"Shearing" long-haired strays in preparation for the upcoming summer
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It gets extremely hot in Thailand and while this is difficult enough for us humans, there are some 4-legged buddies of ours that have on a coat that the cannot take off and heat stroke and heat exhaustion is a real problem for dogs as well. This problem originates from people importing exotic animals from cold-weather countries in times past only to be irresponsible with their breeding or even in rare instances, abandoning the rare breed despite the high cost that was paid to get here.
That few dogs that are indigenous to Thailand are all short-haired and shedding breeds including a smaller version of a Ridgeback that is significantly smaller than its African relative. The longer haired dogs that do not shed are in particular trouble during this upcoming time of year because unlike most breeds of dogs, they are incapable of even shedding their coats, even perennially. This can be a massive disaster for these dogs and dehydration can end up being a massive problem in their lives.
There aren't a great many of this type of dog in the homeless community, but when we se them out there, we tend to not forget them and take note and do our best to locate them during this time of year to prepare them for the upcoming heat. Of course their temperament is a big factor in whether or not we can help them so we can only do this for the ones that have a pleasant demeanor. We aren't going to use capture and sedation methods on this sort of issue because it is expensive and dangerous for the people involved.
This particular dog is a member of our gang of dogs at the Tiger Cave Temple and is very used to our presence and will allow us to handle it and will remain calm during the shaving session.
Despite what people might think about this process, it is actually very time-consuming and even though we know that this pup is ok with being touched, we still have to be very careful because many dogs will turn on you when they are scared or confused about what we are doing to them so we have to use a lot of caution with plenty of treats to get this process completed. It is almost always a 2-person job: One to keep the dog calm, the other to do the cutting.
Even though this pup has a happy look on its face and appeared to be happy to be touched, just look at the size of that jaw and teeth! It could cause a lot of damage quickly if we were to accidentally cause a panic.
Now we didn't do much for the dog's look, that's for sure, I think I could tell that even during the haircut and the relatively cool temperature on this particular day, that the dog was already quite happy to get rid of this extra fur.
By the time we were finished we had a huge amount of hair cut off and I kept feeling like a farmer that was shearing the sheep for wool.
By the time we were finished the dog looked quite ridiculous but if there is one thing I have learned about dogs over the many years I have been doing this, they are not anywhere nearly as concerned about how they look as we are. The embarrassment that the dog might have felt was relieved by a nice big chunk of chicken served afterwards.
I think it will be funny to see the response that the dog gets from the pals back at them temple when we bring her back later on today!
If you have a long-haired dog, shedding breed or not, in a tropical climate, please consider doing the same to them - or perhaps use a groomer for better looking results if you have the money - because it really does make a huge difference in their overall quality of life.
if you would like to see how you can help out or simply spread the word, please visit our website at
http://krabianimalwelfare.org
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