Only Barks Or Will They Attack?

[cmsally]

Alternatively if you wanted to use that route often; just pop into 7/11 and purchase a pack of hot dogs before you go. You would soon have a pack of best friends!

[brit1984]

I noticed the soi dogs fear me more when I have my baby daughter on my shoulders...

[cmsally]

I noticed the soi dogs fear me more when I have my baby daughter on my shoulders...

That's because they reckon you are some sort of human mutant with 2 heads!

[2020]

Maybe country dogs are different from city dogs but I never seem to have a problem. Most dogs act pretty much like my own pack of dogs. Moments before I was set upon by five dogs looking like this. Lots of noise and teeth but nothing to get excited about. I saw them running to cut me off, so instead of taunting them I just got off the bike and had a drink of water.

When I turned the camera on them, they got all shy on me.

After a quick sniff and a pat on the head...

I rode off without anyone taking notice.

I suppose I could have resorted to violence but beat them senseless but I couldn't see the point. They were only doing their job, protecting their owner and his stuff. He did stop cutting weeds briefly to see what was going on but was soon back at work with his weed whacker. Maybe I am just used to dogs as there are so many living here in the village.

Great Point ! ... glad to see that compassion towards animals still exists in spite of the perceived threats.

I've consider myself lucky really and never had a problem with dogs in Thailand and I agree with the post about extending your hand to introduce yourself to the curious four legged gardian/s of the territory.

To add further, since I always wear a hat (baseball type) when riding my bicycle, I make the effort to take off my hat and extend it as a gesture of mutual respect. The dogs love it! They are genuinely interested in the new smell and I appreciate the extra few inches of space created by this simple act.

A win/ win for all!

Try it for yourself, what could possibly go wrong!

[brit1984]

I noticed the soi dogs fear me more when I have my baby daughter on my shoulders...

That's because they reckon you are some sort of human mutant with 2 heads!

Actually I am... I think it is the 3rd head of my daughter that worries them...

[cdnmatt]

Yell at them, and tell them to f*** off. That's what I do at least, and so far, it's worked. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think if I show them fear, there's a better chance of them attacking.

This of course is assuming you're not on their property. If you are, get off, as they will defend their home.

[villagefarang]

Aggression can on occasion, be seen as a sign of fear. The term fear aggression is normally used with dogs but sometimes I wonder if it might also be applicable to members of forums who attack out of a sense of insecurity. My dogs respond better to a calm self-confident individual than to an aggressive or combative individual. Just saying.

[Semper]

I noticed the soi dogs fear me more when I have my baby daughter on my shoulders...

That's because they reckon you are some sort of human mutant with 2 heads!

Actually I am... I think it is the 3rd head of my daughter that worries them...

Yes, the small one they'll have for snacks. So must be the daughter.

[junglechef]

I bike a lot on small sois and esp. dirt rds. and come across many dogs, never had a problem besides a few warning barks and an occasional fun runs unlike in Hua Hin where the dogs really were scary. I attribute it to being that the animals being mellower here as the ppl are, really I have picked up wild birds. I, and have taught my young boys, not to show fear or stare them down, and I do talk nicely to them. I have ridden by packs and they couldn't give a dam_n and a fellow cyclist a bit behind me will be chased, so it can be how one relates to them.

[coralia]

So WHERE do you buy pepper spray in Chiang Mai??

Someone else also asked this question but nobody seems to have answered it.......

[Jimi007]

I bike a lot on small sois and esp. dirt rds. and come across many dogs, never had a problem besides a few warning barks and an occasional fun runs unlike in Hua Hin where the dogs really were scary. I attribute it to being that the animals being mellower here as the ppl are, really I have picked up wild birds. I, and have taught my young boys, not to show fear or stare them down, and I do talk nicely to them. I have ridden by packs and they couldn't give a dam_n and a fellow cyclist a bit behind me will be chased, so it can be how one relates to them.

I agree with your last comment. Since I have a very protective dog, I know she can be a problem to others. She likes to chase motorbikes, but only if I am around. She thinks she is doing her job to chase people away from me. But I also notice I rarely get chased by dogs anymore. If I do, I stop and say hello. So do they. Then it's some sniffing around and tail wagging. They can smell and sense your fear or lack of it, it would seem.

[GarryP]

I have had the enjoyable experience of twice having a series of five rabies shots. Once as a result of being bitten by a dog and another time as the result of a cat scratch. In both instances the doctor gave me the opportunity of waiting 7 days to see what happened to the animals. If they died in that period I would have needed six shots, but if they remained healthy I would not have needed any. I, however, decided to go straight for the shots as the animals could conceivably have disappeared and I would not have known what happened to them.

