Soi Dogs. Agressive Dogs Lurking On Shady Sois Of The Capital And Elsewhere

[applecrumble]

Well, the best option would be teaching birth control in Thailand and teaching people that dogs don't belong in the street. It is not very expensive here, people do tend to feed and even put jackets on dogs especially where I live in the winter, but just don't seem to think dogs belong in the home or inside a fence. Or even when they have a large home and fenced in yard, many of them let them out of the fence several times a day to walk outside as they see fit, that is just the maximum of stupidity and has nothing to do with lack of money.

Many other people with a home and a yard keep them in a small cage 22 hours a day, so that means they are totally unaware of their needs, and then let them out in the street for their free time and exercise, how stupid is that???!!

I am not, notice, complaining about people who have no yard, who live in a small 10 meter room with 5 people and happen to have dogs who live in the sidewalk. But the lack of much of a difference from rich people living on 400 wah, who give their dogs basically the same life is stupid to say the least and there needs to be some education, these people at least need to get their dogs neutered, need to set an example for better dog care, etc. If the richest people in society can't do better how can you expect the poorest people to do better? Maybe the poorest people can never do better, maybe the government, chairities, farangs, have to do it for them, but when the richest people don't see the reason for it, how can you make a change?

Well said.

[solent01]

It ain't the dog's fault that its been abandoned. I've seen people chuck them out of cars near the beach where I live, the poor things try and run back to the car, or run around in circles in a panic trying to locate their b@stard owners. That's how they end up strays in the first place. Just irresponsible / ignorant owners. They get them as cute puppies, and possessing the attention spans of autistic goldfish; just chuck them out when they start growing and need training / vaccinations / vet care, etc.

I've adopted a couple of strays in the past that have been excellent house / guard dogs. If you train them right and instill a bit of discipline they are useful members of the family. In this regard, I hold dogs in higher esteem than a lot of people...

I'm with you Mr K, these b@stard people make me sick, they should be driven off, miles from home and "dumped". We don't have any "wild so to speak" Soi dogs down our Soi, we have two, sometimes three dogs that are free to wonder around, but never venture far, they just seem happy to come say hello, then go back home and sit in the shade, all the other dogs owners down our Soi keep their dogs secure within the property, good thing too as these other dogs look ferocious (mostly German Shepherds) all of them look well looked after mind you.

[canuckamuck]

Shame on you canuckamuck, how can you call yourself a dog lover and do nothing to help an animal with such horrific injuries? Would it have been too much to take the poor thing to a vet or make the effort to get a vet to come out to it. I came across a similar case once, no way could I walk away and leave that dog, I dont speak a lot of Thai but a couple of young Thais helped me get it into a tuk tuk and directed me to a vet. Needless to say he had to put the dog down. I didnt mind paying and will do it again if I have to. Was it the inconvenience or the cost that stopped you?

Applecrumble may I refer you to posts 22 and 29 where I explained my reasoning, or as you might see it, made my excuses and accepted that I am a very bad person.

If it makes any one feel any better, I went back and looked for the dog and I could not find him. Being that 20% of its skull was missing and its head matted with CSF. I doubt the dog lived more than minutes passed the time I saw it although it seemed alert at the time. That being said I doubt I would ever try to capture any dog without assistance, unless it was my own. I like my face the way it is even if no one else does.

BTW welcome to Thai Visa nice to see a new member.

[soic]

I like dogs, and to be honest, most animals. I don't like to see the starving and diseased soi dogs. I don't think that capturing, neutering or spaying them and releasing them is an answer. They need to be gathered up, treated as well as possible, attempt to adopt out those that are worth saving and euthanize the rest. It's torture to let them live as they are, and it's potential risk to people in the area. I'd hate to see a child be mauled by one. If the owners can be determined for some of those dogs, they need to be fined. Collers and tags aren't a bad requirement and neutering and spaying should be required for every animal that's adopted. That could be the cost of the dogs from the shelter, pay for the shots, and the surgery and they're yours, tagged and recorded and out the door.

[qwertz]

Canuckamuck, the dogs are just another case of man's irresponsibility in discarding what we no longer need.

Like the millions of useless street pigeons, descended from the carrier pigeons which we let loose after the Great War, abandoned domestic animals have nowhere else to go and have adapted the best way they can to scavenging.

They revert to the feral state and become dangerous of course.

And we inherit the odious task of pest control.

Most people don't give a rap for the birds but there are many dog lovers who care enough to be outraged at any radical extermination plans.

The enlightened lands, e.g. Canada, UK, Germany have managed to strike a compromise suited to all factions.

There is unfortunately no Thai way to resolve this issue and it seems to me that they must eventually think more farang style if they're ever going to address this particular problem.

Edited June 30, 2007 by qwertz

[November Rain]

I like dogs, and to be honest, most animals. I don't like to see the starving and diseased soi dogs. I don't think that capturing, neutering or spaying them and releasing them is an answer. They need to be gathered up, treated as well as possible, attempt to adopt out those that are worth saving and euthanize the rest. It's torture to let them live as they are, and it's potential risk to people in the area. I'd hate to see a child be mauled by one. If the owners can be determined for some of those dogs, they need to be fined. Collers and tags aren't a bad requirement and neutering and spaying should be required for every animal that's adopted. That could be the cost of the dogs from the shelter, pay for the shots, and the surgery and they're yours, tagged and recorded and out the door.

You're obviously speaking through compassion, but I'm afraid you have no idea how bad things actually are. I run a Dog Rescue Center. We only take sick & injured dogs. We try to nurse them back to health (& we have euthanised some that have had no hope) & then we either neuter them, vaccinate them & put them back to their territory or, more often (for various reasons), keep them & try & rehome them. We now have 140 dogs & are constantly on the verge of closure due to lack of financial & practical help. I now have to refuse calls about sick dogs spotted, unless I can treat them on the street.

We do try to rehome dogs, but the sad fact is, while we can rehome purebred dogs in days, most people do not want Thai dogs, no matter how healthy, well-socialised or beautiful. Even for free. And I refuse to euthanise dogs we fought so hard to save in the first place. So, we become overcrowded & have to stop the rescue in favour of maintenance.

A Govt shelter near us was recently criticised by overseas animal activists for their treatment/neglect of the dogs in their care. This is what happens when you take dogs off the street & put them in a facility with inadequate resources to look after them. They don't get looked after. Very few people go there to adopt dogs, either.

I still stand by my case. Mass neutering & education are the only way to stop this problem.