Soi dogs' best friends | Bangkok Post: learning

About animals

Retired UK couple set up organisation to save soi dogs from having too many pups ... and also to save them from Vietnamese dinner tables.

Gill and John Dalley of the Soi Dog Foundation treat a dog by the roadside after the 2004 tsunami. 

Read the full article with more biographical information here.

Click button to listen to Soi Dog Heroes to download

EXPAT SCENE: Canine heroes: British retirees John and Gill Dalley were recently honoured for their work with the Soi Dog Foundation by Usnisa Sukhsvasti

With the plight of dogs in Thailand being the focus of attention at the moment, it's good to know that one couple have already gained international recognition for their work with street dogs.

John and Gill Dalley were recently awarded the "Jeanne Marchig Animal Welfare Award 2011" for their good work with the Soi Dog Foundation. According to the founder and chairman of the Trustees, Jeanne Marchig, the award was presented to the couple "in acknowledgement of their tireless work to protect animals from abuse. Under their voluntary and tireless direction, the Soi Dog Foundation has become one of the most effective and compassionate animal welfare groups in the Asian region. Gill and John are on the front line of the fight to end animal suffering and abuse in Thailand and are worthy recipients of this Award.

It seems John and Gill's retirement in Phuket turned out a bit differently to what they had planned when they settled here a decade ago. Instead of living a leisurely life, they ended up working harder than they ever did before in the UK, he as a production manager for a large international company, and she in banking. In fact, Gill sadly lost both her legs due to septicaemia after wading through a flooded field to save a stray dog. But that has not stopped her from continuing her work for animals. In fact, she was named an Asian of the Year in 2009 by CNA Singapore - the first non-Asian by birth to be named for this award - and in May 2011 she was named the Asia Pacific region's first canine hero at the Asia Animals conference in Chengdu, China.

Life managed to catch John between dog rescue missions in Phuket.

What is your reaction to the Jeanne Marchig Award, and how is it going to make a difference in your work? 

Considering the list of previous winners we feel very honoured to have received this award. Because of the international prestige of the award obviously coverage of it can only help to inform more people about the Soi Dog Foundation. The $20,000 [628,600 baht] that came with it has already been earmarked to go towards the establishment of SDF in Bangkok. 

What prompted you to set up the Soi Dog Foundation in the first place? Have you always been dog lovers? 

We were fortunate to be able to retire at a relatively young age and had already decided that rather than laze away our retirement we would try and put something back into the community we were adopting as our home. On many previous visits to Phuket we had seen the incredible suffering endured by the street animals there, and the problem was clearly getting out of control. Although a few people were trying to help the animals no impact was being made and at the same time we moved there we met up with a Dutch expat Margot Homburg [now residing in Bangkok and still helping animals], who was of the same mind. Studies in other countries showed that the only effective and humane method of control was mass sterilisation of the animals and that was our goal. Had we moved elsewhere and a different problem needed to be addressed, then we may well have been involved in something completely different. Other than pets we have no past experience working with animals. Indeed Gill had taken a foreign language teaching course before moving here, and was planning on teaching English to underprivileged children. As it turned out, there were already many organisations working with children, and she felt that she could make a bigger impact helping Margot and I with the animal situation. 

What would you like to see to help change the plight of soi dogs in Thailand? 

We are working with Thai nationals to introduce animal welfare laws in Thailand. Thailand is one of the most advanced nations in the world not to have any effective laws which would encompass all animals including those raised for food. 

In addition we are campaigning to see an end to the illegal dog meat trade, which sees hundreds of thousands of dogs sent illegally to Vietnam and China every year. This has nothing to do with the rights or wrongs of people wishing to eat dog meat. Many of the animals are stolen pets and the method of transporting them, and the methods by which they are killed, if they even survive the journey, are so cruel and beyond imagination that it is bringing shame to the country. Many foreigners believe it is accepted in Thailand rather than being abhorrent to the vast majority of the population. 

On a long term basis we would like to see an end to the random collecting of street dogs in particular, and simply incarcerating them in huge dog pounds. It will never solve the problem as others simply fill the void. Only mass sterilisation will work as has been proven already in other countries and here in Phuket. 

