Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) Tourist Guide


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Making a stand

Text : Kate Joy
Images : Apirak

In 1992, Karin Hawelka arrived in Chiang Mai for a brief visit and fell for the city’s charms. 12 years later, she and her husband returned, and before long Karin was at the forefront of rescuing street dogs in Chiang Mai and soon ‘Care for Dogs’ was born.

Before Karin Hawelka turned 30 she wanted to get back to Thailand and ‘really get involved and spend time with the people’. So when an opportunity arose for a position in human resources at a sewing machine manufacturer in Lamphun, she jumped at it. “I had an internship for six months and I really enjoyed it, and didn’t want to leave at all, so I continued traveling in Thailand afterwards for three months and then I found a job in Bangkok and altogether I stayed three years.” That was 1992 and the German-born Karin was 29. “I remember you had to be under 30 to do the program, so I was in hurry!”

Growing up near the Swiss border, near the Lake of Constance, Karin eventually returned to Germany and then moved to Switzerland to take up another job in human resources and meet the man who was to become her husband, Klaus. But Asia was always there in her mind, a seed which would one day grow into a much bigger project.

“A few years later Klaus and I were having coffee and he was looking at job adverts and came across an ad in Thailand, and it was the same company where I used to work in Lamphun. It suited his profile. He asked if I would like to go back and of course I said ‘Yes!’ That was in 2004, almost seven years ago.”

After arriving in the North Karin knew she wanted to change her life: “I came here with no plans and I was just looking for a less stressful life, but that didn’t last long!”

With Karin and Klaus on their journey was one elderly street dog Karin had rescued from Bangkok years before. “That was my greatest worry when we came to Thailand, if she would make the trip well, because she was quite old.”

When the new arrivals came to Chiang Mai they settled into life near town and Karin soon realized she was going to have to do something.

“You know it’s nice to have a break but I’m not the type to just sit around and do nothing and I was looking around at what I could do as a volunteer. I soon came across Lanna Dog Rescue, so I started working there.” This was Karin’s first involvement with street dogs and she found it fascinating. “I became more and more aware of the many problems that street dogs face and many that you sometimes don’t see.”

Karin worked with Lanna Dog Rescue for the next one and half years, during which time she met Amadine Lecesne [shelter partner] there who was also volunteering. “She came from America but she is French originally. Then we thought we would like to have a Shelter where we could do sterilizations and adoptions and take sick dogs for treatment. That was about four and half years ago.”

Before this time Karin hadn’t been involved in any volunteer activity: “I was too busy with work. I remember I did look into it once but I was focused on my job and I just couldn’t fit it in.”

Karin’s family life, while she was growing up, was one in which injured animals featured on a regular basis: “My mother has a lot of love of animals and would bring back injured birds we cared for and that planted the seed to get involved.”

Since Karin first arrived in 1992 she has noticed how Chiang Mai has become busier. “There’s more traffic, so we’re glad to be in the countryside but on the plus side there are more opportunities more places to go out.”

Karin believes animal awareness is growing in Thailand alongside environmental awareness and that all this comes with economic and educational achievements. But there is still a very long way to go. “We come across wonderful Thai people who look after street dogs and are great, but then we still have the cases of neglect and abuse, dogs left with terrible tumors and nobody cares about it.”

As non-Thai nationals it’s a sensitive job to impart an important message.

“We seldom have cases where we get negative feedback about being foreigners although we did have one adoption case where we were not satisfied by how the dog was kept and brought the dog back and the guy was very upset and said because we were foreigners that we couldn’t tell him what to do with a Thai dog, even though he had adopted through us. But this is unusual. The majority of people are open-minded and often thankful when we can offer help with sterilization. And here in the community of the surrounding village I think mostly we are accepted for the work we’re doing, but there might be voices in the background that I don’t hear.”

Care for Dogs is now registered as a foundation and recognized by the Thai authorities. “All our staff have work permits and we are accepted.”

One of the hardest things here in Thailand is to bring people to justice for neglecting or abusing animals in their care. “The law is weak in this way and the only thing you can do is try and educate people. For example the caging of dogs is a big issue here in Thailand, and we try to talk to people about what it is like for a dog to live out its life in a cage. But you have be careful not to lecture people. Nobody likes that, especially from a foreigner.”

Care for Dogs is now working on the next generation. “We have volunteers running school education programs, and we believe focusing on the next generation will bring about change.”

There have been many memorable moments for Karin since she arrived in Chiang Mai but one recent one was when a project to free 50 caged dogs resulted in many happy furry faces leaving their imprisonment and scratching the earth for the first time in years. “That was very special, and of course the birth of my son Benji! He is two years three months. He likes dogs. He sees them as buddies, they are amazingly patient with him. Bringing a child up in Thailand we appreciate that Thailand is a child-friendly society.”

Karin and Klaus now live out in Hang Dong at a house adjacent to the Shelter, sharing their home with 26 dogs, while the Shelter provides warmth and sustenance for up to 150 dogs at a time. “We were living in a mooban (village/urban community) with eight dogs but that wasn’t working so we decided to move outside. At first I said to my husband, ‘Oh it’s too far out, but when we arrived we fell in love with the view of the mountain and the rice fields. Then we had the opportunity to buy the land next door and build the shelter, so we are very settled with no direct neighbors.”

Care for Dogs has built up a strong relationship with the neighboring village through a collaborative home-stay program for volunteers and offering medical help and sterilization to villagers’ dogs.

Volunteers are the life blood of an organization such as Care for Dogs, especially vets and vet nurses. “We have an almost daily need to help sick or injured dogs and not enough vets. But we welcome volunteers from all walks of life, because dogs are so dependent on their relationships with humans, even dogs that have been on the streets for years. I am still amazed by how quickly they bond with humans and their desire for human contact. We have 150 dogs at the shelter and though we try, it’s hard to give them all the hugs and attention they need.”

Volunteer introductions are done every Wednesday by an experienced volunteer. “We are always very busy so it’s best if people can come on this day first.”

There are many other opportunities to get involved - helping at the Sunday Walking Street Market, or getting online and coming up with ideas to promote adoption and fundraising, as well as education and awareness. Everyone is welcome!

Lastly, I ask Karin what would be the top things she would ask for to change the lives of dogs in Thailand if she had five wishes.

1. No more abandoning dogs, especially at temples, which are not equipped to cope.

2. Sterilization, sterilization, sterilization!

3. Vaccinations

4. A more positive attitude of respect towards all animals

5. More vegetarians

And after a quick break for coffee Karin is back in action following up an emergency that has just arrived - two mummy dogs and their eight puppies, two of which are very sick and have just been brought in. She takes the tiny puppy whose life is ebbing away to a warm place to give it a fighting chance, while the mums and their babies get a good feed.

www.carefordogs.org/
www.facebook.com/street.dog.rescue
contact@carefordogs.org
Tel. 084-752 5255