Our happy days of cavorting with puppies recently took a turn for the scary.
There are many, many stray dogs in the harbor, around Galle, and I can only assume Sri Lanka in general. These dogs wander the streets and are often terribly skinny and covered in fleas and mange. Many are very friendly (especially if you have food) and we see the same dogs around the harbor every day. However, the locals treat these dogs with complete disregard, and sometimes violence. We've heard that the crew of some cargo ships that come into the harbor will actually catch and eat the dogs roaming around; the friendly ones are the easiest to catch. One construction worker told us that there used to be a very friendly female dog that the workers would feed and pet; she was one of the dogs caught by such a crew.
Some of the personnel from the harbor (we're not sure what their job is or who they were) recently took notice of the attention we gave to the puppies. For whatever reason, they decided to catch one of the puppies (we're also not sure if it was one of "our" puppies or a different one, as there are many litters around the harbor) and abuse it right at the end of the dock, in plain view of all the boats tied up there. We weren't on the boat during all this, but our neighbors on the dock were and told us about it. These people obviously did this because they knew we loved the puppies, and they were trying to get back at us for some reason unknown to us or just to feel big.
We were, of course, very angry when we heard this. These puppies had only just learned to trust us, and now there were people hanging around who had no problem hurting them for no reason at all. The only solution (besides enlisting six new, furry crewmembers on the WTP) was to take the puppies to safety. I did some research and learned there was an animal shelter a mere 40 minutes away. The name of this shelter: AnimalSOS. It was founded by Kim Cooling, from London, after she saw the horrible situation of stray animals in Sri Lanka. AnimalSOS operates from a large plot of land in Midigama, where they take in strays, give medical attention and regular meals, and most importantly spay or neuter them. Most of these dogs live the rest of their lives at the shelter, although the organization also operates an adoption program.
With this destination in mind, we set about planning our trip. The harbor is surrounded by a tall concrete wall, with a gate at the entrance; we must show our shore pass upon entering and exiting. The guards (some armed with guns) are required to check this pass and also search our bags, to prevent us from importing any goods we've brought from the boat into the country. They had never checked our bags before but we thought carrying six puppies out might cause a problem.
Our solution: Puppy Smuggling.
I had a duffel bag big enough for all the puppies, and our plan was to load them into it and see if we could get out of the gate. Hopefully they would be still and quiet long enough for us to get past the guards. If that failed and the guards forbid us from taking the puppies out, Adam was going to take them behind the bathrooms near the harbor's encircling wall, while I made my way out of the harbor to the other side of the wall at that same spot. Then, Adam was going to throw the bag over the wall, and I would catch it. We were very determined and vowed that nothing would stop us!
We packed the puppies into the duffel bag, leaving it unzipped until we were close to the gate. We approached the gate. Only three guards, fewer than normal - good. The puppies were quiet. We handed our passes over. The puppies were still quiet. The guards made small talk while they recorded our information. A puppy whined. One guard looked behind me, convinced himself that was where it came from, and looked away. We breathed a sigh of relief. The guards were sure taking their time with our passes. More puppies started whining, and then barking. All the guards looked in my direction, at the bag, and then asked the inevitable question: "What's in the bag??" I calmly responded, "Puppies!" The guards grinned a little and looked puzzled. "We're taking them to the vet for shots!" I said. One guard walked over and motioned for me to open the bag. I opened it the tiniest little bit, one puppy stuck her noise out, and I moved to zip it back up, reasoning, "We have to keep it closed or they'll all fall out." The guards continued to look extremely puzzled... but handed our passes back! We were all free to go, puppies included!
Once outside the gate we called Upa, our tuk-tuk driver. While we waited for him I opened the bag so the puppies could get some fresh air. A local woman in a nearby shop noticed the puppies and came over to where we were sitting. She asked to hold one of them and we obliged. She then asked an odd question: "Any boys?" I was ready for this, though, and told a white lie: "Nope, all girls!" She handed the puppy back and returned to her shop. While perusing the AnimalSOS website, I had read that locals prefer male dogs... because they don't have puppies, and one dog is all many households want. They may not physically have puppies of their own, but an unneutered male dog is just as much a cause of unwanted litters as an unspayed female dog. And, as the majority of stray dogs in Sri Lanka don't seem to be spayed or neutered, there are many unwanted, uncared for litters that grow up to have litters of their own. Eek, what a huge project AnimalSOS has tackled!
Upa arrived and we all clambered into his tuk-tuk. The puppies, who had grown up next to a construction site, responded calmly to the noise of traffic around them. Most of them even fell asleep!
After a few wrong turns and stopping to ask for directions, we found the bumpy back road that led to AnimalSOS, or the 'dog house' as many of the locals called it. An apt nickname, I think! While waiting outside the gate I grew nervous. What if the shelter was full and they turned us back? I had emailed the contact on the website a few days ago, but as things in the harbor had escalated we were bringing the puppies in before we technically had the go-ahead. My fears were unfounded though. Debbie, the shelter manager, opened the gate, took one look at the puppies in the tuk-tuk, and said, "Well, let's each grab two and take them inside." Hooray!
We were greeted by a chorus of dogs barking as we followed Debbie into the intake room. Once there, the puppies were placed on an examination table, where Debbie conducted an intake exam. She checked them for ticks and signs of mange, and declared that they looked pretty healthy. She then gave them each a dewormer pill (Adam and I helped administer these). Three Spot managed to spit his out twice, and then just held it in his mouth until it foamed up and dripped out! Debbie then sprayed them each with a flea and tick spray, and transferred them to a cage in a seperate room for their first few days. The puppies have roommates, though, in the form of another litter of puppies and the shelter's three resident cats!
After a long, exciting journey from their home in the pipes at the harbor, they had arrived in their new home, safe and sound!
And don't worry, this Puppy Saga isn't over yet. AnimalSOS loves volunteers, and I'm going to visit the puppies there! I will keep you all updated! In the meantime, check out the AnimalSOS website for more information about this awesome organization!!
