Mate's Gift

22/11/2025

We have been reflecting on one of the most meaningful moments from our time in Sumatra. Visiting our elephant grassland for the very first time was something we had waited years for, and being there together felt incredibly special.

As part of the visit, we held a small Karonese blessing ceremony. In Karo culture, giving life brings blessings in return, so we released a rescued chicken onto the land. We scattered rice for her as part of the ceremony, and we lit a cigarette, which is an important element of Karo blessings. The smoke is offered with intention, acknowledging the ancestors and honouring the moment. Watching her wander off into her new life, safe and with neighbours nearby, was something we will never forget.

Some of our group chopped sugar cane and planted pineapple, adding a little of our own energy to the land. It felt grounding to be there, knowing this grassland will help feed the elephants and support the community for many years to come.

We also brought personalised stones, made by one of the local artists, for each guest, a small tradition we hope to continue every year. Leaving a piece of our guests behind on the grassland is our way of honouring them and the part they play in this journey with us.

It was a simple moment on a beautiful piece of land, but it held so much meaning. A memory we will carry with us always.

22/11/2025

A big thank you to Anita from Pipsqueaks Photography for another year of gorgeous Christmas photoshoots. Every session was filled with waggy tails, wriggly pups, and very patient humans and we absolutely loved watching everyone get into the Christmas spirit.

Thank you to Hairy Hounds Playground for hosting again and for choosing Mate’s Gift as the recipient of the $5.00 donation from every shoot. Your support means the world and helps us keep doing the hands-on work across Sumatra, Bali, Pai and here at home.

And of course, thank you to every single person from the Hairy Hounds Community who booked a session. Your photos are adorable, your enthusiasm was contagious, and your contribution helps us continue our parasite control, sterilisation clinics, food drives and all the little projects that make a big difference.

Thabks to you all, $375.00 has been donated to help supoort our projects. Woohoo!

We’re so grateful to have such a supportive community behind us.

Mate would be chuffed.

Mate's Gift

16/11/2025

Check out the incredible doing life-changing work in Thailand 🐾

Thanks to the support from our family, we’ve been able to help with parasite treatments keeping these fur babies healthy 💚

Ryan Godden

16/11/2025

Emily has just wrapped up almost a week with ACT Dog Rescue in Bali, and we could not be prouder of her.

She has spent her days helping pups who arrive with every kind of challenge you can imagine. She formed some lovely little friendships along the way, especially with Mama, who has already decided that life is far less exciting without her. Emily also became a bit of a parasite removal expert. Give that woman a pair of tweezers and she will have the street dogs spotless in no time!

Her cup is very full after a week of giving, learning, scrubbing, cuddling, washing, and quietly supporting so many dogs who needed a gentle human. She represented Mate's Gift and Hairy Hounds Playground beautifully and ACT Dog Rescue were very grateful to have her there.

If anyone wants to know more about helping, please get in touch. There are so many ways to be involved.
You can volunteer your time here or overseas.
You can bid on our auctions or cone along to one of our events.
You can sponsor a dog or one of the animals in our programs.
You can donate used bras, prescription glasses, and unused medications at Hairy Hounds Community, local vet clinics or pop them in the mail to us.
You can drop off dog food, cat food, and flea treatments for our local food drive in Melbourne with Reaching Out in the Inner West.
You can like and share our posts so more people see the work happening across Sumatra, Bali, Thailand and right here at home.

Every bit of support helps and we are so grateful.

Here are some final day pics of Emily and the gang.

16/11/2025

$5.00 from each photoshoot, hosted by Hairy Hounds Playground, will be donated to us by Pipsqueaks Photography.

We’re so grateful for their ongoing support.

Starts tomorrow!
If you’re in Melbourne make a booking through [email protected]

16/11/2025

$5.00 from each photoshoot, hosted by Hairy Hounds Playground, will be donated to us by Pipsqueaks Photography.

We’re so grateful for their ongoing support.

If you’re in Melbourne make a booking at [email protected]

16/11/2025

While Emily is in Bali supporting ACT Dog Rescue she has found herself right in the middle of some very real, very raw situations that local rescues face every single day.

These little pups were found on the beach with their mama. Three of them had serious maggot filled wounds and one tiny boy did not survive his injuries. It is heartbreaking, and sadly it is the reality of street life in areas where animals have no access to treatment and injuries often go unnoticed until they are severe.

