If you live in Thailand for just a short period of time you will notice that there is one place that you can always count on there being a bunch of stray dogs hanging around. The 7-11's nationwide are a hot spot for dogs to gather at probably because it is open 24 hours a day and provides them with some level of safety. There are always people around and many of the customers will buy buts of food or put down a scrap of whatever they are eating for the hungry doggos to gobble up. I love that although they have not been physically trained to do so, most of the dogs wouldn't dare walk inside the shop and just hang out outside, sleeping for the most part. ![image.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmS4rNVsbzS8PaX1hUJ6HmqDjYxTXmxiapJHwzwrxfkJyX/image.png) [src](https://cdn.coconuts.co/coconuts/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/storedog.jpg) Perhaps just as public relations, the company 7-11 stated that they were going to take care of these animals and that was a nice notion that unfortunately was more words than it was action. Here in Krabi the dogs are not chased off but the 7-11 themselves don't do anything to encourage more of them to relocate there such as serve them food. So we at Krabi Animal Welfare did one thing for them that they need even though they are not aware of it. We pick them up for health checks and sterilization. ![image.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXXQP84C6rhXG9zGzSLWyqvjoms261a4P9fxrRnsUYNbh/image.png) These dogs are very used to being around people so they are quite easy to handle. They do not like being put into cages though and unfortunately this is a very necessary part of the procedure because we can't have them jumping out of the vehicle while we are transporting them to the clinic. Also, a dog that gets stressed can quickly turn from a friendly dog into a bitey dog just because it is scared. ![image.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmazMrquJpJqxyvaQCN3ZRjak4iQdUvXLc4XP7hStE27ed/image.png) We can't take this chance when we are transporting them so even though they do not like it at all, we have to put them in the cage while we take them to the veterinarian. They don't realize it, but we are helping them a lot as well as the stray dog population as a whole because the fewer mouths to feed the easier it is for us to take care of all of them and also because a pack of 4 dogs can very quickly become a pack of 40 dogs if they are left unsterilized. The reason why 7-11 and other businesses tolerate a pack of dogs that hang out at their place is because it isn't a problem. Double or triple their numbers though, and this generosity might very quickly change. ![image.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmUcWKvqKbJsXzWjkMnJD6tXq6brQrtQYk7TV8U27iHR37/image.png) We keep them in there for as short a time as possible and we keep them in the shade if we ever need to park for any extended period of time. Don't worry, we make sure that every precaution is taken to keep them safe and comfortable. When we get to the clinic, the dogs get a blood check and then they are vaccinated if they haven't already had that done to them. Then they get sterilized and this procedure is very fast and simple. The dogs just take a really nice nap for a couple hours and when they wake up they will no longer be able to have babies. Some have criticized that we do this but as someone that has been doing this for many years I can state with absolute certainty that this is the ONLY way that this problem will ever have any semblance of a solution. A well-fed and healthy stray animal population will reproduce even **faster than an unhealthy and starving population.** There is no other way forward and when the dogs have a recovery day or two we put them back in the crate and take them back to where we found them. When we do let them out of the cage back at the 7-11 they start wagging their tails and go say hello to all of their friends that also live there. ![image.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmNeXVPHLJXPvLZX995SCD1Eyir8SkjvA8ehcF5Zk2vTDk/image.png) This situation obviously isn't ideal but the fact of the matter is that people just aren't interested in adopting or they already have as many dogs as they can handle. I have 3 dogs living at my house already and I only have a small garden. It would be inhumane to both me, my current dogs, and any new dogs that I might introduce if I were to take on any more. In the future I hope to get a house with a much bigger garden and when that time comes I plan to build a good sized shelter and kennel so I can take on many more dogs than I already look after. This is a lifelong thing for me and I work with our team to do all that we can to improve the lives of the thousands of stray dogs that we have here in Krabi, Thailand. Every little bit helps and we work day in and day out. The good news is that in the past 5 years we have seen noticeable improvements in the overall health of the stray animal population in Krabi. Things are working!

if you would like to see how you can help out or simply spread the word, please visit our website at

http://krabianimalwelfare.org

![21462758_174743779763179_4154543215066704521_n.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXHEhXj4e6AzsbAJKsFo8csozuoq1uUcMSdFQTYifzi55/21462758_174743779763179_4154543215066704521_n.jpg) _{Krabi Animal Welfare is a charity run entirely by volunteers and are a registered non-profit organization in Thailand and the U.K.. We aim to relieve the pain and suffering of dogs and cats within Krabi Province.} เป็นผู้สนับสนุนรายเดือนหรือบริจาคครั้งเดียวได้ที่: http://krabianimalwelfare.org