How Five Spicy Pups Started It All
Two rescuers. One litter of temple pups. A whole lot of girl power. Meet the story behind The Adoptable Puppy Cafe — and the five little dogs who made it happen.
Every Dog Deserves a Second Chance
We rescue dogs from the streets and temples across Thailand — abandoned, injured, and in need of help. With love, patience, and the right match, we know every single one of them can thrive in a forever home.
We don't have a shelter — all our dogs live in foster homes with amazing families. They get to relax in a real home environment, which means way less stress and you get to see who they really are when you meet them at our pop-up events!
How It All Began
When two become one...
Before The Adoptable Puppy Cafe existed, Kirsty and Iza were two separate rescuers doing their own thing in different corners of Thailand. They didn't know each other, but they had one thing in common — they couldn't walk past a dog in need.
Then along came a litter of five tiny pups dumped at a temple, along with their mum. A local monk had been looking after them, but they needed proper help. Kirsty and Iza both got involved — and just like that, the universe threw them together. They called the pups The Spice Girls: Clove, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, and Licorice. Their mum? Mama Spice, obviously.
What those five little pups really, really wanted was a family — and Kirsty and Iza made it happen. Every single one of The Spice Girls found their forever home, and so did Mama Spice. It was pure girl power from start to finish.
Working together on that first rescue, Kirsty and Iza realised they were stronger as a team. Two became one (well, one unstoppable rescue duo), and The Adoptable Puppy Cafe was born. What started with five spicy little pups has now grown into over 600 adoptions and counting.
The Spice Girls spiced up their lives in every way — and now Kirsty and Iza are doing the same for abandoned and injured dogs across Thailand, one rescue at a time. If that's not a friendship that never ends, we don't know what is.
Mama Spice
The one who started it all. Mama Spice was found at the temple with her five pups, and she found her forever home too. Because every mum deserves her happy ending.
How We Work
Three steps. One goal. Happy dogs in happy homes!
Rescue
We take in abandoned and injured dogs from the streets and temples. Many arrive scared, hurt, or sick — but they're safe now.
Rehabilitate
Vet care, good food, behavioural support, and lots of love in foster homes. Our dogs get the time they need to feel like themselves again.
Rehome
We carefully match each dog with their perfect family and stick around to help long after adoption day!
The Humans Behind the Magic
Meet the crew who make it all happen (with a lot of help from our four-legged friends)!
Kirsty Smith
Co-Founder
After moving to Thailand over a decade ago, Kirsty brought with her a background in social housing and a deep love for community work. A self-confessed cat lover, she never expected dogs to steal her heart — but that's exactly what happened during a microchipping training day at Dogs Trust in London. She went in reluctantly, left completely hooked, and spent every weekend volunteering and fundraising from then on.
In Bangkok, she began helping at PAWS Bangkok cat shelter and launched a pop-up adoptable cat cafe. On the side, she was rescuing and rehoming pups — which is how she met Iza. Together they tested a one-off pop-up adoptable puppy cafe, and over six years later, they've adopted out more than 800 dogs. A 100% community-driven project, sustained by devoted foster families, generous donors, and supportive local businesses.
Iza Mirzakhanian
Co-Founder
Originally from Armenia, Iza studied journalism and worked at Armenian National TV before moving to Italy, then Thailand in 2003. What started as regular holidays turned into a permanent move to Bangkok 23 years ago. It all began when she found a paralysed dog on her road and picked him up. With no social media at the time, every rescued dog ended up in her house — until she had ten and knew something had to change.
She opened a Facebook page, started posting, and the community rallied around her. When she and Kirsty met, they'd both done their fair share of rescue work and joined forces over shared passion and standards. Now with her twins at university, Iza is studying to become a vet nurse. She considers The Adoptable Puppy Cafe their greatest achievement — no office, no shelter, just brilliant teamwork with a community of fosters and volunteers taking dogs from the streets to forever homes.