So Hungry Or Greedy?

[ALFREDO]

Two days ago it happened the second time in a year.

After one or more of my dogs, I cares for, looks a little more meaty, a car stops in the middle of the night (2:30am) in front of the house and after a struggle in which I wakeup from the dogs noise, the car pulls away with my dog(s).

I cannot say if that have been professionell dog dealers with a Pickup or........, as I did not not see them

I came to late to see anything only heared

it, once before my neighbour saw it and that time it was a normal car.

Last year one dog, now this week two dogs.

If a dog here is a little more meaty or show a bit fat than he has a short life it seems.

I sorry to think now, that these friendly eyes now not look for a nice bone in my house but at the hangman and the frying pan instead.

[isanbirder]

It's usually on a much more organised basis than that. From time to time, a pick-up loaded with 'the catch' passes my house... and I keep my own dogs close to me. In most villages there are people who eat dogs... I lost one three years ago, and have so far managed to avoid knowing who ate it. The traders pay B.100 a dog, maybe more for nice fat ones.

Dogs are said to taste good, and black ones are preferred. Oh yes, and they're 'good for sex'.

Edited March 11, 2011 by isanbirder

[ALFREDO]

Thank you for the information,

I thought usualy also, that the Dog Pickups will not only take the dogs they are offered in exchange for some kitchen- or gardenplastic, but instead will take what they can catch.

But I never saw something in that way during daytime and my GF ment, -No, they cannot take without asking-

I not realy believed her and think she is just naiv.

Surely, the dog businessmen, are on the lookout outside the villages to catch strays and will in the night do that in the villages also, when there is an opportunity.

Same you write, private people with a special taste in the neighberhood or surrounding villages can also be suspects.

[ETatBKK]

sorry to hear this; I lost my dog many many years ago - into someone else super meal.

not everywhere in Thailand, but more popular in the north east. I think they learn it from Chinese.

suggest not to keep dogs outside, preferrable inside the gate, or possibily inside the house. I know they are smelly sometimes :-)

[thrilled]

thats true,keep your dog inside,or in A locked pen.

[isanbirder]

sorry to hear this; I lost my dog many many years ago - into someone else super meal.

not everywhere in Thailand, but more popular in the north east. I think they learn it from Chinese.

suggest not to keep dogs outside, preferrable inside the gate, or possibily inside the house. I know they are smelly sometimes :-)

You can't blame the Chinese this time! The Vietnamese brought the custom into the north-east, which is why Sakhon Nakhon is notorious for it. But it is common among the Khmer/Thais of the lower north-east as well. I have even come across it in Chiangmai, but I think this is Isan people bringing their custom with them.

[ALFREDO]

You are right, I am situated in Isan in the countryside of Udon Thani province just on the border to Sakhon Nakhon province.

The dog handler pickup trucks are common here and I saw them also in Chayaphum province where I also lived.

But as I wrote, I do not know if that has been a dog handler-butcher who made me now sorry, or private special Gourmets.

Regarding, keep the dogs inside garden or house.

These dogs are used for hunting, rats and everything else and are free spirits, the space in the house would not fit them and the garden fence-wall, not high enough, is no match for them either, so my gardendoor is usualy open, as there are also smaller, toy dogs in the group who get noisy when they cannot join the others who jump easy.

So, its difficult. If there is a next time, I try to be alert faster and will know where my car keys and the machete is.

[Thaddeus]

sorry to hear this; I lost my dog many many years ago - into someone else super meal.

not everywhere in Thailand, but more popular in the north east. I think they learn it from Chinese.

suggest not to keep dogs outside, preferrable inside the gate, or possibily inside the house. I know they are smelly sometimes :-)

You can't blame the Chinese this time! The Vietnamese brought the custom into the north-east, which is why Sakhon Nakhon is notorious for it. But it is common among the Khmer/Thais of the lower north-east as well. I have even come across it in Chiangmai, but I think this is Isan people bringing their custom with them.

Yes, quite true.

The rules used to be with the doggy wagon, if the dog is wearing a collar, it is not a stray and therefore not for sale, if it isn't wearing a collar then it is open season.