Any particular dog experience that stands out in your mind at the moment? 

So many it's difficult to pick one even from the past few weeks. The rescue and evacuation of around 250 dogs from Phutthamonthon which we organised, and the number of people who helped in that project including soldiers from the Thai army. The amazing dedication of mainly young Thai women, who often worked through the night after they had finished work, rescuing hundreds of animals that had been abandoned in the floods in often difficult and dangerous conditions. Seeing dogs that have been recently rescued from the dog meat traders flying off to new homes around the world are just three that spring to mind. Last week I was able to see the dogs from Phuttamonthon returned to their home looking well and happy and of course all now sterilised. 

How do you fund your project? Do donations cover your expenses? 

We are now a fully registered foundation in six countries. Although we employ many local people we continue to be managed by volunteers around the world, working many hours at their own expense, some of whom have never even visited Thailand. We work entirely at our own expense. So all income goes directly to helping animals not on expensive salaries and advertising campaigns, where sadly most of the income from the large international charities ends up. Some 90% of our income comes from overseas and the remainder primarily from Thai supporters in Bangkok. Surprisingly very little comes from Phuket itself where we are somewhat taken for granted. Our Facebook site is probably the fastest growing site in Thailand with nearly 40,000 followers on the English-language site alone. At the current growth rate this will have over 100,000 followers before the end of the year. 

What are the future plans for the Soi Dog Foundation? 

Soi Dog Foundation was recently described in the US as the fastest growing animal charity in Southeast Asia, and it is my wish to see the Soi Dog Foundation as a national organisation in Thailand. We frequently get requests for help from all over the country and as far away as Vietnam, and it is frustrating that all we can do is recommend the nearest vet and offer financial assistance if needed. However, as a first step we shall very shortly be establishing in Bangkok. 
During the flood crisis I was amazed how many Thai people here were trying to help with the street animal problem, but generally on their own or in small groups, and are totally dependent on private clinics and their own finances. SDF Bangkok will be launched very soon and it will be very much a Thai managed branch. It will be very much focused on providing these groups with somewhere they can take animals in need of sterilisation and treatment. 

We are embarking on a staff recruitment drive to recruit additional vets and dog catching teams. The aim is to increase sterilisations on Phuket to 10,000 per year which will see the province totally under control within two to three years. We have already sterilised over 36,000 animals here and will then be able to focus on other areas. In addition to providing vets and staff for our clinic in Bangkok, we recently completed the most modern cat hospital in Thailand and work will commence soon on what will be probably the largest private dog hospital here with a capacity for over 100 dogs in individual kennels at any time. Last week I was able to speak to final year vet students at Chulalongkorn University with a view to recruiting those with a desire to help solve the problem, and some of them will be visiting over the coming weeks to learn more about our work. 

(Source: Bangkok Post, EXPAT SCENE, Canine heroes, British retirees John and Gill Dalley were recently awarded for their work with the Soi Dog Foundation, 26/01/2012, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, link) 

Animal Welfare and Street Dog Vocabulary

soi dog - a Thai street dog
stray dog - a dog that has no owner or that is lost or has left its home สัตว์ที่ไม่มีเจ้าของ, สัตว์ที่หลงทาง sometimes also called "village dogs" or "free-ranging dogs" (See Wikipedia)
street dog - dog living on the street, a "stray dog"

free ranging - moving around freely to many places
free ranging dogs - any dog that is not contained and kept in a yard or home, includes wild dogs, feral dogs, pariah dogs, stray dogs, street dogs, village dogs, as well as dogs allowed to come and go freely by their owners (See Wikipedia)
free ranging urban dogs - populations of stray dogs on the streets of cities (India, Bangkok, Russia, the Balkans, Latin America) (See Wikipedia)

Soi Dog Foundation - an organization that works to help stray dogs in Thailand (soi dogs) (See website and facebook)

SCAD - a Bangkok organization that helps stray dogs located near Sukhumvit Soi 93 with dogs that people can adopt (See website)

British retirees John and Gill Dalley were recently awarded for their work with the Soi Dog Foundation

