IN LOVING MEMORY OF A HERO
WHO NEVER WALKED BY

Many words have been used in an effort to sum up Gill Dalley: an angel, a saviour for animals, a hero, a legend. She was all of these and more. The bottom line is Gill never walked by a homeless dog or cat that needed her. She never gave up in her fight to end an animal’s suffering.

Gill moved to Phuket in 2003 with her husband John. Their plans for a relaxing retirement soon took a different turn when they realised the full extent of the misery endured by homeless animals all over the island. A tropical paradise for tourists, Phuket was anything but for tens of thousands of street dogs and cats. The lack of empathy shown by many members of both the local and expat community alike was a source of great distress for Gill.

She summed up her frustrations in a hastily scribbled poem, penned while in floods of tears, after she had comforted a dog in his final hours. The dog was in shocking condition when rescued and covered in cancerous tumours. He had been living on a very busy street where thousands would have seen him but they all walked by. Below are Gill’s words:
 

 

In 2004, while attempting to rescue a dog from a flooded buffalo field, Gill contracted a rare form of septicemia which nearly cost her her life, and resulted in her having both her legs amputated. Just three weeks later, she was back in action, running a mobile sterilisation clinic. Her words were, "I think I probably cried for five minutes and that was it. That was it."

From creating a safe haven for animals at the Soi Dog shelter, to opening a dedicated cat hospital, and then building a state of the art dog hospital - the only one of its kind in Thailand – Gill’s achievements are simply enormous and go way beyond mere words.

In her memory, Soi Dog Foundation will continue fighting to end the suffering of homeless animals in Asia and your kind gift will help make it possible. Her legacy will go on in the countless lives that will continue to be saved.

Because she never gave up and in remembering her, neither will we.

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Gill with rescued dog Cristy Polo, before and after Gill's loving care