Sadly, that rule doesn't apply any longer and if the doggy wagon visits during daylight keep your dogs close to you, the general howling (dogs do know what is going on, and they can communicate this) will alert you..... in the early hours of the morning tho'.... the guys that do this do not care at all.

[ETatBKK]

Yes, quite true.

The rules used to be with the doggy wagon, if the dog is wearing a collar, it is not a stray and therefore not for sale, if it isn't wearing a collar then it is open season.

Sadly, that rule doesn't apply any longer and if the doggy wagon visits during daylight keep your dogs close to you, the general howling (dogs do know what is going on, and they can communicate this) will alert you..... in the early hours of the morning tho'.... the guys that do this do not care at all.

yeah, dogs know what is happening, and they are alert of any suspect ! a week before my dog was hunted, my dog hesitated to go out !

another 'technology' solution may help -

1) keep some dim light around, the doggy wagon may hesitate;

2) install bright flood lights that shine your territory in case, a kind of alarm but with light.

I had hunting dog when I was young. yes, they need a lot of exercise, but I trained them to be 'at home' in the evening.

[cardholder]

It's usually on a much more organised basis than that. From time to time, a pick-up loaded with 'the catch' passes my house... and I keep my own dogs close to me. In most villages there are people who eat dogs... I lost one three years ago, and have so far managed to avoid knowing who ate it. The traders pay B.100 a dog, maybe more for nice fat ones.

Dogs are said to taste good, and black ones are preferred. Oh yes, and they're 'good for sex'.

IB - If that's what you do with them I am definitely remaining 'straight'.

[LeCharivari]

.......... But I never saw something in that way during daytime and my GF ment, -No, they cannot take without asking-

I not realy believed her and think she is just naiv. Surely, the dog businessmen, are on the lookout outside the villages to catch strays and will in the night do that in the villages also, when there is an opportunity. Same you write, private people with a special taste in the neighberhood or surrounding villages can also be suspects.

Your GF is correct. The idea that there are 101 Dalmatian-style dog-nappers prowling around Issan snatching pet dogs off the village streets un-checked is a popular one with some farangs, but it is anecdotal and has little basis in fact. Anyone who tried to do this in an Issan village would find themselves run out of town at best, and shot at worst. It simply isn't worth their while when feral dogs can be caught and others can be bought for a very small price - it makes no business sense, and these people are businessmen, whether you approve of what they are doing or not.

Some opportunist may snatch a dog off the street just as they might a chicken, a pig or a goat, but its hardly organised and based on a dog getting fat; similarly someone may object to a barking or biting dog and decide to get rid of it, but that is all it is.

Some Thais eat dogs, the vast majority don't - it is simply a question of different cultures, just as some find eating pork or beef abhorrent and others enjoy horse, bat, rat, frogs, snails, insects and grubs. While that may shock some people (and personally I do find eating dogs distasteful) the only ones who can really take a moral stance about it are vegans, so that rules me out.

This subject gets raised here with rather tedious regularity, giving some the opportunity and excuse to express their views of Thais as dog lovers and in general : "a dog is not of value here as a life, it is a commodity ........... My impression of many Thai people is that they do not find animals of any importance ..........Many do not even find human life so important .........their flimsy social veneer ..........out of the middle ages............ ignorance, superstition and corruption ............this is a small and arrogant third world country ...........". Hopefully that will not be allowed to happen here.

[ALFREDO]

Yes, I come from a different culture and I am sorry, that the mankinds best animal friend got eaten and I am not so sure, that some of the dog handlers do not use a opportunity to get a special meaty dog, or just one more dog on theire disgusting Pickup.

But I hate it when they snatch and Shanghai my dogs who like me same a friend and I whom I like also

as a companion.

When I arrive now with my car at the house, I miss now the tail waging and shaging dog who left the other dogs and choose to stay with me permanently

since December.

Stealing is never right, but I Iost also a companion and I sorry when I think when I think what destiny the dog now has or had.

[isanbirder]

It's usually on a much more organised basis than that. From time to time, a pick-up loaded with 'the catch' passes my house... and I keep my own dogs close to me. In most villages there are people who eat dogs... I lost one three years ago, and have so far managed to avoid knowing who ate it. The traders pay B.100 a dog, maybe more for nice fat ones.