Jeanne Marchig Animal Welfare Award - an award for outstanding work by an organisation or individual in either: "the development of an alternative method to the use of animals in experimental procedures and the practical implementation of such an alternative resulting in a significant reduction in the numbers of animals used in experiments; or practical work in the field of animal welfare resulting in significant improvements for animals either nationally or internationally" (See website)

Asian of the Year in 2009 by CNA Singapore for Gill Daley   - (See Youtube)

animal welfare - the physical and psychological well-being of animals (See Wikipedia and Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare)
welfare - living in good conditions; good care and living conditions, in this case, for animals ความสะดวกสบาย, ความมีสุขภาพด

vet - short for "veterinarian"
veterinarian – an animal doctor or veterinary physician; a person with a medical degree in "veterinary medicine" trained to take care of the health of animals สัตวแพทย์  (See Wikipedia)
veterinary - relating to the care of animals that are ill or injured เกี่ยวกับสัตวแพทยศาสตร์
veterinary medicine - medicine for animals, the study of animal diseases and cures for animal diseases (See Wikipedia)

shelter - a temporary place to stay ที่พักชั่วคราว
discover - to find somebody/something, or learning about something that was not known about before ค้นพบ
abandoned - left alone by someone who is supposed to look after you  ถูกปล่อยทิ้งไว้

expat - a person living outside of their own country for a long period of time
scene - a particular kind of activity in an area and the people who doing it (example: the painting and art scene is very active in New York)
expat scene - all the activities that foreigners are doing in a country (example: much of the Bangkok expat scene is centered around Sukhumvit Road) 

canine - related to dogs
canine heroes - heroes for dogs, people who do good things for dogs, who help dogs

retirement - the period of time later in life when you stop working and relax;when a person stops working around age 60 after many years of work  เกษียรอายุ การเกษียรอายุ
retirees - people who are retired already

turn out - what happens in the end in a developing and changing situation
turn out differently
turn out a bit differently
turned out a bit differently to what they had planned
decade - a period of ten years ทศวรรษ, ระยะเวลา 10 ปี

It seems John and Gill's retirement in Phuket turned out a bit differently to what they had planned when they settled here a decade ago 

plight - in a difficult situation full of problems; an unpleasant condition, especially a serious, sad or difficult one สภาพเลวร้าย
the plight of dogs in Thailand

focus of attention - the main thing that some person is concerned with (during some activity) ให้ความสำคัญ
moment - a very short period of time; a particular time or occasionชั่วขณะ, โอกาสสำคัญ

the focus of attention at the moment

it's good to know that

couple - two people who are married or are involved in a romantic relationship คุ่รัก
international -  between countries ระหว่างประเทศ
recognition - be known by people for being something or doing something 
international recognition - receive an international award for work you did (or have articles written about your work in the media)

the couple gained international recognition for their work

With the plight of dogs in Thailand being the focus of attention at the moment, it's good to know that one couple have already gained international recognition for their work with street dogs

founder - a person who establishes an institution, business, or organization ผู้ก่อตั้ง
trustees - a group of people that controls the financial affairs of a charity or other organization
chairman of the trustees - the head of the trustees

award - a prize or a sum of money that is given to someone following an official decision รางวัล

acknowledgement - accept that something exists (here: that some people have done some good thing)
tireless work - work hard without resting
acknowledgement of their tireless work - to show people that they did good things

abuse - cruel, violent or unfair treatment โหดเหี้ยม ทารุณ
protect from abuse

the award was presented to the couple in acknowledgement of their tireless work to protect animals from abuse.

voluntary - 1. done as a volunteer, not as a paid job with a salary or wage; 2. an action that is done because you choose to do it and not because you have to ด้วยความสมัครใจ

tireless direction - worked hard to manage (direct) the organization

effective - works well, gets the job done; producing the result that was intended ได้ผลดี
the most effective - works the best, gets the job done in the best way

compassion (noun) - showing that you care for and are concerned about people (or here: animals); sympathy, kindheartedness, การุญ ความเห็นใจ ความเห็นอกเห็นใจ  ความร่วมรู้สึกในใจหรือเข้าใจความรู้สึกของผู้อื่น   
compassionate (adjective)

under their voluntary and tireless direction, the Soi Dog Foundation has become one of the most effective and compassionate animal welfare groups in the Asian region

on the front line - are dealing directly with the people, the first to help when there is a problem
suffering - physical or mental pain or problems ความทุกข์ทรมาน
recipients - people who receive something (for example, a reward, recipients of the award) ผู้รับ ผู้ได้รับรางวัล

