Protecting Vulnerable Dogs on a Small Thai Island
The work of PACS (Phangan Animal Care for Strays) is never done
I have two rescue dogs, and they’re both from a place called Koh Phangan. Sisters who lived outside until they were nine months old, Luna and Muna have a freckled past. Beachfront dog fights, sand crab hunts, ear infections from swimming too much — even with their woes, these dogs lived the life. When my partner and I took them as our own, we vowed to make their life as adventurous as possible, without sacrificing security.
When Luna lived on the beach, she wound up running into the road and getting hit by someone on a motorbike. Friends took her straight to a place called PACS, Phangan Animal Care for Strays.The facility kept her safe for a night or two — safer than she would have been sleeping outside like before — but she needed more care than anyone on the island could give her. We eventually were able to get her to a neighboring island and fit her with a cast so she didn’t have to get her leg amputated.
But not all dogs on Koh Phangan have someone who can watch them day and night, or someone who can take them on a ferry and pay for…
