically live their whole lives.

Because of massive overcrowding at WSK, many cages are also suspended precariously on the second floor, some near windows or large openings. Dogs and cats have even fallen to their deaths.

To get a better understanding of WSK's problems, and suggestions as to how you can help (from anywhere around the world), please have a look at the Soi Dog Foundation's informational post here. 

Luckily many concerned and compassionate groups such as the SPCA International and the Soi Dog Foundation have stepped up to the plate recently to try to help the two elderly caretakers who shoulder this entire burden and to try to improve this situation as much as possible.

Our dear ISDF friend and doggie hero Soot Liang Woo has tirelessly dedicated herself to improving the living conditions for WSK's residents.

She was able to solicit fencing and assemble them on the property so the dogs can have areas to run freely in. 

She procured food bowls and long tray-style feeders for WSK residents so they no longer have to eat off the floor, where food regularly used to mix with animal feces and urine. 

She built a medical area called "The Pink Clinic" so animals can now receive veterinary care in a sterile environment. 

She and fellow friends built a wooden plank bridge over a stagnant pond of muck and algae to allow the dogs clean, safe passage out of the dog condo to an adjacent play area in a field. 

She brought in the government livestock department to spay and neuter over 250 WSK residents who were intact and breeding. 

Soot and friends, with funding and assistance from the Soi Dog Foundation, built a large, lovely cat enclosure to allow them to roam and play freely and safely, and to socialize with one another. 

Soot has also been working diligently to try to find homes for the neediest of the dogs at WSK. Already, she has placed several of these lovely little friends with forever families around the world, and she hopes to find even more homes for them in future.
Here is Oliver, one of Soot's recent placements, as he journeyed from neglected, blind, vulnerable, isolated, depressed WSK resident...to the USA where he now lives with his loving new mom, Heidi, and his adopted sister, sweet Lilly, a paralyzed victim of the illegal dog meat trade.

For information on how to adopt a pet from the WSK "dog condo" of Thailand, please have a look at this informational post here or contact the appropriate representative by region. They can answer any questions you have and help you begin the process of adding a very grateful dog or cat to your home!
Adoption of WSK dogs in Thailand are coordinated by Soot Liang Woo at tontopepper@yahoo.com.sg
In the UK, please contact Carly Jane Evans with International Pet Rescue at carlyjane45@gmail.com
In the USA, please contact Marjon Tondravi (East Coast) with Give a Dog a Bone at tondravi@yahoo.com or Dawn Trimmel (Midwest USA) with International Street Dog Foundation at trimmel@usa.net

Thank you for caring!

Rocket/Ellie (Adopted!)

• *** UPDATE!! ***
• November 2014

Rocket left Elfes World on the island of Koh Samui early last week, flying to Bangkok with travel companions Busy (still looking for a loving home), Babe, and another small friend, Lee Lee (being adopted in Europe). 

All four dogs enjoyed four-star accommodations with lovely Bangkok foster mom Christine Sudmann, while sweet Soot Liang Woo made travel arrangements and completed all their paperwork to fly to the USA. 

Rocket, Babe, and Busy arrived at O'Hare Airport on Friday, November 14, where they were greeted by Dawn and Chuck. 

Rocket had a fun night at Dawn and Chuck's house!

On Saturday, November 15, Rocket - now renamed Ellie by her forever people - went into an AMAZING home with the lovely Young family in the Milawukee area! They came to our Petsmart adoption event to claim her.

Mom reports that Ellie loves being cuddled and is enjoying all of her new toys. She is also a huge fan of belly rubs!

Thank you to all who made this possible, from Elfe and her supporters for saving this dear girl from the streets of Koh Samui; to international supporters of Elfes World and ISDF for donating towards her flight fund; to the Young family for welcoming dear Ellie into their hearts and home with open arms.

* * * * *

Rocket's Story

My name is Rocket.
But maybe you should just call me "Hot Potato." 

You know….Hot Potato? That kid's game? The one where they sit in a circle and pass a potato round and round at high speed, pretending it's too hot to handle?

I've hardly been on this planet half a year - I'm just 7 months old - but I know how that potato feels. I've been passed around since I was barely born. 

I'm such a happy-go-lucky pooch that this hasn't bothered me as much as you might think it would. But even the most good-natured of gals would find this routine a little tiresome…and I'm no different. 

After landing on so many different doorsteps, I am finally ready to find a place that I can call home for good.

I was born on a Thai island called Koh Samui. 

I know what you're thinking. The images splashed across the tourist brochures are LOVELY...and rightly so. Our island is a haven for visitors, a paradise of white sand beaches and palm trees and resorts with infinity pools overlooking the ocean. 

And in part because of kind-hearted tourists and foreigners, more of us survive than usual. We have learned to beg from strangers and to accept their affection, and in return we often receive a few chips or a bit of leftover dinner. Even the most unsocialized among us survive on the surplus of food waste to be scavenged.

But as with all popular tourist destinations, there are two sides to every story.

The flip side of this constant influx of visiting or temporarily-residential farang (foreigners) is what is left behind in their wake. 

Of course, almost without exception, the intentions of the farang are good. But sometimes one of us is favored with food for a split second in passing, only to have a pack of dogs turn on us moments later for the tidbits we managed to procure. And sadly, a handful of us even become living waste, only to be discarded when we become inconvenient, when wayfarers move on to the next destination, or when money dries up and they return home to parts westward.

That is how my story begins.

Life on the streets for me among many roaming soi (street) dog packs posed a constant threat to the livelihood of myself, my litter, and my mum.