Gill and John are on the front line of the fight to end animal suffering and abuse in Thailand and are worthy recipients of this Award. Instead of living a leisurely life, they ended up working harder than they ever did before in the UK, he as a production manager for a large international company, and she in banking 

septicaemia - when there are disease-causing germs such as bacteria in the blood leading to sepsis
sepsis - a life-threatening medical condition with inflammation all over the body (systemic inflammatory response syndrome or SIRS) with a known or suspected infection (systemic inflammatory response plus infection), also called "blood poisoning" (See Wikipedia)
wading - walking through water (that covers the feet and possibly legs)

In fact, Gill sadly lost both her legs due to septicaemia after wading through a flooded field to save a stray dog 

rescue - to save someone form a dangerous or unpleasant situation ช่วยชีวิต
mission -  a special task that people are given to do (usually involving travel and a journey)
rescue mission - a special task of saving someone (that is given to someone to do) 
catch John between dog rescue missions - find John (and talk to him) between dog rescue missions

Life managed to catch John between dog rescue missions in Phuket.

reaction - the way you behave or respond as a result of something that happens ปฏิกิริยาตอบโต้

What is your reaction to the Jeanne Marchig Award, and how is it going to make a difference in your work? 

honoured - given public praise or an award for something they did
we feel very honoured - feel very good because someone has praised (looked highly) on their work   

prestige - have high reputation and status, respected by many
coverage - news coverage, when newspapers or television news includes a story on something 
inform - tell people about what happened, report new information to people who don't know about it yet

Considering the list of previous winners we feel very honoured to have received this award. Because of the international prestige of the award obviously coverage of it can only help to inform more people about the Soi Dog Foundation.

earmarked - use for a special purpose or programme

The $20,000 [628,600 baht] that came with it has already been earmarked to go towards the establishment of SDF in Bangkok. 

prompted - caused
in the first place - at the beginning
what prompted you to X in the first place? - what was the first thing that caused you to do X

What prompted you to set up the Soi Dog Foundation in the first place?

fortunate - lucky
retire - to stop playing a sport as a professional or serious player because you are too old or no longer have the desire อำลาวงการ
relatively young age - not too old (still young, like in their 40s or 50s)
laze away our retirement - be lazy after they retire (stop working) and do nothing
community - the people living in one particular area (who know each other, have something in common and are friends) ชุมชน  
adopting - accepting or starting to use something new นำมาใช้

we were fortunate to be able to retire at a relatively young age and had already decided that rather than laze away our retirement we would try and put something back into the community we were adopting as our home.

incredible - surprising or difficult to believe อย่างไม่น่าเชื่อ
incredible suffering
getting out of control

We had seen the incredible suffering endured by the street animals there, and the problem was clearly getting out of control . 

impact - an effect or influence ผลกระทบ
was of the same mind - thought the same as they did, had the same opinion

Although a few people were trying to help the animals no impact was being made. We met up with a Dutch expat who was of the same mind.

humane - in a kind, caring way อย่างมีมนุษยธรรม
mass - large numbers จำนวนมหาศาล
sterilisation - 1. making a female so she cannot have babies anymore; 2. the process of making something completely clean and free from bacteria การฆ่าเชื้อโรค
mass sterilization - making all the females in a group so that they cannot have babies anymore

Studies in other countries showed that the only effective and humane method of control was mass sterilisation of the animals

underprivileged - not having as many advantages or opportunities as most other people ด้อยโอกาส
underprivileged children - poor children who do not get the same opportunities for learning and to get a good job
encompass - include

Gill had taken a foreign language teaching course before moving here, and was planning on teaching English to underprivileged children.

