I recently wrote to you about the remote Thai island of Koh Kood and the horrific suffering of over 700 stray dogs there. Having been abandoned years ago by hotel construction workers, the dogs were unsterilised and continuing to breed. Innocent puppies were being born into a short, pitiful life of neglect.

This was misery on a huge scale.

A local group, Sabai Dog Koh Kood, were doing their best to care for the worst cases, but with the nearest vet over two hours away, and new puppies being born each week, the situation was out of control. In desperation, Sabai Koh Kood appealed to Soi Dog Foundation. With such a magnitude of suffering, I knew I had to turn to you

Thanks to an outpouring of donations from people like you, two teams of Soi Dog Animal Rescue Officers were able to embark on the arduous 2 day journey to Koh Kood from our base nearly 1200 kilometres away, including a sea crossing by barge – the only way to get all the equipment on to the island.

With assistance from The Department of Livestock Bangkok, who provided additional vets for the first four days, Sabai Dog Koh Kood, the local authority and local hospital, staff from local hotels (notably the luxury Soneva Kiri resort and the Tinkerbell resort), and many local people, the project was finally underway.

By the time our team returned 2 weeks later, 559 dogs and 104 cats had been spayed/neutered and fully vaccinated. With over 300 female dogs sterilised, that is a minimum of 3,000 puppies spared in the first year alone.

Our vets also performed a number of major surgeries on badly injured dogs, including some who had survived partially severed limbs that had been caught in snares. With most of the dogs suffering from skin conditions, Sabai Dog Koh Kood were provided with medication and training to care for these easily-treated cases.

With a number of jungle dogs too wild to be caught, along with many puppies too young for surgery, discussions are now underway to send a smaller team back to the island in the near future.

The endless cycle of suffering has finally been broken. YOU have had a direct impact on the lives of hundreds of desperate animals. Your support has brought a seemingly hopeless situation under control.

Be proud of what you have achieved because it couldn’t have happened without you.

On behalf of the animals whose lives you have changed, I simply wanted to say thank you.

Best Wishes,