Phuket mourns death of Soi Dog co-founder

[webfact]

Phuket mourns death of Soi Dog co-founder

Phuket Gazette 

 

          

Soi Dog Foundation co-founder Gill Dalley was 58 years old. Photo: The Nation

 

PHUKET: -- The untimely death of Gill Dalley, who was a prominent member of the Phuket community and co-founder of the Soi Dog Foundation, was announced early this morning by foundation representatives.

Ms Dalley was 58 years old and battled cancer for a short period of time.

She was the inaugural winner of the ‘Canine Hero of the year’ award at the 2011 Animals for Asia conference in Chengdu, China, and the first non-Asian by birth to be named ‘Asian of the year’ by Channel News Asia, Singapore, in their annual awards.

“It is with deepest sadness that we announce the passing of Soi Dog co-founder Gill Dalley, after a short battle with illness. Out of respect for the family’s privacy, no further statement will be made at this time, although more information will be available in due course,” the foundation announced on its Facebook page.

 

The Network for Animal Protection (NetAP) expressed their condolences at Ms Dalley’s passing.

 

Full story: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Phuket-mourns-death-Soi-Dog-cofounder/66258?desktopversion

 

-- © Copyright Phuket Gazette 2017-02-13

[webfact]

Phuket's Gill Dalley, animal welfare pioneer and Soi Dog co-founder, dies from cancer

The Phuket News

 

Phuket’s renowned Gill Dalley, animal welfare pioneer and Soi Dog co-founder, has died from cancer, age 58. Photo: Soi Dog Foundation

 

PHUKET: -- Gill Dalley, co-founder of world renowned Soi Dog Foundation, has died after a short battle with cancer. She was 58 years old.

 

“It is with profound regret and unfathomable sadness that we announce the passing of Gill Dalley,” said Soi Dog Foundation in a release issued today.

 

“The inaugural winner of the Canine Hero of the year award at the 2011 Animals for Asia conference in Chengdu, China, and the first non-Asian by birth to be named an Asian of the year by Channel News Asia Singapore in their annual awards, Gill passed away after a short battle with cancer,” the release said.

 

Having retired with husband John to Phuket in 2003, from her native Yorkshire in the UK, John and Gill were determined to do something about the horrendous stray dog and cat problem they had witnessed previously on holidays. They teamed up with Margot Homburg, a Dutch retiree who had registered Soi Dog Foundation as a Dutch foundation the year before and had been sterilising dogs in her home city of Bangkok, before moving to Phuket.

 

Working together as dog catchers and nurses the three of them started to run mobile clinics, utilising volunteer vets from overseas, mainly at their own expense.

 

Barely a year later, Gill who had been weakened by a broken rib, darted a dog which ran into a flooded former rice paddy. In retrieving the dog she unknowingly became infected by a rare soil borne bacteria. She developed septicemia a few days later and was given a 10% chance of survival.

 

Beating the odds, she did however lose both her lower legs and suffered damage to her arms. In December 2004, she discharged herself from hospital determined she would be home by Christmas.

 

Three days after discharge the Asian tsunami struck in 2004, killing her best friend and volunteer Leone Cosens. Ms Dalley, still wheelchair bound, initially counselled survivors and relatives of victims before commencing to work at mobile clinics throughout the area.

 

She taught herself to walk again, and for the past 12 years except in rare circumstances refused to use her wheelchair, despite her stumps often being covered with blisters and ulcers, and enduring the pain that involved.

 

With Ms Homburg forced to take early retirement through ill health, she became the driving force in expanding the work of Soi Dog Foundation, including the establishing of its first shelter. Whilst husband John focused on the illegal Thai dog meat trade, it was Gill who took the lead in expanding Soi Dog’s sterilisation program, preventing literally millions of unwanted puppies and kittens being born with no future, and at the same time fulfilling Leone’s dream to establish a shelter for dogs that had been victims of cruelty and abuse, and discarded puppies too young to fend for themselves.

 

Full story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-gill-dalley-animal-welfare-pioneer-and-soi-dog-co-founder-dies-from-cancer-61010.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2017-02-13

[Old Croc]

From all reports an exceptional lady.

The program to sterilize soi dogs on the Island has been a great success.

In the seven years I've been here it's very noticeable that there are now a lot less of these strays than when I first came. And it is rare to see litters of pups in bush areas.

Attacks by these animals rarely happen now, and I haven't heard of any rabies cases here.

RIP Gill.

[brucegoniners]

Sad. A real humanitarian.

 

I hope they keep up her good work.

 

I adopted my second dog from a street beggar a couple weeks ago.  This prevented a dog from becoming a soi dog.

 

Now she's healthy (after some vet work) and happy with her new brothers and sisters.

[Jack Mountain]

RIP.  Hope many dogs will show up at the funeral ... and stay there.

[dick dasterdly]

Very sad news .

 

I hope her husband can find the strength to continue with Soi Dogs - they worked so hard together and achieved so much.

 

RIP Gill, and my sincerest condolences to her husband.

[Thingamabob]

Good and kind lady. RIP.