While carrying an umbrella or walking stick may seem the sensible thing to do, it is often not the case. Some dogs, which have seen me empty handed, have totally ignored me. However, the very same dogs, upon seing me carrying a stick, usually a broken down fishing rod in a rod bag, have become very aggressive (I assume that they have previously been beaten and thus the aggression). I have my own dogs, so it hasn't bothered me too much, and I just ignored them. However, were I to face up to them, it is unlikely that the rod would have been enough to keep them at bay.

The threat of throwing something at them only gains temporary relief (which is usually enough), but if you do it two or three times at the same dogs, they learn that you have nothing to throw at them and it no longer works.

I have found that by far the best way is to ignore them when walking and, pedal like mad if on a bicycle if it looks like you can outrun them .

[femi fan]

So, so far there appears to be no universal way of dealing with it! Unfortunately '75%' of the time is no good because it's easy to find the other quarter on offer.

As for turning your head away and walking past them and carrying on, with them now behind your back, that takes some courage/foolery.

As has been noted the real problems are when there's a pack of them. On the few occasions that i've had to deal with either single dogs or a pack of them which looked very intent on more than just barking at me, i've carried on walking past them turning round as i get level so that i'm now walking backwards up the soi so that i keep facing the dogs which are snarling at me. All the time i'm using some choice anglo-saxon communication requesting them to desist from causing me any aggro beyond the already astronomic levels of fear that are flooding my body. This fear i know is a bad thing, but it's a natural physiological reaction that i seem unable to prevent from happening when faced with several dozen teeth that seem to want to sink themselves into my flesh.

I've been in some rather horrible situations before, but this version thus far has prevented me from being bitten. Dogs seem to recognise aggression, and it makes them hesitate from acting out on their own aggression, at least in my experiences. I know they go for fear, but i can't stop that flooding of fear that hits my body, try as i have. If i was able to avoid that reaction, perhaps i could try other ways presented on this thread.

[coralia]

So WHERE can one buy pepper spray in Chiang Mai???

[binjalin]

So WHERE can one buy pepper spray in Chiang Mai???

night bizarre - i hate the soi dogs i must say and they are quite alarming when in packs and very noisy! I gave my pepper spray to a friend who was having trouble with her sisters boyfriend and so need to buy some more for those pesky dogs

[coralia]

I would rather buy in a shop if there was one... You never know what you end up with in the "night bizarre"... But then, perhaps I'm biased . How do you ask for pepper spray in Thai in the "night bizarre", please?.......

A couple of years ago while in Chiang Mai I desperately searched for a dog chaser/dazer/whatever... Impossible to find, of course. All the Thais thought I was looking for a "toy to play with dog"!!!!!!!

[junglechef]

seems like most dogs are nice to ppl. who are nice to them, as are ppl., maybe the dogs are trying to tell you something, don't shoot the messenger

[Dean1953]

I had both a dog and cat while living in Chiang Mai. It took around 6 months for the cat to start playing with the dog and that may have been a mistake. The cat was definitely a "tom cat" and like his night life. He came back once with severe bites to the ears and once with bites to his tail. He didn't come back the third time.

[binjalin]

I would rather buy in a shop if there was one... You never know what you end up with in the "night bizarre"... But then, perhaps I'm biased . How do you ask for pepper spray in Thai in the "night bizarre", please?.......

A couple of years ago while in Chiang Mai I desperately searched for a dog chaser/dazer/whatever... Impossible to find, of course. All the Thais thought I was looking for a "toy to play with dog"!!!!!!!

haha whoops! the 'bizzare bazaar' then?

[coralia]

Binjalin, I really don't care if it's the night bazaar or the night bizarre (I have always found it bizarre anyway...), but can you tell me how you ask for "pepper spray" in Thai and where exactly do you buy it?... I have been searching for something to protect myself against stray dogs for years......

Thanks.

[seesip]

Just curious about the licking thing. I'm regularly out in a village pretty far out of town. Lots of semi-feral dogs around, and a few are friendly. One in particular we feed regularly and it keeps guard around the house. Sounds like it's not a good idea to pet these guys if there's a chance they could have rabies? Assuming it would be pretty easy to get licked in the process. Or am I overestimating the risk?

