"adopting" A Soi Dog Question

[HeavyDrinker]

We've had this dog hanging about the house for a few weeks now and he's a cracking fella and the missus has really fallen for him but thinks that simply bunging a collar on his neck means he's 'ours' if you will.

Is that really the case?

[PoorSucker]

Worked for me.

Had "Happy" for 5 years now.

[mistitikimikis]

You are never ever sure if it's not from somebody as lots of people leave their dogs roaming around I see. And when not, when it's a real soi-dog they even have collars sometimes. When I could take it I should leave it only inside my house / garden without risking a curiosity-escape for an hour or so. You have to be careful because with the rising dog-meat prices in Vietnam it seems that dogs has been stolen as far as BKK.

[Radar501]

I noticed a dog hanging around the town's sport stadium for a few months. She was still a pup, maybe 12 months old.

I don't know if she had an owner, but must have at some stage, because she wore a chain link collar, and was very friendly around people.

I saw her eating some scraps one day and she had trouble swallowing. I checked her collar, and realised it was very tight around her neck.

My guess is that she was fitted with the collar when she was a young puppy and then ran away from home, or was abandoned. As she got bigger, the collar got tighter. The poor animal would have been in a lot of trouble if nothing was done soon.

I was able to locate a pair of pliers and I cut the collar off. A few weeks later, she disappeared from the stadium environs.

I was a bit disappointed, as I had grown quite attached to the dog, and would have adopted her if my home situation was stable.

Soooo, if this dog hanging around your house is suitable to your needs, claim it now, or you may lose the opportunity.

[mistitikimikis]

Spot on!!! Again, wearing a collar doesn't mean a lot here!

[isanbirder]

Wearing a collar doesn't mean a lot. One of my dogs, wearing a collar, wandered into our minimart one day, (that's before he was 'our dog'!) and decided he belonged there. We transferred him over to our house, removed the collar, which was a bit tight, and now he's been with us a year, and is fully socialised with our other dogs. Two of my five dogs have never worn collars in their lives. Admittedly we live in an Isan village, not a city!

My advice with a soi dog is, bring him into the household gradually. The collar is the last thing (he might be someone else's). If he decides he fits, he will be your dog, and you'll have a great pet.... but you can't force it. If he thinks he's happier outside, and just coming to you for titbits, he'll come so far and no further.

Will he let you wash him, medicate him, remove ticks etc? Groom him? Pick him up? Take him to the vet for his rabies jabs?

[Kitsune]

A dog belongs to the person who treat him good.

If you can provide him with decent healthcare /food/ loving/ shelter, it's yours to take.

My soi dogs had 2 different "owners" who let them on the street by 40 deg and be devoured by mange.

They spent 15000 thb on a blackberry but would not pay THB100 to cure the mange. I told them I was gonna take the dogs, they disagree. It was "his" dog, I told him if it was not for the mange medication, the dog would be dead by now, so I already owned his life. So that was that.

Life span on the soi is divided by 2, if you can take him off the soi, you give him a life.