Purpose of dogs in traditional Thai households?

[roo860]

2 hours ago, In the jungle said:

They are noisy.

 

They smell.

 

They may attack you or other people.

 

They may bring parasites that can make you seriously ill or kill you.

 

They cost you money.

 

They will breed uncontrollably unless you neuter them which will cost you more money.

 

They may harass or kill your cats and other pets.

 

I am not a dog person.

At first I didn't realise you were talking about dogs.????

[Bruce1054]

Dogs are the soul of the earth

[Expat68]

We live in a very quiet soi (goes around in a circle) only 2 km from center of town, all soi dogs, we just happened to adopt them, they eat mostly dog biscuits, sometimes leftovers, they run free but never go further than 100 meters from our house(s) great guard dogs, if they start to bark in the middle of the night you know someone/thing is outside, you can tell by the tone of the bark whether it is human, another dog or snake

[Dcheech]

9 hours ago, RamenRaven said:

 

In the villages of Thailand, dogs are not man's best friends in the European sense.

Like dogs in Greece & other eastern euro lands until very recently.  Lots of central america is like that too BTW.

. 

[Brock]

There are times in Thailand, where the Soi Dog adopts you.. One day you come home and find a dog in your yard and it just stays and that becomes its territory. In return, the owner of the house may put out left over food scraps that would otherwise be dumped in the drain across the road. Thats just the way they are.

Dogs all over the world know when a person is either un afraid , or likes dogs . Those people are rarely bothered by the Soi dogs, they will go for those who are scared, because they pick up on the fear and that unsettles the dog..

[sharksy]

A Thai lady told me dogs are not pets, but are just for guarding the property from people, snakes etc.

Cats are useful for keeping rats + mice at bay.

 

In the Philippines, dogs don't even have a "pet" name.  Just called dog.

[Fairynuff]

11 hours ago, Cult of the Sun said:

Dogs are never let indoors.

 

I would get along well with Thai women then.  In house animals are disgusting. I hate the US and their weird relationship with dogs & cats and it's mostly the women who are (again) leading this bizarre parade.

What absolute nonsense 

[Fairynuff]

11 hours ago, In the jungle said:

Have you heard of Lyme disease?  Be fearful.

Lol you actually think it comes from dogs!  I’m more fearful for the mental health people who say things like this.

[onthedarkside]

Flame post removed

[In the jungle]

1 hour ago, Fairynuff said:

Lol you actually think it comes from dogs!  I’m more fearful for the mental health people who say things like this.

https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/prev/on_pets.html

[Thingamabob]

2 indoor/outdoor cats at our house in Bangkok, 6 indoor/outdoor cats and 6 outdoor dogs at our 4 rai walled garden house in Rayong. Love them all, and we would have horses if we had more land. Walk the dogs every morning at 5am. All much nicer to know than most humans, and less diseased, with fewer parasites and less smelly. Many older people, including elderly Thais from all levels of Thai society, take great comfort in caring for their animals. 

[proton]

3 hours ago, Bruce1054 said:

Dogs are the soul of the earth

No, they are the ass holes of the earth and it would be a better place without them

[proton]

2 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

2 indoor/outdoor cats at our house in Bangkok, 6 indoor/outdoor cats and 6 outdoor dogs at our 4 rai walled garden house in Rayong. Love them all, and we would have horses if we had more land. Walk the dogs every morning at 5am. All much nicer to know than most humans, and less diseased, with fewer parasites and less smelly. Many older people, including elderly Thais from all levels of Thai society, take great comfort in caring for their animals. 

Great comfort in eating animals more like, they are not animal lovers. Dogs are indulged for reasons that cannot be gone into, especially soi dogs but normally animals are treated very badly here. Family member is involved in transporting pigs, last trip 4 died due to over crowding on the lorry. Cock fighting, bird and turtle trapping for 'merit', appalling practices in abattoirs and parts of markets looking like a slaughter house don't seem very caring to me. Most Thais can't even look after dogs properly.

[tanner]

13 hours ago, RamenRaven said:

Many farangs in Thailand end up hating dogs for obvious reasons. It's quite understandable.

 

But learning to get along with dogs in Thailand is an absolutely essential part of adapting to life here. I'd argue that if you like walking around a lot, it is even more important to learn to peacefully co-exist and deal with dogs than to speak fluent, native-like Thai.

 

Learning to speak Dog may be more important than learning to speak Thai if you want to relocate here!

 

Doctor Doolittle would be ok then.

[Fairynuff]

1 hour ago, proton said:

No, they are the ass holes of the earth and it would be a better place without them

I’ve always believed there’s something lacking in people who don’t like dogs. Now I’m certain.

[digger70]

14 hours ago, In the jungle said:

They are noisy.

 

They smell.

 

They may attack you or other people.

 

They may bring parasites that can make you seriously ill or kill you.

 

They cost you money.

 

They will breed uncontrollably unless you neuter them which will cost you more money.

 

They may harass or kill your cats and other pets.

 

I am not a dog person.

Sounds like you talking about some Wives .    My dog is not like that.  ????‍????

