Dogs Rescued From Vietnamese Dinner Plates

[george]

Dogs rescued from Vietnamese dinner plates

BANGKOK: -- More than 1 000 dogs destined to be butchered and eaten in Vietnam were seized by Thai police who discovered them crammed inside three trucks, police said on Tuesday.

The 1 070 dogs, discovered in tiny cages in northeastern Thailand on Monday, were about to be taken through Laos to Vietnam, according to police.

Four men were arrested for illegal trading since they had no licence, according to police colonel Sunthorn Kongkraphan. If found guilty, the men would be fined but not jailed, he said.

The discovery of the dogs in Sakon Nakhon province, who were put in quarantine, was the latest in a series of regular dog seizures in northeastern Thailand.

Dog eating has come under fire in places like South Korea, but has gone unchallenged in Vietnam and is occasionally practised in Laos, China and northeast Thailand.

-- Sapa-AFP 2004-10-06

[JimGant]

Darn, they missed my soi!

Whatta win win deal. Any way to steer these delicacy collectors my way next time?

[donbury]

A brutal sounding dog fight suddenly erupted from the darkness below. I was gazing into the night from my 5th floor balcony in Bangkok when the brawl started suddenly, just out of sight on the street below. In a few minutes it was all over. It sounded like at least half a dozen dogs were right on the scene, rooting loudly for their friend on one side or the other. I am sure some flesh was involved. Another scar where hair used to be.

Bangkok has gangs of dogs lurking in their established territories. They know nothing of the luxuries American dogs loaf in. There are no fat dogs, and these survivors of the street are cunning, careful, and leary. They don't get baths, and their hair is grubby from living on the street. The stupid dogs are all dead. These dogs know to stay clear of traffic, and to stay clear of most people. They walk cautiously. They not only have to worry about traffic and food, but what is more dominant in their consciousness I think is the dog community. The live amongst themselves, a sub-culture, pretty much oblivious to the human's world. I catch them looking at me as I walk by them. The look is not the one I am used to in the states, where a dog is more likely to consider you a great asset than a threat. The look is a leary one, as to say, "Why are you looking at me?" They find a quiet spot and wait out the heat of the day, lean belly and chin to the ground. They have little hide-outs in the careless construction in the streets. In some places the water has carved caves under concrete, an ideal setting. The action picks up when the sun goes down. Every day is about surviving. The dogs surviving in the country know damned well it is not ok to mess with the chickens or the water buffalo. The ones who lost sight of that fact are no longer in the gene pool.

There are a few people who are feeding these animals. Where there is a cluster of dogs living, there has to be a Thai feeding them regularly. I think they eat rice and scraps. I bet they are accustomed to spicy food too. Most Thais are too busy surviving themselves, and feeding a dog appears nowhere on their list of things to do. The Thai waistlines are generally narrow, just like the dog's. The dogs are breeding of course. Who has money for spay/neutering stray dogs? I'm sure I've seen one ominous animal control truck, and I don't think I will make an effort to tour the local pound. I expect the stays there are short.

I am tempted to toss an edible treasure to one as I walk by, but that is a bad idea. The riot that would break out would be like what happens when you make the mistake of giving a coin to a hungry kid in Cambodia. No, I just notice the rugged creature and keep my stride. As I peer into the distrusting dog's eyes, I can't help but marvel that he probably understands more Thai than I do.

[astral]

I hope they don't let them loose again..............

[Pattayaguy1999]

I hope they don't let them loose again..............

Pattaya has too many strays as well as BKK. Even on Walking Street and Soi 8-9 tourist zones there are strays living on the streets. Most are so mangy that nobody wants to touch or get near them. There is an effort to capture, then spay/neuter them, but there is never enough money to be really effective. The problem will remain until enough visitors are bitten to force the authorities to take action. I do not look for this to happen anytime soon.

[medicinebox]

A brutal sounding dog fight suddenly erupted from the darkness below. I was gazing into the night from my 5th floor balcony in Bangkok when the brawl started suddenly, just out of sight on the street below. In a few minutes it was all over. It sounded like at least half a dozen dogs were right on the scene, rooting loudly for their friend on one side or the other. I am sure some flesh was involved. Another scar where hair used to be.

Bangkok has gangs of dogs lurking in their established territories. They know nothing of the luxuries American dogs loaf in. There are no fat dogs, and these survivors of the street are cunning, careful, and leary. They don't get baths, and their hair is grubby from living on the street. The stupid dogs are all dead. These dogs know to stay clear of traffic, and to stay clear of most people. They walk cautiously. They not only have to worry about traffic and food, but what is more dominant in their consciousness I think is the dog community. The live amongst themselves, a sub-culture, pretty much oblivious to the human's world. I catch them looking at me as I walk by them. The look is not the one I am used to in the states, where a dog is more likely to consider you a great asset than a threat. The look is a leary one, as to say, "Why are you looking at me?" They find a quiet spot and wait out the heat of the day, lean belly and chin to the ground. They have little hide-outs in the careless construction in the streets. In some places the water has carved caves under concrete, an ideal setting. The action picks up when the sun goes down. Every day is about surviving. The dogs surviving in the country know damned well it is not ok to mess with the chickens or the water buffalo. The ones who lost sight of that fact are no longer in the gene pool.

There are a few people who are feeding these animals. Where there is a cluster of dogs living, there has to be a Thai feeding them regularly. I think they eat rice and scraps. I bet they are accustomed to spicy food too. Most Thais are too busy surviving themselves, and feeding a dog appears nowhere on their list of things to do. The Thai waistlines are generally narrow, just like the dog's. The dogs are breeding of course. Who has money for spay/neutering stray dogs? I'm sure I've seen one ominous animal control truck, and I don't think I will make an effort to tour the local pound. I expect the stays there are short.

I am tempted to toss an edible treasure to one as I walk by, but that is a bad idea. The riot that would break out would be like what happens when you make the mistake of giving a coin to a hungry kid in Cambodia. No, I just notice the rugged creature and keep my stride. As I peer into the distrusting dog's eyes, I can't help but marvel that he probably understands more Thai than I do.

Impressive writing.......

[plachon]

Not enough lucre passed hands, that's the hold up for these hounds in the daily trips to Vietnam. Notice the word "licence", which suggests that it is a legal trade sanctioned by the authorities, and indeed it's hardly underground or outta sight. A truck with a tannoy blaring: "Swap your dog for a bucket" passes down our soi, at least once a month, sometimes more often.

By the time the mutts get to Sakhon Nakhon and packed into a 6 wheel truck, they're looking a bit worse for wear and some inevitably don't survive the journey across Laos into Vietnam. They're packed 4 or 5 dogs to a crate, 5 crates high, so there are probably some 500 K9s per truck. At least two trucks were making the journey each day, when I saw them waiting at a bridge crossing half way to the border last March. The howl of these poor caged beasts was heart-rending, without shade, water or food; almost certainly aware of the fate that awaited them at the end of the journey.

Every dog has it's day, but it's certainly not a dog's life if your owner decides to swap you for a bucket.........