From April-May 2014, I volunteered at Care for Dogs (http://www.carefordogs.org/), a non-profit organization in the outskirts of Chiang Mai, Thailand,
that provides shelter and medical care for 200+ dogs (and assorted cats). High-volume sterilization is a priority, as is medical treatment for many varied conditions of these dogs and cats, many of which are brought in by local people associated with the Buddhist temples. I am just now realizing that I never took a photo of one of the most impressive Transmissible Venereal Tumors (TVTs) that I'd ever seen...I must have been a bit "photog'd out" by this point...sorry!
 |
| Arriving at my guesthouse in the suburb of Hang Dong, outside of Chiang Mai |
 |
| This sad case involved a temple dog who had been grossly overfed and grossly under-exercised. He could not move about on his own accord. :-( |
 |
| One of CFD's dedicated, permanent, and volunteer veterinary technicians prepping a dog for a cryptorchid (undescended testicle) neuter |
 |
| A better view of the surgery room (which alone had fantastic air-conditioning!) |
 |
| I miss this little guy so much! I took him in after he was picked up and shaken brutally by a much bigger tomcat, resulting in severe cervical spinal cord trauma (see his abnormally angled right front paw?). I was initially unsure how he would do, but when I saw him do this: |
 |
I knew I couldn't give up on him!!
He was initially unable to walk, could only do "spinal rolls," and needed help with propping up his right front paw in the right direction, but with nursing care both at the guesthouse and at CFD, look at what he was able to do over the following 2 weeks! |
 |
| Herbie (my original name for him; he is now Furby and part of one of CFD's vet's family) LOVED playing with my running shoes...hopefully that means they smelled pleasant enough... |
 |
| Herbie (now Furby) was my wonderful biking companion to CFD every day. Toward the end of my time at CFD, I had to watch carefully that he didn't try crawling out of this basket! I'm so happy he's in a wonderful home now. :-) Thanks, Pam!!! |
 |
| Pam's amazing canine companion who was positively BORN to RIDE A SCOOTER!!! | |
 |
| A fellow passenger in a songthaew (shared taxi in the form of a pick-up truck)...I don't think she paid her fair share of our fare! :-) |
|
|
After my time at Care For Dogs, I was undecided about whether to visit Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam or spend more time in Thailand. At the last minute, I called Wat Rom Poeng (a Buddhist monastery) to inquire about meditation retreats there, and it turned out that there was space for a retreat starting the very next day. So, I spent my last seventeen days in Thailand meditating at this beautiful monastery in Chiang Mai:
 |
| Monks and nuns receiving lunch alms (food donated for meals) |
 |
| Practicing walking meditation in the peaceful, warm halls of the main temple |
Some wonderful words to live by...displayed in the monk-student meeting area of the monastery:
