Puppy Love at ENP

Those who knew me before this trip will know that I've got a general tolerance for dogs but I've never been a full on ERRRRRRMAGHERD-WOOSE-A-WOOD-WURL person. I like the idea of dogs and I've always been around them and know that they are inevitably part of my life, and I love the idea of snuggling and playing, but there's always so much shedding and grease and slobber and considerations and poo. Similar to my ideas on children.

The day before I arrived at ENP I refreshed my knowledge of the park, and had forgotten (somehow) that they also accommodate over 400 dogs! Much of their rescue efforts occurred during the terrible 2011 floods in Thailand - so many villages had to be evacuated of humans that they were forced to leave the dogs behind. The ENP team at the time took inflatable dinghys and rescued as many as they could take, bringing them home to the park for them to roam in big runs and receive the medical treatment and love so many of them desperately needed. More recently the ENP generosity and love itself is becoming abused, with owners who are fed up of their animals just dumping them at the gates of the park.Thailand has a terrible reputation for dog cruelty just because they are not highly regarded at all. Much like in England we look at rats and don't think twice about putting down pest poison for them, so too are dogs widely considered in Thailand. I'm not going to preach about the pros and cons of cultural relativity with regard to the respect awarded to and placing of different animals in different societies (although I would love to do research on that), so let's just settle on the fact that for some of the dogs Thailand doesn't want, ENP provides a home with the hope that the dogs will find their forever homes with adoptive families throughout the world.

During my first week at ENP the dog sanctuary was shut down to ellie volunteers so they could put all their energies into helping some of the sick pups there, so my canine attention was focused on the 30-odd dogs who roam the platform feeding area and the main ENP base building. These dogs are social, friendly, happy plodders with a tendency to "choose" volunteers each week to whom they will attach and follow around which is just divine! Just like the ellies, all the dogs have their own distinct personalities and stories.

Memphis is one of the oldest dogs at ENP. He was dropped out of the side of a big silver car at the park gates one day, and waited next to the gate pining for 3 days for his owners to come back for him. Eventually he managed to make it further into the park and set up camp at the meeting point in the car park, personally meeting and greeting every person, animal, and truck which enters ENP. He's the king of the run and flumpf, rolls onto his back in expectation of the incoming belly-rub, and stands guard over the entire park. He rounds up the water buffalo like a sprite, runs around the elephants like a well seasoned athlete, and gets up on his soapbox to bark his disappointment with the youth of today like any good grandpa! His eyesight is going, his body is getting a bit worn, but my goodness he has the most beautifully energetic and kind spirit.

Memphis guarding the park

I met Noi very early into my second week when she followed me for 45 minutes into the jungle, and stayed with me for a whole day whilst I was shadowing ellies over there. She's a relatively young gal, figuring out where she fits in the ENP packs and where she wants her base to be. So far she seems to have picked the kitchen rather than the platform itself to avoid the more territorial dogs and she's a beautiful piece of the furniture between rice ballers and melon throwers! She's quiet but a naughty little gal when she begins to warm up to you, and one of the most beautiful dogs I've known.

Noi getting a well deserved roll in elephant poop

My first impression of River was a little negative. She was a secret growler (in the throat, rather than barking it out) and always seemed to be in stand offs with other platform dogs. It was a few days before I learned that she had only just arrived at the park 10 days before I had, and so she was in the transition stage of finding her place which can be really difficult for some dogs. Her name comes from her arrival: one day she was spotted walking through the river towards the ENP base, and she just stayed! During the second week I was staying in a room which I'm pretty sure is actually River's bedroom which she lets volunteers camp in each week. She'd nose her way through the door and sit in the middle of the cluster of beds, cross her front paws, and look expectantly up at us to provide polite and witty repartee. She's self assured and has a beautifully gooey inside which doesn't take much snuggling to unleash!

Danke for letting us into your room, River

During my second week at ENP the dog sanctuary was up and running for all volunteers again and I took full advantage! After scoffing multiple portions of deep fried long beans and numerous aubergine delights I'd head over to the dogs and see who I could play with that lunchtime! Some days we'd take a run of dogs out for a short walk up a bit of the perimeter of the park, other days we'd be playing with them inside their runs. One day I was allowed to take a post-op pup out for a short sniff-around which was just adorable - Wiggles wasn't too bothered by his cone, but he also didn't quite grasp that it was the thing limiting his I'm-going-to-throw-my-head-into-this-bush-k antics. 

Wiggles wait what you can't right fine ok yep go ahead we're in there anyway

Some of my best snuggles weren't even on leads: Village Boy and I played together at the entrance to the dog runs, and Mars Bar joined in for some more soothing cuddles too. (If I ever get to a computer with enough bandwidth I'll upload a video my mahouting partner Kerri took of me and Village Boy messing around - it may be from England, judging by Aussie strengths, but we'll go with what we can get.)

Waaaaaaah woofaloofaloof

Ruffruffruffruffruff

By the middle of my second week I was rolling around in gravel with dogs soft mouthing my hands and slobbering all over my last clean t-shirt as happy as Malee seeing a basket of rice balls. I would have adopted Village Boy right off the bat but I have a beautifully big dog at home and I didn't know how his quiet temperament might have blended with her bounding energy! I hope it would have been two puzzle pieces, but I wouldn't want to risk bringing him across the world to not feel happy.

So there we go, ENP chalking up another notch for ENP vs KBG: my passive acceptance for dogs of all shapes, sizes, ages and cones has been replaced with full on coochycoochycooing followed by a good muss of the tummy and running around together before collapsing in a heap.

For those interested, which I hope might be a lot of you, there are dog volunteering programmes available at ENP year round! They especially need people in the months of April-July, it's very, VERY reasonably priced (less than 150GBP for an entire week of accommodation and insanely yummy buffet meals) for a week of all the dogs you could ever wish for and hanging around with the elephants too! With such cheap flights available and an incredible experience on the cards, what's stopping you? I can't recommend the park enough. Winner Winner Tofu Dinner. Find out more here.

If you're a vet you can also volunteer for special visiting vet programmes focusing on the elephants, dogs, or the multitude of other animals ENP houses such as horses, pigs, peacocks, monkeys, and goat - get on a plane and love life!