The Tiger Cave Temple project is the most ambitious one that we have ever taken on. It might be one of the largest in the entire country and it wasn't just because we are super clever, it is because it was an obvious place to try this. The area is contained on three sides by a mountain, and the only entrance is mostly walled because that is what they do with Temples. The only way in and out are the two entrances and the dogs have created a sort of contained ecosystem here. With this area, it is still too many to have over 100 dogs here, but there is plenty of space.
Our objective has been to keep them fed and as healthy as possible and of course get them all sterilized and try to document this so that it can be used as an example for the rest of the country about how a little bit of effort can make a huge difference.
They recognize my truck now, and when I pull up I have lots of happy faces that are coming to greet me. There are so many of them that I struggle to remember their names and the monks have told me that most of them don't even have names. Just the ones with really profound personalities end up with names but they are all treated very well for street dogs.
Today we came armed not just with food but also with treats, and we have more than enough so there is no reason for any fighting amongst the crowd. Some of the smaller dogs still get some special treatment because even though there is no competition for food here, dogs tend to be quite greedy if you allow them to be.
This little fella gets along just fine with the pack, but gets nervous about food when it is going around and needs to be separate from the rest when it is chow time. Strangely, the aggression actually comes from the pup, not the other way around. Maybe he is being groomed to be the Alpha at some point.
Our treat handouts are a bit of a trick though, because while our motivation is to keep them happy, one of the main reasons why we do this is so that we can inspect them for potential disease when they approach. We have trained them over the years to be patient and almost all of them are very comfortable with us handling them. This takes time though, so I do not recommend that anyone out there try to handle just some random dog that you see on the streets. While I love dogs perhaps more than the average person, I know that they are not always friendly and getting too close to a dog that doesn't know you can result in you getting hurt badly.
None of the dogs here are like that though. The project has been a rather large success and during our latest sweep we encountered not major problems and very little signs of parasites which is pretty impressive considering that this temple is literally surrounded by natural jungle that is absolutely filled with ticks and other blood sucking creatures.
It's always kind of nice checking in with our babies and it brings a bit of joy mixed with sadness every time I leave and about half a dozen of them chase the car all the way to the gate kind of like "hey! Why are you leaving?" I wish I could give every single one of these dogs a home but in the meantime we have made their lives a lot better than they otherwise would be.
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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