A one-eyed stray puppy in Thailand, now named ‘Million’ (pictured above) has become the millionth animal to be neutered and vaccinated by animal welfare organisation Soi Dog Foundation since its founding 20 years ago, in 2003.
“This incredible achievement simply would not have been possible without the support of our donors around the world,” said Soi Dog Foundation co-founder and president John Dalley MBE.
“Dogs like Million deserve so much better than to be born into short lives of suffering on the streets. It is, and has always been, our mission to get to the root cause of that suffering by means of sterilisation, and we are grateful to have supporters who wholeheartedly believe in that mission too,” he added.
John and who hail from Yorkshire, UK, established in Phuket in order to address the overpopulation of stray dogs – known as ‘soi’ dogs – after retiring to the Thai island in 2003. The foundation’s spay/neuter and vaccination programme proved to be most humane and effective way of reducing the overpopulation of stray animals and stemming the spread of disease, including rabies.
In Phuket, this approach has reduced the stray population by over 90% – and the island is set to officially become Thailand’s first rabies-free province.
There are similarly positive results in Greater Bangkok, where the foundation has neutered and vaccinated over half a million animals, partly thanks to the support of Dogs Trust Worldwide – the international arm of the UK’s largest dog welfare charity.
“We’re so proud to have been an integral partner to the project in Bangkok since 2016,” said Director of Dogs Trust Worldwide Karen Reed.
“We are committed to improving the lives of dogs and the relationship dogs have with the communities in which they live all around the world, so we know just how important this project continues to be for every single dog and cat.
“On behalf of everyone here at Dogs Trust Worldwide, we congratulate Soi Dog Foundation on reaching this milestone,” she added.
