At Wat Mae Yuak in Chang Phueak, compassion comes with four legs. Behind the temple walls live more than 300 dogs—small, large, pedigree and local mixes—most of them abandoned, many literally dropped off in cages or cardboard boxes. Alongside them are nearly 90 cats, all now under the care of the temple.
Abbot Phra Khru Samu Apisit Chaiwichit has quietly turned the temple into a sanctuary, providing food, shelter, medical care and, just as importantly, time. Some dogs arrive injured or close to death and need urgent treatment. Others carry emotional scars that take months to heal, especially pets once loved, then left behind.
Thanks to growing public kindness, donations of dog food now help ease the daily workload—no small task when feeding happens twice a day, every day. Still, abandonment remains a stubborn yearly problem.
The abbot’s message is simple: if you choose to keep a pet, keep them for life. Dogs and cats remember who loved them.
