PAAW gets a hand- Narre Warren South volunteer Debbie Mole is raising money for the Soi Dog Fo

By Kelly Yates
IMAGES of starving dogs left to die on streets and dogs injured after machete attacks have sparked a Narre Warren South woman to volunteer her time to help make a difference in Thailand.
Debbie Mole is a volunteer for PAAW – Providing Aid For Animals Worldwide, which is a Melbourne based charity that runs events for small charities.
The 37-year-old has been in the last stages of organising a fundraising event for the Soi Dog Foundation in Thailand.
“I am completely blown away with the work they do there,” she said.
“They take cats and dogs off the streets and de-sex them, re home them, feed them and offer safety to thousands of animals that would otherwise be dead.”
Ms Mole and her husband travelled to Thailand a couple of years ago to do some volunteer work at the foundation.
“All I can say is that I’m glad I wore big sunglasses while we were there as we saw some hard hitting things,” she said.
“We see animals here in Australia that are loved and cared for but over there, even though it’s not intentional cruelty, they don’t seem to mean anything. They have different values when it comes to animals. They are seen as a nuisance and instead of feeding them they would rather get rid of them.”
The pair plan to return to Thailand later this year.
Ms Mole is hoping the charity event, to be held on Friday 5 February at the Elsternwick Classic Cinema, will generate awareness and raise some much-needed money.
A Soi Dog documentary, which was filmed last year, will be shown on the night, with guests also being treated to a vegan buffet, raffle and auction and question and answer time with John and Gill Dalley, the founders of the Soi Dog Foundation.
Ms Dalley lost her legs after contracting a disease from a swamp in Thailand while rescuing a dog.
Tickets for the fundraising event cost $35 per person.
Anyone wishing to donate to PAAW can visit www.paaw.org.au