As it turned out, there were already many organisations working with children, and she felt that she could make a bigger impact helping Margot and I with the animal situation. We are working with Thai nationals to introduce animal welfare laws in Thailand.

Thailand is one of the most advanced nations in the world not to have any effective laws which would encompass all animals including those raised for food. 

illegal - against the law ผิดกฎหมาย, นอกกฎหมาย
trade - the buying and selling of goods การค้าขาย
illegal dog meat trade - buying and selling dog meat which is against the law
rights - something you are legally or morally allowed to do or have สิทธิ์ (See Wikipedia)

In addition we are campaigning to see an end to the illegal dog meat trade, which sees hundreds of thousands of dogs sent illegally to Vietnam and China every year. This has nothing to do with the rights or wrongs of people wishing to eat dog meat.

survive - to continue to live and exist มีชีวิตรอด รอดพ้น อยู่รอด สืบต่อไปได้ to manage to deal with something difficult or unpleasant, in this case, to continue in the same job despite many problems รอดไปได้
cruel - deliberately causing pain to other people or animals ป่าเถื่อน โหดร้าย
imagination - the ability to form pictures in the mind จินตนาการ

Many of the animals are stolen pets and the method of transporting them, and the methods by which they are killed, if they even survive the journey, are so cruel and beyond imagination that it is bringing shame to the country.

abhorrent - hate; very much do nto like
vast - extremely large in area, size, amount, etc. กว้างใหญ่, มหาศาล มหึมา มหาศาล ส่วนใหญ่
majority - more than 50 percent of a group, more than half ส่วนมาก เสียงส่วนมาก คนส่วนใหญ่
vast majority - almost everyone; most people
population - the group of people live in one country, area or place กลุ่ม์ที่อาศัยอยู่ในบริเวณหนึ่ง

Many foreigners believe it is an accepted in Thailand rather than being abhorrent to the vast majority of the population. 

term - a period of time
long-term - for a long time
on a long-term basis - done over a long period of time 
random - happening, done or chosen by chance rather than according to a plan ซึ่งไม่มีแบบแผน
random collecting of street dogs
incarcerate - keep in jail, keep a prisoner and not allow to leave and go some other place
dog pound - animal shelter; a place where local government keeps stray dogs that it takes off the street (See Wikipedia)
incarcerating dogs in huge dog pounds.

On a long term basis we would like to see an end to the random collecting of street dogs in particular, and simply incarcerating them in huge dog pounds.

void - empty space
fill the void - fill up the empty space (meaning: if someone stops doing it, someone else will start doing it)
stands out in your mind - is very easy to remember, is very memorable 
evacuation - moving people from a place of danger to a safer place การอพยพ

It will never solve the problem as others simply fill the void.  Any particular dog experience that stands out in your mind at the moment?  The rescue and evacuation of around 250 dogs which we organised

dedication -
amazing dedication
abandoned - left alone by someone who is supposed to look after you ถูกปล่อยทิ้งไว้ ที่ถูกละทิ้ง

The amazing dedication of mainly young Thai women, who often worked through the night after they had finished work, rescuing hundreds of animals that had been abandoned in the floods in often difficult and dangerous conditions.

dog meat traders - people who buy and sell dog meat (against the law)
dogs rescued from the dog meat traders
seeing dogs that have been recently rescued from the dog meat traders flying off to new homes around the world

just three that spring to mind - just three that I can easily remember

fund (noun) - money collected together for something เงินทุน กองทุน
fund (verb) - collect together money for something
fund a project - collect together money for a project
donations - money given by people to help some project or organisation financially
donations cover expenses - enough money is donated to pay the costs of doing an activity

How do you fund your project? Do donations cover your expenses? 

registered - officially recorded as a business with the government (and given permission to operate)
foundation - an organisation that provides money for things such as medical research or for a charity มูลนิธิ
registered foundation - a foundation (with permission from the government to operate)

We are now a fully registered foundation in six countries.

employ - to have someone work or do a job for you and pay them for it ว่าจ้าง, จ้าง
local - in or related to the area that you live, or to the particular area that you are talking about ท้องถิ่น
volunteer - people working without (for a good cause, helping people) อาสาสมัคร

