Every month the Hand to Paw Temple Dog Outreach program provides 9 temples with over 20 bags of dry dog food to help the monks feed over 80 dogs. 

The increase of dog populations at the temples and growing expense of dry dog food in Thailand has increased or monthly expenses and amount of food needed at each temple. The cost of the dog food now represents almost 75% of our allotted monthly operational expenses; leaving less money each month for our health care supplies, emergency medical treatment and medicines.

Last year we interviewed all the head Abbott's (Luang Por) at each of our 9 temples as a follow up for a story a journalist was writing about hand to Paw. One of the questions that was asked was "What do you feel is the most important element that Hand to Paw provides your temple dogs: 24 hour emergency medical treatment, free vaccinations and sterilizations, monthly bathing for tick and flea prevention, dry dog food supplement so that the dogs will have a healthy meal rather than just white rice, medicines, puppy care, etc. - Surprisingly, the unanimous response was "food'!

Monks go out each morning to collect food from their local villagers as a part of their merit making. This food provides the monks with their one meal a day. What is left over from this food collection is what is most often used to feed the dogs. This can be spicy curry, sweets, or other unsuitable foods for dogs. Also, many temples have only 1-2 monks living there, which means little food needs to be collected. If the temple has a large population of dogs, often times there are days that the dogs are not even fed. 

Hand to Paw has a priority to provide at a minimum 1 -2 bags of dry food a month to each of our temples to assure the dogs receive at least one healthy meal a day. If the population exceeds 6 dogs 3-4 bags a month are needed.

Hand to Paw needs your help to continue this important monthly donation of food to the temples. One 15 kg bag of food costs roughly 450 THB (USD 14). Any amount would help towards this effort and even a monthly or yearly sponsorship would be wonderful!

Visit our Facebook page ( Hand to Paw) about our important work and daily stories of the plight of the Thai temple dog! Together we can make a difference!