Soi Dog Foundation (Soi Dog) was established in 2003 in Phuket, Thailand, to help the street dogs and cats who had no one else to care for them. Over 70,000 strays roamed the island, with the numbers growing alarmingly due to a lack of spay and neuter programmes to control the population. Soi Dog was created to provide a humane and sustainable solution to managing the stray population and to address their medical needs. Funding then, as it does now, came entirely from individuals who shared, and continue to share, the vision of their founders.
Their work with street animals consists of spaying and neutering to prevent unwanted puppies and kittens being born into short lives of suffering, along with the rescue, vaccination, medical treatment, sheltering, and adoption of those that cannot be returned to their territory.
In 2023 I spent a week at the Phuket Shelter. At that time they were housing over 1300 dogs and close to 500 cats. Many were undergoing or had undergone serious medical treatments and I was astounded by the efficiency of the operation given the number of animals at the facility.
Each day we were assigned a group of dogs to walk. We were able to take most into the off lead & pool play areas where they could run around and you were free to interact. It was a beautiful experience to see how much joy this time brought the dogs.
During lunch we were free to go into the cat sanctuary and play with the cats who crave the attention. It was such a beautiful, relaxed environment.
Soi Dogs reach extends right across Asia and they’re fighting the good fight on many fronts. For more information, visit