[transam]

Just curious about the licking thing. I'm regularly out in a village pretty far out of town. Lots of semi-feral dogs around, and a few are friendly. One in particular we feed regularly and it keeps guard around the house. Sounds like it's not a good idea to pet these guys if there's a chance they could have rabies? Assuming it would be pretty easy to get licked in the process. Or am I overestimating the risk?

No.

[FolkGuitar]

It's real easy to reduce the risk of contracting Rabies...

Two injections, about three months apart give fairly sound protection for three years. Of course, some doctors say two years while others say five. I like to go with three. Make me feel just a wee bit safer. I don't worry so much about the dogs any more.

[FolkGuitar]

Binjalin, I really don't care if it's the night bazaar or the night bizarre (I have always found it bizarre anyway...), but can you tell me how you ask for "pepper spray" in Thai and where exactly do you buy it?... I have been searching for something to protect myself against stray dogs for years......

Thanks.

North-east outside of the moat. There are a couple of shops that have large blue plastic barrels on the street. Inside they sell Military and Police gear, backpacks, knives, flashlights... and pepper sprays in different sizes.

[insertmembernamehere]

All these aggressive techniques.

I have lived in the East for over 27 years and have never had a real issue and I have encountered packs many times. The reason the "stoop for a rock" trick works is that they have been used to having people throw rocks at them. This makes them even more unfriendly to people.

I always take the opposite approach. If confronted, don't look then straight in the eyes; rather, look askance (but don't turn your back on them). Maintain a confident stance. Be firm but friendly.

One thing I do is if I am going to be in an area liable to have strays, I carry a few dried chew strips. I do not advocate the fake throw a stone trick since this makes the animals even more fearful/aggressive toward people. Particularly soi dogs who you have to meet on a regular basis. The more threatening you are, the more they will return the favor.

I try to make friends, or at least show that we are equally able to share the same paths.

I am sure that there must be exceptions to the way I do things, but it would have to be an extreme case. As I said, not only do you get your way cleared, you make a friend for next time.

Somehow I can't picture Cesar Millan of the Dog Whisperer TV show fame picking up rocks and throwing them at dogs, or even feigning to this. Can you?

[coralia]

This thread reminds me that it's best to stay away from the third world...

[el jefe]

Just curious about the licking thing. I'm regularly out in a village pretty far out of town. Lots of semi-feral dogs around, and a few are friendly. One in particular we feed regularly and it keeps guard around the house. Sounds like it's not a good idea to pet these guys if there's a chance they could have rabies? Assuming it would be pretty easy to get licked in the process. Or am I overestimating the risk?

No.

My opinion is that you are overstating the risk, but everyone should decide for themselves.

I'll post links below from several sources.

According to WHO (see page 318 linked in my next post) there is no need to get vaccinated if you are licked by a stray dog and you don't have broken skin:

• category I – touching or feeding animals, licks on intact

skin (that is, no exposure);

• category II – nibbling of uncovered skin, minor

scratches or abrasions without bleeding;

• category III – single or multiple transdermal bites or

scratches, contamination of mucous membrane with

saliva from licks, licks on broken skin, exposures to

bats.

For category I exposures, no prophylaxis is required;

Go out and get licked by all the dogs you want. Make some friends.

[el jefe]

It's real easy to reduce the risk of contracting Rabies...

Two injections, about three months apart give fairly sound protection for three years. Of course, some doctors say two years while others say five. I like to go with three. Make me feel just a wee bit safer. I don't worry so much about the dogs any more.

I believe you have a false sense of security. if you get the pre-exposure prophylaxis that you are talking about, you still need 2 injections if you are bitten by a stray dog or other animal. Without the post exposure vaccination, you can still get rabies and die. The pre-exposure vaccination only reduces the number of injections you need if you are bitten or come in contact with an infected animal.

Yes, there is still some debate as to how often you need a booster shot if you go the pre-exposure prophylaxis route, ranging from 6 months to 5 years.

For anyone who is seriously concerned about contracting rabies and what to do if you are bitten, here are 3 good websites from 3 different organizations:

http://www.who.int/wer/2010/wer8532.pdf

http://www.immunizationinfo.org/vaccines/rabies

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/cig-gci/p04-rabi-rage-eng.php

The link above to the World Health Organization is very thorough and has a link to a study done in Thailand.

Everyone should read the above links. They're certainly not as entertaining as arguing on TV, but it might save your life.

[binjalin]

This thread reminds me that it's best to stay away from the third world...

from pedantic corner:

you're right but Thailand isn't third world

[transam]

This thread reminds me that it's best to stay away from the third world...

from pedantic corner:

you're right but Thailand isn't third world

It's not ?.