Animals have been, and will always continue to be, central to Caroline’s happiness, and have actually shaped her life.  Not always being able to trust the people in her life, Caroline has received unconditional love and affection from the animals she has surrounded herself with, even those who through neglect and mistreatment at the hands of other human beings have felt the need to bite her.  Caroline holds firm to her belief that there is no such thing as a bad animal, just mistreated or misunderstood one.  Caroline’s version of the Golden Rule encourages people to treat all creatures in the same way that they would like to be treated.  Unfortunately, in Hua Hin, this is not always the case.

Caroline is reluctant to talk in detail about her childhood, a part of her life on which she chooses not to dwell as it led her to a dark place. Her childhood may indeed be why she has a preference for animals over people. Caroline was raised and educated in Switzerland, the child of a German-speaking Swiss father, a motor mechanic and a Thai mother, who worked in aged care.  She was the middle child of the family, with an elder Thai brother from her mother’s first marriage, and a younger sister.  Caroline admits her strongest relationships in childhood were with her paternal Opa and Oma, her grandparents, as well as her younger sister. She recalls in her free time going with her sister to neighbouring farms to seek out new litters of puppies with which to play.  From an early age, Caroline believed her destiny lay in working with animals, and they provided her with a sense of purpose and self-worth that she found nowhere else in her young existence.

A naturally retiring and private individual, Caroline was a loner at school. She loved learning and was academically a high achiever, with a strong focus on choosing and pursuing a career.  Her scholarship and general disinterest in being popular led to her being picked on by her fellow students and caused her to further retreat into her own world. Caroline took on part-time jobs from the age of 14, and saved more of her money than she spent, strongly influenced by the financial lessons she learnt from her Opa, who passed away only a year ago at the age of 82, having lived a humble and frugal life.  Caroline’s most cherished material possessions are his leather belt and wallet, very well worn, which served him daily for over 40 years. In a desire to emulate her grandfather, the young Caroline decided while still at school that she too could amass a large amount of money by working hard and savvy investing, her dream to have a sizeable portfolio of property to provide an ongoing passive income.

Given her nature, it is not surprising that when she left school at 17 years of age, Caroline’s choice of career was in a caring profession.  Caroline was keen to pursue a career in veterinary science, but her severe allergy to cat fur ruled that out.  To this day, Caroline takes preventative antihistamine and always keeps additional medication on hand in case her airways swell and impede her breathing.  Being in a closed room with cats for any length of time is still a danger to her health. Caroline wishes she had known earlier about how to manage her allergy, as it would have allowed her to follow her heart much sooner.  As a second choice, Caroline undertook a four-year Diploma in Nursing, obtained full-time employment and continued her studies, eyes firmly on career advancement.  By the time she turned 26, Caroline was already a head nurse.  It was in the course of her employment that Caroline met her husband, when he was contracted by her hospital to transition the establishment from paper to electronic patient records.

Caroline dedicates her life to animal welfare in Hua Hin. She made the deliberate decision not to have children, every cat and dog in need becoming her baby.  Caroline takes a multi-pronged approach to caring for animals, with a quick response to reports of animals in distress, a puppy rehoming program, a clinic, organisation of regular mobile spaying events , funded by Margot Homburg via FIXemALL, and her pride and joy, Magic Land, which currently provides long-term care for 64 dogs and 34 cats, everyone a named and much-loved individual, many with a very disturbing history of human abuse and cruelty. If you dare, take a look at “Caros world the way of magic” on Facebook,or her website "Carosworld.org".  Some of the confronting images might make you cry, some might make you hopeful, some might even prompt you to make a donation, but all will make you realise that Caroline Meier is a very special human being. When she sees an animal in distress, the adrenaline kicks in and her medical training takes over.  Caroline responds first, then cries later.

Caroline’s normal workday often starts prior to 5am, before even the first glimmer of light on the eastern horizon, because this is the time to find the stray dogs dozing.  Caroline and her team have conducted numerous mobile spaying events around the Hua Hin region, the most recent in the village on Pala-U Moo 9. In spaying all the adult animals, Caroline aims to reduce the suffering of unwanted puppies, who are often treated as trash, rather than living creatures. Caroline finds the depths of human cruelty unfathomable.  At a TNR (trap/neuter/release) spaying event, dogs and cats are located, tranquilized by dart, caged and held across the day.  As the sun sets, the vet and surgical team arrive and the animals are spayed in a production line overnight. Caroline takes the opportunity of the animal’s sedation to give them a gentle pat and a kiss, the kindest human interaction they may ever experience. Fed breakfast in the morning, their ear notched to signify their newly neutered status, those who are fine are released. Every event locates at least one animal with more urgent and complex health needs, ranging from tick infestation, skin disorders, bite wounds and cancers to traumatic injuries leading to the need for amputation.  While Caroline’s soulmate and friend Margot Homburg of FIXemALL funds the spaying surgery cost of 800 baht per dog and 500 baht per cat, and the TNR event once a month is sponsored by an anonymous donor, all other costs come directly from Caroline’s own pockets and the kind donations she receives from the community. Caroline has a vet who makes regular, scheduled weekly visits to treat the animals in her care, outside of emergency cases.

