The story of Saved Souls Foundation
Every Soul is Valuable
In a small village in northeastern Thailand, hundreds of animals have found safety, trust, and a reason to wag their tail.
Deep in northeastern Thailand, far from the tourist trails and busy city streets, something quietly extraordinary is taking place.
In a small village called Ban Kok Gnam, in the province of Khon Kaen, hundreds of animals have found something they never expected to find again: safety. Trust. A reason to wag their tail. This is Saved Souls Foundation — and its story begins with one woman who simply could not look away.
The Woman Who Couldn't Stop
Gabriela Leonhard left Switzerland in 2007 in search of a new life. What she found in Thailand she never could have predicted.
Walking the streets of Pattaya, she saw them everywhere — abandoned dogs, abused animals, creatures that had been discarded like they meant nothing. Most people walked past. Gabriela stopped.
She started taking them in. One dog became two. Two became ten. By 2010, she was caring for nearly a hundred animals. She found land in Khon Kaen — 9,600 square meters — and started building. Not just a shelter, but a sanctuary. A place where the forgotten could finally feel found.
The Sound She Can Never Forget
Ask Gabriela about the darkest days, and she'll tell you about the trucks.
Every single day, two pickup trucks rolled slowly through the streets. You could hear them coming long before you saw them — a driver's voice crackling over a microphone, announcing that dogs could be exchanged for plastic containers. Household items. A few baht worth of plastic, in exchange for a living animal. The dogs in those trucks were headed for the illegal meat trade.
That sound is still deeply rooted in my memory. It was horrifying to witness dogs being traded like this.
— Gabriela
Saved Souls began pulling dogs from that trade — first two disabled dogs, then more. In 2013, Thailand officially banned the dog meat trade — a turning point. The country has since introduced an Animal Welfare Act. Progress, hard-won and meaningful.
But the reality on the ground is more complicated. In some villages, dog meat is still consumed. The fight is not over.
When Trust Has Been Broken
The animals that arrive at Saved Souls don't always come wagging their tails. Many have been so deeply traumatised that they have lost all trust in people entirely. Some press themselves into corners. Some flinch at a gentle hand. Some take months before they'll make eye contact.
It can take years of patient, careful socialisation before a dog is ready to trust again. And Saved Souls waits. However long it takes.
Fresh meals are cooked every single day. Swimming therapy sessions help dogs recover — especially those with disabilities, who have found in the water a freedom they couldn't find on land.
Every dog is sterilised and vaccinated. Every animal is treated as what it is: a life that matters.
The Bigger Picture
Saving individual animals is vital. But Gabriela has always understood that rescue alone cannot solve this problem. That's why Saved Souls runs sterilisation campaigns for street dogs and cats in the surrounding communities. Uncontrolled breeding is at the root of so much suffering — and the only way to truly reduce that suffering is to prevent it at the source.
The foundation is expanding those programmes and working toward closer collaboration with local government authorities. Disabled dogs receive care and rehabilitation, and once they've recovered, they're matched with adoptive families — given a second chance at life.
An Official Foundation, Built on Years of Dedication
On October 9th, 2017, Saved Souls became an officially registered non-profit organisation under Thai law — registration number 1/2560. A formal recognition of what had already been true for years.
Since 2010, this place has been a lifeline. A last hope. A new beginning.
“We may not be able to save them all. But for each one we do, their whole world changes.”
— Gabriela
That is the truth at the heart of everything Saved Souls does. Not abstract statistics. Not sweeping gestures. Just one animal at a time, pulled back from the edge — and shown, perhaps for the very first time, that not all humans want to cause harm. Some of us want to heal it.
Every soul is valuable. Every single one.
A New Chapter — The Torch is Passed
Every great story has a moment of transition. For Saved Souls Foundation, that moment has arrived.
After years of pouring her heart, her energy, and her life into building something truly remarkable, Gabriela Leonhard has announced a new chapter — not an ending, but an evolution.
Melanie de Wit has stepped in as the new manager of Saved Souls Foundation, taking on one of the most meaningful — and demanding — roles imaginable. Gabriela herself couldn't be more confident in the choice.
Her calm, thoughtful and determined nature will be a great asset to our foundation.
— Gabriela
Gabriela isn't disappearing. She will continue to support Melanie, offer guidance where it's needed, and — as she makes clear — will always have animals around her. That part of who she is will never change.
What she has built in Ban Kok Gnam doesn't belong to one person. It belongs to the animals who found safety there, the volunteers who showed up, and the supporters around the world who made it possible.
The mission remains exactly the same. The dedication remains exactly the same. Only the hands carrying it forward have changed — and they are in very good care.
Every soul is valuable. The work continues.