The good news is that the remaining five pups are doing well, and mama has settled beautifully in care. Emily spent much of yesterday with her, gaining her trust, helping her feed, and gently massaging her swollen teats so the pups could latch onto the ones that needed emptying. By the afternoon mama was warm, affectionate, and comfortable enough to let Emily handle the babies right in front of her. Moments like that are everything.

This is the side of rescue that many people never see. The hard stories, the losses, the physical work, the long hours, and the patience it takes to turn fear into safety. It starts long before the sweet photos and happy updates. It starts with someone willing to step in and help.

If you want to support the work Emily is helping with, please follow ACT Dog Rescue. They are doing enormous work with limited resources and every bit of support helps them keep going. Sponsorships are one of the most impactful ways to help. You choose a dog or pup who speaks to you, and your sponsorship covers their food, treatment, and ongoing care.

And with Christmas coming up, a sponsorship given in someone’s name makes a meaningful gift that truly changes a life.

We are proud of Emily for stepping in with such care and kindness, and grateful to ACT for everything they do for animals who would otherwise have no chance.

16/11/2025

Yesterday in Bali, a tiny little pup was brought into ACT Dog Rescue by a local who asked the team to give him a wash and remove a few ticks. What they thought would be a simple clean up turned into hours of gentle, patient work. This poor boy had hundreds of ticks in his ears, between every paw pad, around his bottom, and all through his little body.

Emily soaked him in flea and tick shampoo, carefully tweezed the ones buried deep in his ears, washed him, dried him, and slowly removed the rest. It would never have been pleasant, but heartbreakingly he had been hit by a motorbike a couple of days earlier and was showing clear neurological signs. He drifted between a vacant stare, long still moments, and actually fell asleep during parts of the treatment. He only cried out once when she rinsed him, which tells you just how unwell he was.

Afterwards, Emily and Ebony returned him to the owner, who had no idea he was brain injured and planned to keep bringing him to an open mechanic shop right on the road. It was simply not safe. Ebony explained what he needed and the owner said he could not manage that. Without hesitation, Ebony said she would take him.

They took him straight to the vet for observation and x rays. In the car he had a sudden neurological episode, became briefly frantic, and then slipped right back into that vacant little state. Emily named him Blue on the spot, simply because that was all she had left after such a big afternoon.

Blue now has a safe place, and Emily will be sponsoring him from Australia to make sure he gets everything he needs moving forward.

If Blue’s story has touched you, or if you have ever wanted to help a dog in Bali but cannot be there in person, please follow ACT Dog Rescue and choose a dog you feel connected to. Sponsorship is one of the most meaningful and practical ways to help. It covers food, vet care, treatment, and medication, and gives the team the freedom to focus on the next little life that comes through the door.

Sponsorships also make beautiful Christmas gifts. A real life impact gift. A gift that changes an animal’s future.

And thank you Emily and Ebony for showing up with compassion, patience, and heart.

15/11/2025

We’re proud to share this powerful clip from our sterilisation clinic in Tangkahan, captured thanks to our friends at Exploring Sumatra

As you may know, the final tally was 107 lives changed. Each number is a dog or cat with a healthier future, fewer litters, and one more household here breathing a little easier.

Watching this brings back the hum of clinic days under the hot sun, the team’s steady focus, the wagging tails and hopeful eyes. It’s hands-on. It’s local. It’s real impact.

Click play on the YouTube video and witness what your support helps make happen.

Please share. Give the crew at Exploring Sumatra a like and help us get the word out about the work we’re doing. We can’t do any of this without our supporters.

Want to come along next year? Drop us a line and we’ll share the 2026 itinerary.
Got bras or prescription glasses or unused / unwanted pet medications? Have a retail store or the like where you can collect goodies for us to distribute? We’d love to hear from you!!

[email protected]
matesgift.org

This week, we’re in the remote jungle village of Tangkahan, North Sumatra, supporting a dog and cat sterilisation program that’s making a huge difference for...

15/11/2025

🎥 Meet Chris!
Back in Sumatra again, and loving the positive changes in the animals’ lives since his last visits. 💚
Such a huge help to the team! 🌿

15/11/2025

Hey Mate's Gift friends.

We’ve had a couple of mystery donations land in the Mate’s Gift account this week and we’re scratching our heads trying to work out who our secret superheroes are.

If you’ve recently sent something our way, please send us a message at [email protected], we’d really love to say thank you properly 💚💚🐾🐾