When Caroline takes on a new special case, she frequently needs to resort to her Facebook pages to solicit donations.  Caroline maintains transparency by having all transferred money sent through a trusted third party, rather than to her personally. Indeed, Caroline’s usual preference is for donations be made in kind, rather than financially.  She is always in need of dried food, minced meat, flea and insect treatments, tranquilizers, towels and sheets, bleach… the list goes on.  If you are motivated to help, a quick Messenger or phone call will let you know what is on her most current list of necessities.

Over the last four years, Caroline has been responsible for around 1200 dogs, mainly puppies, finding their furever homes. Each dog she rehomes will already have been spayed, the females prior to three months of age, the males once they reach five months. Caroline has committed to holding the pups until they receive this procedure as people frequently did not bring the animals back at a later date, despite her reassurance that the spaying surgery would be free of charge.

Another project Caroline undertakes is her feeding program, Magic Meals, in partnership with local communities.  Caroline provides ongoing food support to these groups, who regularly feed groups of dogs in centralised locations.  Feeding the soi dogs can lead to difficulties, often from Westerners who don’t want dogs congregating anywhere near their homes. Caroline provides ongoing training for the teams, who are required to clean up methodically after each feeding session, to minimise complaint and criticism.  Caroline has had to have vinyl signs printed in both Thai and English and distributed, to inform people that feeding soi dogs is legal, in an attempt to minimise harassment.

Caroline sees Magic Land as her greatest life achievement.  Located in Wang Pong, close to Khao Tao, a short drive south of Hua Hin, it is a 1600 metre square animal heaven, and can be visited after 1pm by appointment. Magic Land is a home and rehabilitation centre for the dogs and cats under Caroline’s care, regardless of how long each animal needs to remain there.  Almost every resident has its own story of past cruelty, with human depravity at its core.  The story of one dog, Uncle Ray, is a case in point, and shows Caroline’s passion and fearlessness, while alerting her to the potential violence lurking in everyone, if provoked.

More than eight years ago now, Caroline spent a night locked in a police cell on account of Uncle Ray.  She was in her car when she saw him, chained to a tree and being fiercely beaten with an iron stick. Snapping in the moment, she turned her car around, returned to the scene and gave the man a taste of his own medicine.  Caroline is now aware she is triggered by directly witnessing abuse and must always exercise firm self-control.  Uncle Ray remains with Caroline, a damaged dog.  His trust in human beings remains tenuous, despite the love and affection Caroline rains upon him.  

One of the most special photos on Caroline’s phone is of Rocky, her rescued pitbull, who was bred to be used in the dog-fighting arena. Caroline decries those who breed animals purely for personal, financial gain to the detriment of animal welfare.  These heartfelt words come directly from a recent social media post.

“And the breeders keep on breeding and the buyers keep on buying. And the rescues keep on rescuing. It's never ending. Some people just don't seem to care where their dog comes from. And to be honest, if you are a breeder or you buy from a backyard breeder, you don't understand love. Please stop buying souls and rescue.” 

Absolute evil resides in the heart of those who condemn dogs to suffering and death by dumping them as carelessly as trash. Caroline’s greatest wish is for people to empathise with our animal companions.

Although Caroline forms an instant and strong attachment to all animals in need she encounters, and has infinite time and patience in helping them heal their emotional wounds, she is a realist who acknowledges that some physical suffering is too great to bear. Yet, in making that final decision for an animal, Caroline is still likely to beat herself up, thinking “I should have held you longer yesterday.” Every animal deserves to know it was loved.

Caroline would be happy committing all her time to animal welfare, but the need for ongoing funding means she still devotes time to paid employment.  As a fluent user of German and English as well as Thai, Caroline’s services are in high demand, seeing her work for courts, hospitals and police as well as private clients. Wherever in the local community Caroline looks, she sees more opportunities to contribute to animal welfare. Caroline is still trying to accept that some things are not within her power to change: a bitter pill to swallow.

Although people who look at Caroline see a confident and competent woman in her 40s, Caroline is happy to remain a kid on the inside. She finds beauty all around her and has the pure heart of a child, which sometimes leaves her open to being used by unscrupulous individuals who would take advantage of her good nature. Caroline can’t abide grumpy people since she is most used to interacting with her animal friends who almost always have a wagging tail or a ready purr in response to her greetings.

Magic Land is a sanctuary for Caroline as well as her animals, a place where she can close the gates and shut out the worries of the world, and return to her glass bubble. Caroline has stared down the doubters and naysayers who told her that her dream would never be achievable. There is satisfaction to be gained by proving people wrong, one Caroline is content to savour.