Running with Dogs: Chiang Mai Countryside

While in Chiang Mai we spent some time learning about Care for Dogs. While we were there we learned about their great need for people to walk the dogs. Since our Villa was only a few streets away, we decided to take a day to go for a run & walk some of the shelter dogs.

We probably walked 8 to 10 dogs that day! We'd take two, run around, play in the forest & head back for 2 more. It was great exercise & a wonderful time to love on some dogs, who don't often get much people interaction or walks.

Each dog had it's own quirk. This guy was the cutest. He was covered in healing mange & other skin problems, so he wasn't exactly the dog you'd long to pick up and cuddle at first. He had a severe inner ear infection so he could only walk in circles. It was sad but quite funny to see him happily turning circle after circle. He could however walk straight if on a leash. He had the sweetest personality & loved going on a walk.

These two were quite the challenge. The one Zachary was running with loved the walk, and was fine walking with us, but if you got to close to his face or body with your hands he'd start to growl & bar his teeth. He had come from a very abusive environment, leaving him with little trust for new people, but he liked us enough to be walked by us! The one I was walking had been ran over. His back and back legs had been broken. He has healed & recovered remarkably, but he still has trouble walking long distances. He'd happily be walking, when his back legs would sort of collapse. Poor thing was so resilient and not at all bothered by his constant collapsing, though.

Being in Thailand, we had beautiful scenery all around us to enjoy.

The last two we walked were my favorites. They reminded me a lot of Chara. They had also come from abusive environments & were slightly stand offish, but still full of that spunky, puppy spirit.

We took them through the woods, where they rolled around and pounced on things.

There was a trail through the woods that led straight to our Villa from Care for Dogs. Where we stayed, The Narritaya, had amazing organic food & villas and offers discounted rates for volunteers working at Care for Dogs. If ever in Chiang Mai again, we will seriously consider taking an extra few weeks to volunteer with this great foundation & of course, have breakfast at Narritaya.

We loved spending a day with the pups at Care for Dogs, getting  a run in & exploring Chaing Mai's countryside.