Spreading the Love at Koh Tao Animal Clinic

It’s no secret. Ask me what I miss the most when I travel and I’ll tell you hands down, no questions asked, I miss my dog more than anything. The first 3 years of travel I had a beautiful GSP named Kya who was my baby. I got her when I was 14 and desperately missed her every second I was away. However, despite how much I tried, she did not understand Skype and my calling her name over the computer would just set her in a frantic search.

We lost Kya to an illness last spring, and it shattered me. But as time passed I realized it wouldn’t be so hard to travel with her gone. And then Stella came into the picture, another GSP, only 10 weeks old when I left home. She became my baby too and I bawled when I had to say goodbye. Sadly, she doesn’t understand the concept of Skype either.

My Stella before I left

Which leaves me on the other side of the world with no puppy love, but in a country full of stray dogs. Ironic isn’t it?

When I went to get my travel shots, rabies was on the list. However, being so last minute I didn’t have time to complete the series and am therefore rabies-shot-less travelling through SE Asia. Clearly I should avoid all contact with dogs, which is hard. Really hard. Especially since I’ve been known to actually divert my path and chase them down just for a quick cuddle.

And then I came to Koh Tao. I was flipping through a travel guide while waiting for the ferry at 5am after an overnight bus from Bangkok when I stumbled on the best piece of information ever: Koh Tao had an animal rescue centre, and they welcomed visitors. Better yet? It was 10 minute walk down the road from where I was taking my Open Water PADI certification.

Before my first day of class I found myself walking down the dusty road, attempting not to be run over by a bike (I think I might be the ONLY person who walks here) heading for the animal shelter. I was literally dripping sweat when I arrived (as seems to be usual for me here in Thailand) but it didn’t matter to the sleepy dog that greeted me with a wagging tail and raised head. She was the first dog to fall victim to my cuddles over the next two days, but definitely not the last.

The Koh Tao Animal Clinic, also known as the Noistar Animal Rescue Foundation, is the only establishment of it’s kind on the island of Koh Tao. Prior to 2002, when the temporary clinic opened, there were no shelters, no rescue centres, no animal hospitals of any kind on the island. In 2004 a permanent clinic opened, run by resident veterinarian Jae and clinic assistant Nai. Together this team, with the help of volunteers, have been successfully helping and healing not only the local’s pets, but the abandoned and injured strays of the island.

It’s a very open concept here; the animals are not caged- there is no room or funding (the entire clinic is funded solely on donations), so they have the run of the area. Once they are healed enough they are freed, but always welcome back during the days so long as they get along with the others. When I first arrived there were several different dogs napping on the floor. There was a big bucket of water and dry kibble for them if they wanted and couches where they could curl up and sleep.

Koh Tao Animal Clinic provides food, water, and a safe place for the animals

I spent two hours my first day sitting on the floor petting them. Some, like the energetic Lupita, ran over to me immediately and quickly settled in my lap, while others like Shy seemed interested but was too afraid to come close. I asked Jae about their stories but most she didn’t know. Since they were stray or abandoned, most people didn’t care. It’s only a few kindhearted people that find them injured and call, or bring them in.

I asked Jae about adoption; if someone wanted, could they give one of the strays a home? The answer was yes, but since they have been alone most of their lives, unless they really bonded with the person, they probably wouldn’t stay. Thai houses don’t have fences so there would be nothing to stop them from wandering away and back to the shelter.

This poor little guy was sick when I visited

I thought about how different it was here compared to home. How there is an animal shelter in almost every city, and how so many people adopt rescue animals. It seemed like here that even though it was technically an option, due to circumstances, it wasn’t a real possibility.

I came back the next day with a bag full of dog toys. I planned on bringing treats but wasn’t able to find anything other than regular kibble in the store, and the man I had seen selling chicken skewers earlier didn’t seem to be open. Knowing that my local animal shelter accepted toys, and figuring that every dog loved something to play with, I stocked up on squeaky bones and even a little round toy more suitable for the tiny Lupita.

My bag full of dog toys

My new furry friends greeted me with enthusiasm when I arrived; all of them were incredibly curious about what was in the bag. But when I opened the packages to reveal the toys, they weren’t interested. Having never had toys as puppies they didn’t know what to do with them. I squeezed a couple of bones to make them squeak and tossed them across the room. Nothing. I felt awful; I thought I was doing a good thing but it just ended up making me feel depressed, especially knowing how toy-crazy my Stella is back at home.

So we didn’t play, we snuggled. Because despite not having food and treats they still loved me for the attention. I played with the same ones as the day before and met a couple new ones, including Happy who’s back legs didn’t work, but was still quick to shuffle over for some pats. Lupita, as usual, found a home in my lap and slowly all the dogs came over at some point or another. Some had obvious injuries, while others had stitches, and skin problems, and although not all were as energetic as Lupita, they all leaned into my hand as I scratched them behind the ears, or rolled over for me to rub their belly. They were happy for any type of attention and I was beyond thrilled to give it. Even the skittish Shy let me pat her for a few minutes.

Happy

But of course, all good things come to an end. The clinic was getting ready to close for the day and with only two more days left in my diving course, I wouldn’t have the time to come back again before I left the island. I made my rounds to each of the dogs and said my goodbyes. I hated leaving them, even though they are clearly in fantastic hands with Jae, and if I could I would bring them all home with me.

Of course that’s not possible, which is why I decided to write this post. If you are and animal lover and coming to Koh Tao, even if just for a couple of days, please take half an hour or more and come spend some time with these animals. Anyone is welcome; Jae is happy to see them get some much needed love and attention and you can stay for as long as you please. The hours are Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm and it’s closed on Sundays. Feel free to bring treats, or food donations, or if you have access to medical supplies, reach out to the clinic ahead of time and see what they need.

Again, the clinic runs on donations so even if you aren’t on the island you can help out. The website, which I have included the link to throughout this post, has a donation page set up. Every penny counts.

The clinic also sells t-shirts to help with funding

If you do go, let me know! I’d love to hear about your experience, and if you managed to get anyone to play with those toys!

*Note The clinic also has a cat section, however since I am allergic I stayed away. But if you are a crazy cat lady (or man) they need love and attention too!

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