Pattaya Unplugged had the opportunity to sit down with author Phil Hall about his new book Soi Dog Stories and the Soi Dog Angels.

Unplugged: Phil, great to see you again.  Why don’t we kick this off by you telling us a little bit about your new book – Soi Dog Stories

Phil Hall: Of course! I was made aware of Soi Dog Angels and Caroline Worthington’s cause some time ago. As a dog lover myself, I made a few contributions and watch their fantastic work via their Facebook Page.

I have always admired Dog Rescue centers around the world and Thailand, in particular, is a place that needs their help more than most other countries.

Unplugged:  Oh, why do you think that is?

Phil Hall: Well, ever since I started coming here in the late eighties and during my time living here, I have had brushes with stray or soi dogs and they haven’t usually been very pleasant. I came to the conclusion that most of the Thais had a negative opinion about dogs. Like the rest of the world, certain individuals would buy a cute puppy only for it to turn into a big problem for them.

Unplugged: Please go on

Phil Hall:  It’s that well-worn cliché that ‘a dog is not just for Xmas# that rings so true in Thailand. These sweet tiny creatures can grow and then they produce more responsibility both financially and in terms of being time consuming. The owners just leave them out in the street and they either get killed or join the local gang and run amok in the streets with the other Soi Dogs

Unplugged:  Please tell us more about Soi Dog Angels?

Phil Hall:  I was alerted to them via Facebook and just knew that I had to try and help then in their noble mission in Rayong. Caroline and her crew have an almost thankless task in looking after a huge area dealing with hundreds of stray and problem dogs. Relying totally on charity, they have managed to control the soi dog population and as well as neutering/sterilising these poor animals, they also manage to deal with nasty injuries and even rehome some of the luckier ones. You can see their struggles and triumphs here – https://www.facebook.com/soi.dog.angels

Unplugged: Are there any sad stories that made you even more determined to help Soi Dog Angels?

Phil Hall:  Almost too many to count but one in particular made me cry and it’s an all too common occurrence in Thailand with dog owners who decide that it is time to abandon their faithful pets. If you have ever been to a temple in Thailand, you will no doubt have seen that most have a pack of stray dogs that are attached to the place. These are fed by the monks and will give hell to any person or creature that gets too close. For some absurd reason, irresponsible idiots decide that rather than find a home for their unwanted pets, they can simply drop them off at the nearest temple and be done with it. Sadly, this is not the case. I read a heartbreaking account of how someone did this to their small dog, called Daddy, only for it to be almost torn apart by the local temple dogs. The screams were heard and the poor little dog was removed by Caroline’s volunteers.

Unplugged:  Oh no! Did Daddy survive?

Phil Hall: Sadly not, the poor little thing was bitten so badly that it died from loss of blood and shock. There is a very real message here – DO NOT LEAVE YOUR UNWANTED DOG AT YOUR LOCAL TEMPLE!

RIP Daddy

Unplugged:  Very sad to learn, Phil so how will ‘Soi Dog Stories’ Help Caroline’s work?

Phil Hall:  Quite simply, I hope it will raise money for her and them. All of the profits from eBooks and paperbacks are being donated every month and I hope this becomes a regular and decent enough amount to make a difference for a long time.

Unplugged:  That’s great, what is the book actually about then?

Phil Hall: Well, it’s a collection of fictional stories written in English and beautifully translated into Thai. Some of these contain elements of truth but all of them are written from the dog’s perspective making it both entertaining and unique. There are also donation links and some real posts from Soi Dog Angels Facebook page.I have spent hundreds of hours writing this book and I’m know doing my best to make people aware of how, by buying ‘Soi Dog Stories’ they can do something amazing and help to save a dog today!

Unplugged: We appreciate you taking the time to sit down with us today for a quick chat.  You can help out the Soi Dog Angels by donating at their donation link here:

Donation link – https://www.soi-dog-angels.com/donate/

Or by picking up a copy of Phil’s book at the link below :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Phil-Hall/e/B078V5H9G3/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

 

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Adam Judd
Mr. Adam Judd is the Co-owner of TPN media since December 2017. He is originally from Washington D.C., America, but has also lived in Dallas, Sarasota, and Portsmouth. His background is in retail sales, HR, and operations management, and has written about news and Thailand for many years. He has lived in Pattaya for over nine years as a full-time resident, is well known locally and been visiting the country as a regular visitor for over a decade. His full contact information, including office contact information, can be found on our Contact Us page below. Stories please e-mail Editor@ThePattayanews.com About Us: https://thepattayanews.com/about-us/ Contact Us: https://thepattayanews.com/contact-us/