The Cambodia Cat & Dog Rescue project is a refuge for animals recovered on Phnom Penh’s streets. In addition to caring for these cats & dogs, the project is teaching the community about how to help stray animals and help raise the status of animals across Cambodia. Our Regional Manager, Crissy, just recently led a trip out to the project and spent the day as a dog rescue volunteer in order to experience how volunteers found their time there!
Caring for Animals in Cambodia
"During my visit to Phnom Penh, I had the chance to spend a day at a leading animal rescue in Cambodia, learning how to help street dogs and cats while supporting the local groups.
A 2-story gated building, transformed into a cat and dog shelter, sits on a narrow street surrounded by the bustle of urban life. The facility tour started the day. Once you're inside, there are dog shelter spaces to the left and a small garden area to the right. It’s actually an impressive use of space and was designed to maximize the entire room. The reception is followed by the operating room, kitchen, and an area for cats with particular conditions. Outside, the dog runs stretch the entire length of the property. Right away, I noticed how much larger each kennel was than those at other shelters I’ve been to, and no overpowering smell.
Bath Time for Kittens
The first task during the day was bathing cats. Regrettably, there had been a contagious skin rash that had overtaken some of the animals. In light of this, authorities quarantined infected animals and prevented them from contacting other animals. I have to say it seemed challenging to bathe a cat. As they usually do not like water, I have had more than my fair share of cat scratches. But, duty calls.
We placed the cats in single crates and took them to the bathroom, then prepared the water-filled tubs. I let another volunteer work first because, actually, I was hoping a cat would become confused. Rather, the first cat was calmly standing on the water and letting the shampoo run through its hair. Sure, the first cat is nice. Let’s see what my cat does. Now I picked, with a trembling hand and dropped it into the water. Shockingly, it stayed there. Wow. My cat was also extremely obedient, but that surprised me.
I never told anyone, but that was the first time I had ever tried to bathe a cat. I’m more of a dog person and have done the dog volunteer work. Yet I tried it and supposedly succeeded, because the cat neither attacked me nor fled. Once, a kitty attempted to get away from the swarm of them. Fortunately, he did not go too far since I picked him up again. Following the bath, the wet kitties were rolled up burrito-like in big warm towels. We took the kitties and coddled them like babies and then fluffed them dry. I had no idea how valuable a wet-wrapped kitten could be.
Puppy Time
Once all the kitties were bathed and returned to their freshly cleaned homes, it was puppy time! Many dogs had arrived as abandoned dogs, and the staff briefed us on each dog, covering their background, personality, training goals, and any special behaviors to watch for. Our task was to help train and socialize the dogs, which for me essentially meant ‘go play with the pups.’ And play we did! I took two or three dogs into the yard at a time, letting them play with each other (and me). Some dogs were overly excited, some were timid, and some were simply a ball of ‘cuddle-me’ on four legs.
There was one dog in particular, Cherry, that caught my eye. A short, beefy little girl known for having a barking issue linked to a fear of humans. I made it my goal to earn her trust enough to be able to pet her. I spent a lot of time with her. From tossing treats to her, to holding my hand behind my back with a treat for her, and then eventually having her take a treat from my hand face-to-face, after an hour, she finally let me pet her. I was so happy and didn’t want to let her go.
Walking Adventures
The second thing to do was to take Atticus out on a walk, and she was soon to be adopted and had been rescued through street dog rescue efforts. It was her maiden voyage using a leash. To her amazement, she was all too obedient as she strapped the tricky harness on. We began by walking around the yard, and she was fairly well kept in following me. But when we arrived in the street, it was pretty. The dogs and passerby before the surrounding houses were not sufficient to distract, but at the same time, it was 5 pm, and additional traffic was added. Regrettably, we could not go much farther along the road before we had to realize that it was not safe for Atticus. The whole commotion was obvious to the extent that she felt overstimulated and overwhelmed. But I am pretty sure she would be a good walker on the leash on a lower road.
When we had had our walk, we came to polish off the dogs. The employees made specific ration bowls for the dogs, per their weight and health requirements. We carry the bowls to the dogs individually to observe them and check how they are performing and taking any medication.
I still had approximately thirty minutes of the day left, and I utilized the time on some dog volunteer opportunities. I gave Cherry and some other pups my last cuddles as I struggled to talk myself out of adopting one in the heat of the moment. At last, the time had come to clean and go home. I went out with a feeling of satisfaction as well as a feeling of adoption. I am sure that no volunteer will go home without an amazing experience and will also learn a lot.
-Crissy, Regional Manager, South-East Asia
Want to Volunteer Yourself?
In case you can imagine yourself assisting the project that cares for abandoned cats and dogs, visit the Project page to see more about this lasting volunteer experience.