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Writer's pictureRosie Cripps

Freddie's Friends Foundation supports animal shelters during recent trip to Thailand

Chris Reynolds of Freddie’s Friends Foundation CIC and Paws for Thought pet shop in Launceston has completed a mission to volunteer at eight dog shelters and two elephant rescue shelters in Thailand.


Here in Cornwall, we’re a county of animal lovers - whether it’s our beloved dogs that never leave our side, sweet cats that curl up on our laps or our horses that gallop across the countryside, there’s no doubt that our pets mean a lot to us.

Chris, an animal lover who opened his pet shop on Northgate Street in February 2022, went on a six-week trip around Thailand to support various animal shelters and charities across the country. He described the trip as a ‘learning experience’, educating him on the culture, particularly on the views of animals.


Chris explained: “Street dogs are often tortured or abused, as they are deemed to be pests by the locals. They are poisoned, have things thrown at them, or are run over.

“This treatment drives the dogs to the scrubland, woodlands, and patches of land where they exist with nothing, so they become desperate. They fight one another and form packs to survive. Because they are so desperate, they go into the local towns and villages and act aggressive towards people.”


During Chris’ time in Thailand, he helped at eight dog shelters and supported local people in their mission to feed street dogs. “It really comes down to good and bad people,” Chris added.

The community here in Launceston has a lot to be proud of. Without donations from people in our town, and purchasing from Paws for Thought, Chris wouldn’t have been able to share £1,200 between the dog shelters and elephant rescue centres that he volunteered at. The money raised has been used to provide essentials such as food and medicine to many animals that have been rescued from unimaginable living conditions.


Without donations from people in our town, and purchasing from Paws for Thought, Chris wouldn’t have been able to share £1,200 between the dog shelters and elephant rescue centres that he volunteered at. The money raised has been used to provide essentials such as food and medicine to many animals that have been rescued from unimaginable living conditions.


In addition to helping at the shelters, Freddie’s Friends assisted with two rescues, one of which was a street dog who had a terrible skin condition who had given birth to six puppies in a bunker of a high-end golf course with people simply prepared to play around her! Thankfully, a local rescue agreed to help out, with Freddie’s Friends donating towards vets fees. Chris also took part in four street feeds, where he helped to feed over 2,000 dogs on the streets, which really gave an idea of the scale of the problem in Thailand and other countries that have a large street dog population, such as America, South America, Spain, Romania and many more.


In Chiang Mai, Chris spent some time at the Elephant Nature Park sanctuary, an incredible experience that allowed him to volunteer with the 120 rescued elephants, rescued from trekking camps and elephant tourism shows. Here, he was lucky to meet the founder of ENP, iconic animal advocate, Lek Chailert.

Asian elephants are endangered animals, having gone from a whopping 100,000 elephants and now down to 3,000 overall. Of these 3,000, 2,000 are owned as assets to bring in an income.


“Elephants are the biggest mammal and also the biggest biodiversity engineers,” Chris said. “When they eat and walk, they create natural pathways for other animals to use. Their footprints create their own habitats for other creatures. If we lose elephants, we diminish those routes for other animals to be able to survive.

“When I was younger, I read about dinosaurs in books. If we’re not careful, the children of the future will be reading about elephants through digital sources.”


Chris has come home with a new fundraising project, hoping to raise £10,000 to improve the facilities in shelters across Thailand, to ensure the animals have a secure, safe and engaging environment.


If you’d like to help Chris on his mission and support Freddie’s Friends you can call into his shop, Paws for Thought, to learn more about their mission to raise awareness of animal rescues and conservation projects here in Cornwall and Thailand.


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