Beastly good tourism: WVS Thailand as an insider tip for your sustainable bucket list
Do you know the feeling? You're on holiday and discover street dogs and want to adopt them all? Here's my practical suggestion: volunteer to support sustainable organisations with real impact like Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) Thailand - Care for Dogs. In this green world travel blog from IMPACKT, I tell you how you can do something good for the environment and living creatures with your travel passion. I was there and checked out the dog shelter for you.
Volunteering on holiday in Thailand
Sustainable tourism is about considering the impact of travel on the environment and local communities. One way to do this is to support sustainable organisations and businesses while on holiday. In Thailand, one such organisation is the WVS Dog Station, where I was able to volunteer for a few days.
Located in the beautiful countryside just outside Chiang Mai, the WVS Dog Station is dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming stray and abandoned dogs in the region. In addition, the WVS dog station in Thailand also has a training school where international veterinary students can work and complete internships. The staff work tirelessly to provide the animals with medical care, give them the attention they need and place them in loving homes. The team consists of local staff, including nurses and carers, as well as permanent volunteers, like Tatiana, who has been organising the volunteer work for seven years. On Wednesdays, Tatiana gives introductions to volunteers like me, so that even more animal lovers can support the dog shelter. True to the motto: The more, the merrier.
After making an appointment with Tatiana, a few days later we were standing outside the rescue centre armed with treats, where we were warmly greeted by Tatiana, an old dog called Happy and a bright puppy called Ozzy. But before we were let loose on the other dogs, there was some paperwork and a one-off short safety briefing for us. Safety First. After that, we were given a short tour of the shelter and Tatiana told us what to look out for: As a volunteer:r, you can come to the shelter between 9.30 am and 3pm every day to help care for the dogs. Primarily, you walk the 45 dogs, but you can also help by washing and brushing the dogs or simply spending time with them in their cages to get them used to people. So that we know which dogs have already been walked and which are still waiting for us, a list is kept on a white board. Only a handful of four-legged friends had been walked yet and there was still work to be done.
What does volunteering with the dogs look like?
"Okay, you're ready to go for a walk then?", Tatiana asked us and we nodded enthusiastically. Flo got to go with an older male called Meilo and I got the playful Ozzy and his friend Lizzy, while Tatiana grabbed Foo. As they all came from different kennels, we had to keep some distance. This is a safety measure so that diseases don't spread inside the dog shelter and stay peaceful. With us, everything was relaxed and we could have a good chat despite the distance.
"The walk is their highlight of the day", Tatiana told us and showed us the typical Gassie walk route: Just always along the stream, past the rice fields to a point where a large clay water bowl is ready and back again. In the middle of the route there is a spot in the stream where the dogs can jump in. Ozzy, the little puppy, really splashed and rolled around on the bank. Unimpressed, Lizzy stood by and slurped up the creek water.
Back at the dog shelter, we took the animals back to their friends and Tatiana quickly showed us the small, fenced-in dog park around the corner. Of course, little Ozzy was there again. "He needs to see everything and play as much as he can. So he gets socialised," Tatiana emphasises. After the little play session in the park, where we practised fetching the ball with Ozzy - whereby I always brought the ball back instead of Ozzy - Flo and I were allowed to decide for ourselves where and how we wanted to help from now on. We decided to walk three dogs from the same kennel in pairs. The three males were elderly gentlemen, but the three-legged Oliver had twice as much energy as the little puppy Ozzy.
So it was no wonder that Flo and I needed a break afterwards. Anne and Paul, two volunteers who come by every day and lend a hand, offered us to have lunch with them in the small dog park and give a few dogs a chance to play. As we hadn't brought any food with us, we spent our break at De'Home Coffee & Restaurant. The owner named Noon has a close connection to WVS, as she used to work there as a caretaker.
After the refreshment we still had an hour left, which we could use intensively with the dogs. We brushed the three male dogs and spent some time with fearful dogs to get them used to the presence of people. At the end we played with Ozzy. "Unfortunately, he doesn't fit in my IMPACKT suitcase," I joked. "But he fits in your backpack," she replied and we both had to laugh. As we said goodbye, Anne and Paul gave us a tip to try house and dog sitting and to join Facebook groups like "Chiang Mai pet sitters and house sitters". We thanked them and promised to come back. We did and were greeted with wet kisses by another puppy named Wednesday on our next visit.
Supporting organisations like the WVS Thailand Dog Rescue Station is not only a great way to give back on your travels, but also a way to get to know the country and its people on a full-contact basis away from the touristy stuff. By visiting and supporting environmentally conscious organisations like this, you can make a positive impact on the local community and environment. So next time you're planning a trip to Thailand, feel free to pack goodies in your IMPACKT suitcase and put the WVS dog rescue centre on your bucket list.
Kind regards,
Yours Franzi