Although we employ many local people we continue to be managed by volunteers around the world, working many hours at their own expense, some of whom have never even visited Thailand.

income - money that people receive from work or some other source, used for household consumption and savings
campaigns - a long series of events staged to achieve a goal or to promote something (for example, an "anti-smoking campaign")
advertising campaigns - a long series of advertisements to sell product and achieve marketing goals
current - of the present time ปัจจุบัน
charity - involving giving money or help to people who are poor or ill, or who need advice and support การกุศล

We work entirely at our own expense. So all income goes directly to helping animals not on expensive salaries and advertising campaigns, where sadly most of the income from the large international charities ends up.

remainder - the part of something that is left after that rest have been considered, left, finished, etc. ส่วนที่เหลืออยู่
taken for granted - people expect it and are used to having it (and so perhaps do not appreciate as much as they should)
national organisation - an organization that operates all over the country

Some 90% of our income comes from overseas and the remainder primarily from Thai supporters in Bangkok.  Surprisingly very little comes from Phuket itself where we are somewhat taken for granted. It is my wish to see the Soi Dog Foundation as a national organisation in Thailand.

vet - short for "veterinarian"
frustrating - making you feel annoyed and impatient because you are prevented from achieving something or you can't do anything about something ทำให้โกรธ ทำให้ข้องใจ
recommend - to advise someone that they should do something แนะนำ
assistance - help (given to someone)
financial assistance - help given to someone in the form of money

it is frustrating that all we can do is recommend the nearest vet and offer financial assistance if needed.

crisis - an urgent, difficult or dangerous situation วิกฤตการณ์ วิกฤต
flood crisis

dependent - needing the support of something or someone in order to continue existing or operating ต้องอาศัย
clinics - places where people go to receive medical treatment
totally dependent on private clinics and their own finances

During the flood crisis I was amazed how many Thai people here were trying to help with the street animal problem, but generally on their own or in small groups, and are totally dependent on private clinics and their own finances. SDF Bangkok will be launched very soon and it will be very much a Thai managed branch.

launched - began; started เริ่ม เริ่มต้นดำเนินการ
branch - an office or shop representing a large organisation in a particular area สาขา
Thai managed branch - Thai people and not foreigners will be managing it
treatment - the process of providing medical care การรักษา

It will be very much focused on providing these groups with somewhere they can take animals in need of sterilisation and treatment. 

embarking on - starting
staff - workers, employees พนักงาน
recruitment (noun) - the process of finding people to work for a company or become a new member of an organisation การสรรหาใหม่
recruit (verb) - to get someone to work in a company or join an organisation จ้างงาน จัดหาเจ้าหน้าที่หรือบุคคลากร รับคนใหม่, จ้างคนใหม่
staff recruitment - finding new worker (or volunteers)
drive - a planned effort to achieve something การผลักดัน,ความพยายาม
recruitment drive - a planned effort to find more staff for the organization
aim - purpose; goal; the thing you hope to achieve by doing something  เป้าหมาย จุดมุ่งหมาย

We are embarking on a staff recruitment drive to recruit additional vets and dog catching teams. The aim is to increase sterilisations on Phuket to 10,000 per year which will see the province totally under control within two to three years.  We have already sterilised over 36,000 animals here and will then be able to focus on other areas.

kennel - dog hotel; small, shelters for dogs บ้านสุนัข (See Wikipedia)
capacity -  the total amount that can be containedor kept at a place (here: number of dogs kept at a kennel) ปริมาณสูงสุดที่จะรับได้
individual - relating to or involving a single, separate person or thing แต่ละบุคคล
work will commence soon on - work will begin soon on

In addition to providing vets and staff for our clinic in Bangkok, we recently completed the most modern cat hospital in Thailand and work will commence soon on what will be probably the largest private dog hospital here with a capacity for over 100 dogs in individual kennels at any time.

Last week I was able to speak to final year vet students at Chulalongkorn University with a view to recruiting those with a desire to help solve the problem, and some of them will be visiting over the coming weeks to learn more about our work.