MrPhysio

Additional - Always happy to have a chat, including guidance and discussion about health topics. There is no fee or obligation in any way - and you can assess the info exchanged as you have with your previous experiences. My intention is help people become independent with self care, safely. Cheers

Hello, Ampy. There is a physiotherapy clinic in Sou 4 Pratamnak. i do not know the Physio nor have I heard any reports I recently retired as a Physio - Australian trained and had my own clinic in Australia for well over 30 years. I am in Pratamnak Pattaya, but I do not work as a Physio in Thailand. But I am happy to meet you if you wish.

I am a long term resident in Thailand, living near the big Buddha Pratamnak/Police station area close to where the big buses park. soi dogs are a big problem. There is a population of around a dozen where the buses park - possibly loosely looked after by a stall holder. At one stage there were over two dozen dogs. These animals charge at people walking along the pavement (frequently frightening tourists onto the roadway in front of bikes and cars). The dogs also run onto the road way causing vehicles to take avoidance action. People carrying bags are especially targeted. A lot of aggressive barking. I have witnessed people who own property around here arguing with the Thai people feeding these animals - but nothing changes. Also, the park areas near the Big Buddha (some with exercise equipment) have a large population of Soi dogs. A dog pack leader barking at me recuited around 50 dogs all barking and growling at me, until they lost interest, but the leader bit me on the calf, puncturing my skin, drawing blood along with lacerations and two deep puncture wounds. This required 5 rabies injections, daily dressings, antibiotics and Hospital visits. A large attack cannot be fought off with sprays and bat-tons and had I tried the situation would have been worse. The animals are abandoned by household and then breed in the parks etc. A co-ordinated cull is required - aggressive behavior is an indicator of animal illness.

To address some of the answers concerning substance abuse - specifically alcohol and cannabis potential harm comparisons. The dangers of alcohol are well known - but people misunderstand its effects, thinking it enhances enjoyment. Actually, alcohol is a central nervous system (brain) depressant. It depresses (suppresses) higher functioning processes making judgement poor which looks like you bare enjoying yourself. It is behaviorally very addictive over time and will not only damage the brain but other body organs. Cannabis, in this discussion (responses), works in a very different way but is also dose-dependent. There are well-documented and not infrequent cases of people uses cannabis where people become paranoid and/or have psychotic breaks - a serious problem. Getting high is stated as calming etc - but if taken to excess or with other substances (including nicotine/vaping/pills/alcohol) can have unpredictable consequences. Not least of which can be that a really strong high can make you a victim of crime when your high state is taken advantage of or the THC level of your weed/ hash etc is extremely high (and you will not know), or adulterated. So - cannabis is not as harmless as some people think - although everyone defends their own behavior whether valid or not. If you take any substance to change your state of reality, then you are at risk of becoming dependent whether physically, psychologically, or both. Legal or not is not the issue - just how humans operate.

Agreed about the Soi dogs in Pattaya, especially around Pratamnak Hill to Tharapaya Road. I am someone very cautious around dogs, given a few non-provoked incidents as a child. Recently I began morning runs/walks in the area where other people also exercise (Big Buddha, Pattaya Park etc, and down to Beach Road. I broadened my walk (no run) on Sunday (October 2023) and was in the Queen Sukivit (?) park. Interestingly, there were no people after the high point at the top of the hill. I continued walking and a big black (Soi) dog began aggressively barking and following me, so I tried to ignore it. It was the pack leader. In a very short time, there were over fifty Soi dogs coming from all directions off mounds toward the lower open area I was in, all barking. Very scary. I continued to ignore them and all but the pack leader went back to where they came from. The black dog continued to follow me growling and barking continuously, so I looked around trying to find a safer place, and as I did so, it lunged and bit me hard on my calf, with its canine teeth sinking deep and breaking the skin of my calf in an arc. I did not attack the dog, but kept walking. Since then I have attended the hospital daily for wound dressing and have had the first two of five rabies injections. Expensive. I am a nearly 70-year-old aged pensioner. Last night, on walking back home along Tharapraya Road, another SOI dog rushed at me barking and growling. It was in the Mua Thai exercise area at the top of the Hill near the Police station roundabout. Needless to say, I for the first time in my life, had a cold shiver down my scalp to my spine. The road down to Residence four where all the buses park has around two dozen dogs in there, howling throughout the night, wandering across the road, and chasing some scooters. They are very alert and are a potential risk to pedestrians and motorists. These dogs are regularly fed. Be aware - research has found that up to 16% of Soi dogs carry rabies. It would be good if the Partaya authorities could investigate and act on the known issue. Apparently, 1.3% of tourists are bitten by dogs, and the cost is extremely high. Thailand is a known problem in the ASEAN area for Soi dog hassles. By the way, the person who commented about non-dog lover complainers, I truly hope you or your relatives are not bitten or mauled, or even mobbed by these animals. I understand the Buddhist sentiment and I am not in Thailand to alter the culture - but as a health professional and who has also worked in tourism, the Soi dog issue needs to be managed in a more comprehensive manner. Thanks for reading.