Two Women – One Mission “Operation Elfe”

Operation Elfe is a mission to assist and tell the story of one remarkable woman and the 650 dogs that she cares for in Thailand.    Meg Hart and Tina Smoothers are 2 Chicago area women who came together through ISDF – Tina as an adopter of a dog meat trade rescue from Elfes World and Meg Hart who volunteers with ISDF and provides pet care.  They are passionate about dog rescue and have hearts of gold.  Their passion to help the dogs in need around the world and in particular Thailand has led them down this fated path.  They have come together to tell a story – one that needs to be told.  The story of Elfe and her rescue dogs at Elfes World.  This remarkable story will bring feelings of inspiration, gratitude and hope to all who read it.  Tina and Meg will be traveling to Elfes World in September and will be doing a photo documentary of her and her dogs to help raise awareness on this worthy cause and tell her story.  Upon their return they will organize a photo gallery to share her story through pictures.  Please check out their mission here and make sure to like and share their page to help spread the word.

Elfe has been a rescue partner of ISDF’s for over 5 years and ISDF has placed many of Elfe’s rescues into loving homes around the US.  Elfe is a woman who has dedicated her life to helping the dogs of Thailand – the neglected and abused dogs that had no where else to turn.  Most of her rescues are from the barbaric dog meat trade who were fortunate enough to have escaped a brutal death but upon rescue had no where to go and in all honesty probably would not have survived their time at Thailand’s government shelters.  Back in 2011 and 2012 when the Thai government first started to crack down on the dog meat trade – truckloads of dogs were being rescued weekly and there was no place to go with them and not enough funds or government know how to care for dogs on this scale.  Most of the dogs were taken to large livestock shelters that offered no separation – so you had thousands of unvaccinated dogs in one big open area.  The majority would perish within weeks due to disease, dog fights, and lack of food and medical treatment.  Some were lucky enough to get sponsors and be flown to safety – Elfes World blew up overnight.  From 100 to 300 and before you knew it to today’s count at over 600 dogs.  Elfe, a single woman with no regular volunteers or ability to pay for kennel staff apart from a part time local man named Mr. Fak.  How is this possible?  All I can say is sheer determination and passion can move mountains.  I wouldn’t have believed it until I saw it…. my first visit to Elfe’s World in Koh Samui was back in 2013 and what I saw blew me away.  I saw hundreds dogs living in near harmony, they appeared healthy and well adjusted, hungry for human attention but most appeared to be thriving.  As Elfe took me from dog run to dog run she recounted each ones story and particulars.  It was an experience like no other and one that today I still have a hard time putting in words that do justice to the utopic type experience that I felt.  Elfe had a special connection with each dog and the love was evident between Elfe and her dogs.  However, it is not all utopia for Elfe and everyday is a struggle – up at dawn and working with the dogs until she collapses in bed at the end of each day.  Her life is filled with much heartbreak when dogs pass away, sometimes to a cobra bite or a dog fight or disease.  She doesn’t have the funding to make ends meet all the time and there are days she’s not sure how she will come up with the money to feed the dogs.  But she always finds away however it is stressful and emotionally taxing for Elfe.  Luckily many kind people around the world sponsor many of her dogs and pay a monthly sponsorship to provide the food and medical costs for their sponsor dog.  You can sponsor one of her dogs here.

Thank you Tina and Meg for embarking on such a worthy mission and thank you Elfe for being the angel you are to the dogs of Thailand.