[NoshowJones]

13 hours ago, proton said:

Not on me they don't, I hate all dogs. Love cats though.

I love cats too, we have 5 of them. I also love most dogs but not the ankle snapping terriers. If a cat is anywhere near me, I have to try and stroke it, if a dog shows any happiness to me than I have to clap it, except the type I previously mentioned.

[IvorBiggun2]

15 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Just some take them on their sidecar/truck bed out to the fields when working.

That really gets up my nose. Dogs are territorial and have their territories marked by their scent. Along comes Somchai with his dogs on his motorcycle sidecar driving through other dogs marked territory. Obviously the dogs attack said invaders entering their area. Somchai doesn't give a dam about the problem he's causing and will in fact drive over the dogs attacking his sidecar. Thais seem to have no concern for others. Only themselves.

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, proton said:

No, they are the ass holes of the earth and it would be a better place without them

They have a right to live in this world the same as any form of life, and they are the same as humans, but in saying that, just like humans they also have the right to defend themselves. ie if I get bitten by a mosquito, I wait till after dark and kill as many of them as I can with my mosquito bat.

I will always take revenge on any living creature that does or tries to do me harm.

 

[Stevemercer]

14 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

There is no why. There is no reason. It just is.

You will never find a reason because there is no reason - not just for dogs.

Accept this little truth and life becomes so much easier in Thailand. 

Most Thais think puppies are adorable and will get one on the spur of the moment. When it is grown, they will get another. Someone else in the family can look after it when it is grown. It's just 'living in the moment' with little thought of the consequences or responsibility of dog 'ownership'.

 

[ubonr1971]

Thais are hopeless when it comes to dogs. A guy at my childs singing class tells me he has 2 dogs. I asked him if he walks them. Oh no, they have a small yard

 

A cafe near us has animals inside for kids to see. They have a small room with 8 dogs and no aircon. I asked the owner does he walk them. Oh yes he says. I think not

[papa al]

14 hours ago, Cult of the Sun said:

 

Almost half of all "global" revenue comes from the US alone. Ergo, mostly stupid people live in US..  I had a dogs & cats in my life, so I'm not judging younger folks necessarily. I just wished I'd had arrived where I am now a long time ago. 

That you for providing clarity, master.

[flexomike]

2 hours ago, proton said:

No, they are the ass holes of the earth and it would be a better place without them

I think that could also be said about you

[DJ54]

I’m sure there are a wide range of reasons and in some cases no reason at all. We’ve got 1 small, 1 medium 2 large outside dogs with a very large yard (could easily build four houses but have main house and 1 bedroom guest house. (In laws). 
 

The outside dogs eat, sleep, bark at strangers .. yard is enclosed block brick. usually two go to the farm with Mama and sometimes Papa.  I think the in-laws look at them as to watch the house.
 

Have 2 little pom pom chihuahua mixed house dogs…  one just lays around sleeps and goes outside. 
The other is the Queen dog.., boss of all dogs.. very intelligent and fun to be around….. really great

dog. 
 

 

[proton]

1 hour ago, NoshowJones said:

They have a right to live in this world the same as any form of life, and they are the same as humans, but in saying that, just like humans they also have the right to defend themselves. ie if I get bitten by a mosquito, I wait till after dark and kill as many of them as I can with my mosquito bat.

I will always take revenge on any living creature that does or tries to do me harm.

 

what about the rights of cows, pigs, sheep, chickens and fish?

[proton]

18 minutes ago, flexomike said:

I think that could also be said about you

Doggie supporters always personalise the issue

[proton]

1 hour ago, Stevemercer said:

Most Thais think puppies are adorable and will get one on the spur of the moment. When it is grown, they will get another. Someone else in the family can look after it when it is grown. It's just 'living in the moment' with little thought of the consequences or responsibility of dog 'ownership'.

 

They treat them like toys and love to tell you how much they cost????

[earlinclaifornia]

I have observed here in CM soi dogs bark at strangers. In Pai they don't. I think it is a cultural thing from locals expectations.

[Neeranam]

17 hours ago, RamenRaven said:

- They treat their dogs just like their chickens. The only relationship they have with their dogs is feeding them, and nothing else.

- They are clearly not "man's best friend" and only seem to be tolerated. Dogs are never let indoors.

- Give them some rice and water everyday, and that's literally it.

- Maybe an occasional bath depending on the owner, but usually they are never bathed.

- They don't play with the dogs. They don't take their dogs on walks. The dogs are never trained. The dogs don't herd sheep or do any physically demanding tasks.

Not true in my household. 

My wife spends a fortune on dog treats, my daughters buy sill jumpers etc. 

They are a big part of the family.

 

 

Interestingly, I was talking to a golf caddie about training a dog to find balls, she had never heard of it.

[NoshowJones]

45 minutes ago, proton said:

what about the rights of cows, pigs, sheep, chickens and fish?

People have to eat, as do all living creatures. The ones you mention also eat other living things.

What would happen if no living creature from humans downward never ate any other creature? Would the whole world be a wasteland?

Edited February 24, 2023 by NoshowJones