'It's a very special place': Dornoch couple make third trip to volunteer at dog shelter in Nepal
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A DORNOCH couple have just returned from their third lengthy trip to Nepal where they once again volunteered at a dog shelter and also made a trek to the restricted area of Mustang, which was only opened to tourism in 1992.
Jim and Gill Robertson, Birichen, first worked at Community Dog Welfare, located at Kopan on the outskirts of Kathmandu, on their first trip to Nepal in 2019, and again when they revisited the country in 2022 following lockdown.
They flew to Nepal for a third time in late September last year and spent every other day for eight weeks at the dog shelter, which was founded some 14 years ago by New Zealand couple Douglas and Kate Clendon, who are in their early eighties.
Animal lover Gill, who works with Dornoch Food Hut, Scotsburn Garden Centre and Pitcalzean House in Nigg, said: “We are really passionate about the shelter. It is a very special place and it touches your heart which is why we spend so long out there. Kate and Doug are also very special people. They know the name of every single dog and its history.”
Now familiar with and “comfortable” in Kathmandu, the Robertsons stayed in accommodation provided by a friend and used buses to make the hour-and-a-half long journey to and from the shelter.
A non-profit organisation, the shelter, which employs five Nepalese staff thanks to a bequest, cares for around 160 dogs rescued off the streets, many of which are emaciated and in need of medical treatment. It is also works to develop community awareness and responsibility for dog welfare.
Jim, a retired accountant, said: “We were asked if we would spend time with the older dogs and get them interested in the outside world again. We would take 10-15 of them out for a relatively short walk each day. Sometimes another volunteer would come along. We would also groom the dogs, play with them and give them treats.”
The couple were there for one of the highlights of the centre’s year – Kukur Tihar, the Day of Dogs which is celebrated on the second day of the festival of Tihar. On this day the dogs have a streak of vermilion painted on their foreheads and garlands of flowers put around their necks.
“We went three days in a row just to get the shelter ready and make sure all the garlands were made up. It was a really, really amazing day and just shows the love that people have for dogs,” said Gill.
When they were in Nepal in 2019, the Robertson trekked to Annapurna Base Camp and in 2022 went to Everest Base Camp. In 2023 they spent two weeks away from the centre on a trek to Mustang, in northern Nepal and near its border with Tibet. An area where the numbers of tourists are restricted, they had to pay $500 dollars each to vist.
One of the highlights of the trip was eating lunch at an ancient monastery, one of the oldest in the world and located 4000 metres above sea level.
Jim said: “They were preparing for religious lamas – spiritual leaders – to come from India when four of us pitched up there. They made us noodle soup, cooking over charcoal. It was amazing. The hospitality was incredible.”
Before leaving for Nepal this year, Gill raised £1100 for the centre by running 5k a day for 62 days at the same time as another volunteer, Scarlett Wood from England.
Now, back in Sutherland the couple, who have given a home to two dogs from the shelter, continue to support the unit from afar.
They are currently collecting Christmas trees from people’s homes in exchange for donations with all the money raised being transferred to rupees and sent to the shelter. They also sell eggs, jam and marmalade from an honesty stall at the bottom of their drive,
“We also sponsor four dogs at the unit,” said Gill. “You pay around £18 a month to sponsor one dog – that is just the price of two cocktails! They use that money for food, medicine and vet bills. They have a lot of vet bills as many of the dogs they take in are injured or disabled.”
The couple are also trying to help a Nepalese family who run a trekking company by acting as an “ambassadors” and putting people, who want to visit the country, in direct contact with them rather than going through an middleman in the UK.
“People in Nepal are so poor because they earn so little but they are always smiling and never complain,” said Gill. “We wouldn’t take any money but would refer potential customers to them, which would mean all the money would go to Nepal.
Following their first trip, they successfully raised funds to build a home for Ramdal Rana, a 77-year-old grandmother living in a cow byre after being made homeless twice, first by an earthquake and then a landslide. They were told about her plight by her granddaughter whom they met in Kathmandu. Sadly Ramdal died before the house was finished but her family now live in it.
The Robertsons, who ran a glamping business from their home for eight years but closed it down partly due to the introduction of the new short-term accommodation licensing regulations, are now planning their next trips to Nepal.
They plan to return to the country in September this year and spend the entire time volunteering at the centre.
The following year they hope to make a fifth visit at a different time of year and are also considering undertaking another trek..
“Nepal is famous for its rhododendrons which are the national flower and we want to visit when they are in bloom so we are thinking of going in April and May in 2025,” said Gill. “But, of course, we will also be volunteering again at the shelter!”
To offer support to the centre, contact Jim and Gill at: the barefoottraveller@googlemail.com