Dogs are said to taste good, and black ones are preferred. Oh yes, and they're 'good for sex'.

IB - If that's what you do with them I am definitely remaining 'straight'.

What a mind you must have, Cardholder! In case you didn't understand the rest of the posts on this thread, it's about EATING dogs!

[ALFREDO]

-isanbirder-

Cardholders idea is, HOW SERIOUS IT MAY BE, ITS ALWAYS TIME FOR A JOKE.

But of course you know that. Sorry, that I will never find out who did that, it would be a pleasure to punish them in a serious way.

[cardholder]

It's usually on a much more organised basis than that. From time to time, a pick-up loaded with 'the catch' passes my house... and I keep my own dogs close to me. In most villages there are people who eat dogs... I lost one three years ago, and have so far managed to avoid knowing who ate it. The traders pay B.100 a dog, maybe more for nice fat ones.

Dogs are said to taste good, and black ones are preferred. Oh yes, and they're 'good for sex'.

IB - If that's what you do with them I am definitely remaining 'straight'.

What a mind you must have, Cardholder! In case you didn't understand the rest of the posts on this thread, it's about EATING dogs!

Ooops! Sorry IB, I misunderstood your post !

[bina]

well having raised trained and shown dogs at various times and owner to many dogs, i love dogs. however, i am sure that i have eaten dog at least twice. having said that, we have a serious problem with feral wadi dogs (valley area between settled and built areas); the packs are as much as 20+ years old with varying members being born, or joining from various agricultural areas. therefore, when the thais do their illegal hunting (and probably given the 'blind eye' by their employers for hunting certain animals that cause agricultural damage), im sure more then one of the feral dogs has been trapped, and eaten and most likely served under the code name of : 'farang wont like this dish, not for farang'... but i eat anything and everything,so along with fox, purcupine and wild pig, im sure dog was in the dish or two. ive not noticed that cat is eaten it just doesnt seem tasty to thais nor to me...

however, among all the thais everywhere here, dogs are adopted and fussed over, cleaned, fed, and treated as pets (maybe not spoiled house pets, but taken care of one way or an other). of course, small cute dogs, white dogs, and big german shepherd type mixes are more taken care of and non descript ones are chased off or ignored... we also have an indigenous rabies problem and here among the work camp dogs, none are vaccinated by anyone.

the black bucket deal was explained to me by one of the workers here, from udon thani area: his mother put his fave dog out for the 'bucket man' while he ws working here in israel-- she didnt have patience for the dog's barking, and there were no other adults in her house to take care of the dog. he also was black, not a colour that country thais like among animals in general. my husband has also mentioned on more then one occasion that if we had the bucket method as opposed to the county dog catcher method, more annoying barking nasty dogs would not be on the kibbutz. here, everyone that doesn want their dog drops the dog off in the dead of night on the kibbutz thinking we will adopt it... casuing havoc among our dogs and health hazard for perhaps joining up with the feral packs that come thru here.

so maybe th bucket method is a sort of niche in areas that have too many packs of non owned dogs.

from what he and others have told me, cute little shitzus and fancy dogs do not get eaten. they get stolen for greed, ransom, or resale, but not eat.

OTH, we had a problem for a few years in that horse thieves were stealing horses, but not just for resale, but for resale as meat in areas over our borders where meat was becoming very scarce.

btw, the navajo still eat dog in ceremonies, my dad was given a recipe once for dog by a navajo friend...

one man's taboo is an other man's food........

bina

[ALFREDO]

-bina-

A lot of good interesting information in your post.

Regarding the -dog pickup- Cars in Thailand, I do not like them and I am sorry to recognice them.

I cannot see they do good, yes, they take a part of the dog population away, but there are no bad, biting dog packs roaming in Thailand.

These packs and dogs would be difficult and dangerous to catch, the dog pickup drivers go the more easy way and take the dogs which are offered to them and the easy to catch (steal) dogs same mine.

No, I do not like that dog butchers. And I would never eat a dog if I have other food available.

If one of these pickups or a private dogmeat lover took my dogs, I will never know so I think, but I feel sorry, what destiny my dogs who had been good companions for me had or have now.