One day, when I was just six weeks old and hardly big enough to be away from my mother, a farang took pity on me and brought me home. He meant well and he probably saved my life, but in his own way, this careless act also brought me great sorrow. For I am Dog, and above and beyond that, I am a soi dog, raised in chaos, dodging cars and predators (human and animal) that inflict great damage, often seemingly on a whim. 

I can be your best friend, as I am so grateful for the little things in life that I will attach powerfully to you if only you show me the smallest kindness. But my little heart is also easily broken if you tire of me or decide to move on, for then I am left behind and even more powerless than I once was, as I must start anew on the streets, older and more vulnerable to aggressive attention from those who have called them home from day one.

So it was for me.

My farang was not much of a dog person, and my adorable puppy antics quickly gave way to more excitable juvenile play, which he found tiresome. But all I really wanted was a little attention, a game or two of ball, and a kind word or a pat now and again. I guess it was too much to ask for, because he began turning me out. 

When I would find the door closed against me, as I so often did, I would spend my days roaming around the apartment complex he lived at, seeking safety and shelter with other residents. Luckily, I am adorable, very affectionate, and a petite 11 kg (22 lbs), with a happy, sweet face that few could turn away from. If a street dog pack came too close, I knew where to go and which doors would open if I barked or desperately scratched at them for emergency assistance.

I made friends not just with the other resident humans but with their pet dogs, those lucky souls whose humans actually cared for them, and who got regular meals, and who - not sure if this is a fable or what?? - claimed to even get to sleep in their human's beds at night and doze on their human's furniture by day. 

I am too big-hearted to be envious, but it was a little hard to imagine all they had, compared to what I got - that is, when I was actually allowed into my so-called home.

I was 5 months old when I returned "home" one fateful evening at the usual time - the time of day when I could generally count on my human being around to let me in, drop me a meal of sorts, and offer me safe shelter for the night, the time of day when the streets are most dangerous. But there was no answer to my barks or my scratches. 

I scratched harder and the door creaked open. The apartment smelled strange and echoed back my barks. I walked in further and was greeted with closets emptied and hanging open. None of my human's bedding or furniture in sight. Cupboards hanging open in the kitchen with no tins or boxes. What had happened? Where had he gone?

I suppose you will ask why I even cared...but I am a terribly affectionate girl, and even his somewhat-reliable presence every day was enough to make me feel like we were our own little pack. 

Luckily, I had not given away my whole heart, as it might not have survived such an abandonment.

Now came the true "hot potato" stage of my life. 

I began hopping from one apartment to the next. The neighbors were all kind-hearted and felt terribly for my plight, but many already had dogs of their own. Most were farang, like my human had been, and responsibly did not want to take me in temporarily, only to break my heart again when they left.

Luckily, they knew what to do. 

While I bounced, "too hot to handle", from place to place over the next few weeks, they offered me safety when needed and a place to lay my head at night. Meanwhile, they were talking amongst themselves to hatch a plan for me, knowing that I needed some solid ground to place my paws upon, lest I end up on the streets for good.

This is how I met the people who would change my life: Tina McCready and Elfe. One of the neighbors knew kind-hearted Tina, and knew of Elfe's World from Facebook, a dog sanctuary on the Koh Samui. They called Tina, asking her to come meet me. 
It was love at first sight for us both when our eyes met. Tina was so touched by my condition. She saw I had been eating any scraps I could scavenge, and was  heartbroken at how thin I was. I was also covered in ticks, and they were making my young life a misery. But despite these hardships, I ran to Tina, tail wagging, to meet her and cuddle. 



I have a heart of gold, and only desire the company of kind humans. I also love playing with other dogs. I am on the submissive side and haven't met a friendly dog yet that I wouldn't play with. The neighbors also reported that I can be left alone, without chewing or destroying things - rare in a puppy my age. I am generally quiet, although I sometimes give a bark of happiness when I see people I love.
Tina knew I deserved a chance at a better life. She reached out to Elfe to ask if there was room for me at the sanctuary. Elfe has over 600 dogs to care for already, but when she heard my story, she agreed to take me in. 

So I was passed along from one area to another once again, this time to Elfe's dog and cat sanctuary, where I have been for two months among many friends, both dogs...

…and humans!

And Tina, my earth angel, became my monthly sponsor. For just 20 Euros a month -  less than $1 a day - some of us are sponsored by kind humans around the world who help Elfe do her yeoman's job by providing us with food, monthly flea and tick preventative, and medical care. We love it at Elfe's World and enjoy our island paradise! But for a small percentage of us, our dreams rise even higher…for a handful of us are chosen every year by loving families around the world who open their hearts to us and ask us to join their homes.

I am living that dream. 

I am flying to Chicago, USA on Friday where my new life will begin. And my guardian angels continue to stand by me - and now they are magically multiplying. Kind Tina, bless her to the moon and back, is paying for me to fly to the USA. I am grateful beyond words! Dear Elfe, who I love so very much, is kissing a tearful but elated goodbye to me this very morning as she sends me on my way to Bangkok. Wonderful Christine Sudmann is fostering me there for a few days while animal angel Soot Liang Woo prepares my final paperwork. Then Soot will take me to the airport and put me on the plane to Chicago. 

So many kind people passing this potato along to her final destination! I am so very thankful to all of them. But I have never wanted anything as badly as I now want - to be a "cool potato". Never to be passed again!

Are you the one waiting at the end of this chain of helping hands, ready to pull me into your arms and hold me there forever? I sure do hope so.

Thanks for reading my story.

Love, Rocket

For more information about adopting Rocket, or any of our available dogs, please contact Dawn Trimmel at (414) 426-4148.
Thank you!