Dogs saved from illegal Thai meat trade arrive in Phoenix
by Christopher Silavong, Arizona Republic | azcentral.com, Nov. 25, 2016
Bridget, a yellow lab mix, gets a lot of love Nov. 25, 2016, at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. She and another dog rescued from the dog-meat trade arrived in Arizona after flying in from Thailand. (Photo: Ben Moffat/The Republic)
Two dogs from Thailand that landed in Phoenix on Friday have a reason to be thankful.
Their new caregivers laughed and cried as the dogs put their feet onto the Arizona ground. Danica and Bridget were famished and ate every treat in sight. Bridget got on her hind legs, as if she were begging.
It's hard to believe these dogs were nearly butchered.
It was more than six months ago when they were saved from the illegal dog meat trade in northeastern Thailand. Volunteers with the Soi Dog Foundation, a group dedicated to helping neglected dogs and cats in Asia, had tipped off Thai authorities, who stopped a truck stacked with poached dogs cramped in cages.
Danica, 5, a medium black terrier mix, and Bridget, 4, a small yellow lab mix, were among the dogs saved during the seizure. Their arrival at the United Cargo facility at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport was the culmination of work by an international network of animal-welfare advocates.
Danica will live in Gilbert with Wendy Wiedekamp, an IT consultant, and Bridget will live in Chandler with Chris Carlon and Debbie Holmes.
But the homes are not permanent, said Dee Kotinas, president and CEO of Hope Emergency Animal Rescue. In the foster homes, the dogs will learn to live indoors and around humans.
“We expect to be able to put these two … survivors up for adoption in two months,” Kotinas said.
Answering the call to help
Kotinas, who has lobbied for mandatory spay and neuter programs in both government and private animal shelters in Arizona, wasn’t aware of the illegal dog-meat trade until an acquaintance, restaurateur Sima Verzino, contacted her.
Verzino, who with her husband, Marcellino, owns Marcellino Ristorante in Old Town Scottsdale, in 2015 learned about the Soi Dog Foundation’s efforts to combat the dog-meat trade. She had donated money to the group but wanted to do more. When she learned this past summer about the group’s adoption program, she called Kotinas for help.
Danica and Bridget were chosen because they “tested very high in being friendly,” Verzino said. She sponsored the dogs’ flight from Thailand to Phoenix.
Kotinas and Verzino's search for suitable homes spanned two months without luck, but they found foster homes just a few days before an Oct. 30 deadline. If homes in the Valley were not found for the dogs, the animals would’ve remained in the Soi Dog shelter in Thailand, and the foundation would have looked for homes elsewhere.
“I’m really excited to get Danica. I’ve fostered in the past and I enjoy it,” said Wiedekamp, who also volunteers with the Arizona Pug and Adoption Rescue Network. She learned about Kotinas and her efforts after reading a Republic story on the dogs.
Wendy Wiedekamp of Gilbert greets her new foster dog, Danica, at Phoenix Sky Harbor International on Nov. 25, 2016. Danica was rescued from the illegal dog-meat trade in Thailand and flown to Phoenix for a new life. (Photo: Ben Moffat/The Republic)
“It was that line about dogs being boiled alive that got to me,” she said. “I can’t separate those stories from my own dog.”
Carlon, 57, a maintenance worker, saw the dogs’ story on azcentral.com and asked ask his wife, Holmes, 57, what she thought.
“She said, ‘I think we should (help),’ ” Carlon said. “We’re just glad to help out. We feel sorry for those dogs over there.”
Kotinas screened hundreds of phone calls and emails before selecting Wiedekamp and Carlon and Holmes. She also found 14 new foster homes. Kotinas asked questions and received pictures of front and backyards to ensure there weren't pools and that fences were high enough to prevent the dogs from jumping over.
A letter sent to the new foster homes from the Soi Dog Foundation states that aiding the dogs won’t be easy. Caregivers must, among other things, introduce rescue dogs to pets or people one at a time, tour the new surroundings on a leash, ease the dogs into a new diet, routinely visit a veterinarian and attend training classes.
Adopting locally vs. internationally
The dogs’ story received criticism from some people who said adoption efforts should focus locally.
But those involved in the dogs' rescue said they are looking at the bigger picture.
“If the goal is to make people aware, then maybe these two dogs are just the beginning. We can make a difference on how things are done,” Wiedekamp said.
Carlon said he has rescued dogs in the Valley.
“My dog came from Animal Care and Control,” Carlon said. “I feel that rescuing an animal from what (Bridget and Danica) went through is OK. I would rescue more if I could but I have my limitations.”
Kotinas said she has rescued "thousands of animals on the street in Phoenix."
“It shouldn’t be either/or. It should be both. To these two dogs, we are making a big difference in their lives. That’s how we perceive our mission and the reason we are doing this," she said.
Anyone interested in helping or learning more can contact Kotinas at 602-943-1707 or email deesanimalmission@yahoo.com.