Why do the poorest people have the most dogs?

[PoodMaiDai]

I live in a generally well to do area now, but there are 3 "shacks" who seem to be squatting on the land they are on. All the dogs in the neighborhood are well behaved, each house having one or two, except those belonging to the squatters. Not only do they have no less than 50 dogs, but they turn them loose on the streets to terrorize everyone in the neighborhood, ripping through garbage, crapping everywhere, howling 24/7, and chasing every bike that drives by, and every person walking by.

Today I go out and there are a handful of little newborn puppies running around in front of one of the shacks, and I'm thinking, what is wrong with these people? This is the 3rd place I've lived in Thailand were the poorest in the area had all the dogs from hell. These people literally live in shacks and look like they belong in a refugee camp, but they raise packs of street dogs and let them breed. I don't get it. My Thai partner says it's a karma thing, but I don't buy that. All the other Thais around us only have one or two dogs at most.

Assuming there is a real reason other than they are pet hoarders, does anyone know why those who can hardly feed themselves always have an army of wild dogs?

[rookball]

most number of children as well

[PoodMaiDai]

most number of children as well

Very true. However, kids I can understand given their situation, but having so many dogs are just unnecessary no matter how you try to look at it.

[giddyup]

most number of children as well

Very true. However, kids I can understand given their situation, but having so many dogs are just unnecessary no matter how you try to look at it.

How are they supposed to keep the number of dogs down when none of them are desexed, the dogs that is. Other than knocking them on the head, or drowning them as puppies, which Thais won't do. It's irresponsible, but it is what it is.

[chrisartist]

The poorest people have the most dogs (and cats) because having pets neutered is expensive. I don't know about dogs, but neutering a cat is about 2000 Baht per female (there's a scale for female cats, according to weight) and about 1500 per male. I surmise that neutering medium-to-large dogs is more expensive. If there are more than a few dogs or cats, neutering exceeds the poor people's budget. People *do* try to control the number of offspring by giving their female pets injections to prevent pregnancy. These injections only cost a couple of hundred Baht and last for a couple of months, but giving more than two injections to one animal is dangerous to the animal.

[rijb]

Them's good eating! (for some - not me!)

[David48]

The cat at the farm is de-sexed.

There was a government program locally which did it for free at the Wat maybe 2 years ago.

Nice cat ... but no balls to do anything though!

[A1Str8]

I live in a generally well to do area now, but there are 3 "shacks" who seem to be squatting on the land they are on. All the dogs in the neighborhood are well behaved, each house having one or two, except those belonging to the squatters. Not only do they have no less than 50 dogs, but they turn them loose on the streets to terrorize everyone in the neighborhood, ripping through garbage, crapping everywhere, howling 24/7, and chasing every bike that drives by, and every person walking by.

 

Today I go out and there are a handful of little newborn puppies running around in front of one of the shacks, and I'm thinking, what is wrong with these people? This is the 3rd place I've lived in Thailand were the poorest in the area had all the dogs from hell. These people literally live in shacks and look like they belong in a refugee camp, but they raise packs of street dogs and let them breed. I don't get it. My Thai partner says it's a karma thing, but I don't buy that. All the other Thais around us only have one or two dogs at most.

 

Assuming there is a real reason other than they are pet hoarders, does anyone know why those who can hardly feed themselves always have an army of wild dogs?

Without any disrespect intended towards them, poor people tend to have a poor mindset by all means which makes them irresponsible individuals in general.

More dogs but dont have the means to feed them.

More kids but dont have the stability to raise them well etc...

Some people are just hopeless.

Sent from one of my devices using the internet

[giddyup]

I live in a generally well to do area now, but there are 3 "shacks" who seem to be squatting on the land they are on. All the dogs in the neighborhood are well behaved, each house having one or two, except those belonging to the squatters. Not only do they have no less than 50 dogs, but they turn them loose on the streets to terrorize everyone in the neighborhood, ripping through garbage, crapping everywhere, howling 24/7, and chasing every bike that drives by, and every person walking by.

Today I go out and there are a handful of little newborn puppies running around in front of one of the shacks, and I'm thinking, what is wrong with these people? This is the 3rd place I've lived in Thailand were the poorest in the area had all the dogs from hell. These people literally live in shacks and look like they belong in a refugee camp, but they raise packs of street dogs and let them breed. I don't get it. My Thai partner says it's a karma thing, but I don't buy that. All the other Thais around us only have one or two dogs at most.

Assuming there is a real reason other than they are pet hoarders, does anyone know why those who can hardly feed themselves always have an army of wild dogs?

Without any disrespect intended towards them, poor people tend to have a poor mindset by all means which makes them irresponsible individuals in general.

More dogs but dont have the means to feed them.

More kids but dont have the stability to raise them well etc...

Some people are just hopeless.

Sent from one of my devices using the internet

I agree, and that's the world over, not just Thailand.

[Zooheekock]

does anyone know why those who can hardly feed themselves always have an army of wild dogs?

Because they know it annoys the **** out of all those slightly-richer people standing at the end of the street, sanctimoniously tut-tutting away.

[giddyup]

does anyone know why those who can hardly feed themselves always have an army of wild dogs?

Because they know it annoys the **** out of all those slightly-richer people standing at the end of the street, sanctimoniously tut-tutting away.

You think it's sanctimonious to criticize irresponsible behaviour?

[dave2]

re

There was a government program locally which did it for free at the Wat maybe 2 years ago

and they and lanna dogs working together

still do ! ... all over the place

dave2

[pomchop]

So what do you propose the squatters do? Obviously paying money they don't have to have the dogs all fixed won't happen. As the dog population increases it will continue to multiply even more quickly. The squatters may have started off with only one or two dogs but left unfixed dogs will do what dogs do and breed and then those puppies will breed.

Perhaps the rich folks in the neighborhood need to have all the dogs rounded up and pay to have them fixed? The sooner the better otherwise the problem will ONLY multiply and the pack of dogs will find it more and more difficult to find food so they will do whatever they have to do in the neighborhood to find something to eat.

[razorramone]

My guess would be they let them loose on the street because its easier than feeding them. So the dogs get hungry and rifle through garbage bags.

And they're too poor for vet fees to get them neutered.

Why have them in the first place. I dunno. Homeless people in the UK often have dogs too. Cheap entertainment?

[benalibina]

The cat at the farm is de-sexed.

There was a government program locally which did it for free at the Wat maybe 2 years ago.

Nice cat ... but no balls to do anything though!

Thats than why your presence is happily accepted !! The alphamale.

[jointedNose]

to stop the well to do people from attacking them, knocking down their shacks, stealing their children, etc??

[andrewrooney]

Can't afford a security guard, burglar alarm, etc.

[bina]

cause, like everyone else, they like dogs? and probably cant afford vet care, and probably lacking major education for acceptable (to you) practices for pets... so if it really bothers, then maybe offerring to take in a few for the operation, shots and a shot of ivermectin might help...

[sustento]

Cheap protein...

[rene123]

Cambodia and Laos have a different solution, but most Thais find that abhorrent. Like others I think it is a case of economics. Soi dogs adopt people, not the other way around. It is like cats always going where it is most comfortable.

[manarak]

most number of children as well

lack of foresight and excess of neglect... both of which also can either make poor or prevent a person from escaping poverty. QED.

[PoodMaiDai]

cause, like everyone else, they like dogs? and probably cant afford vet care, and probably lacking major education for acceptable (to you) practices for pets... so if it really bothers, then maybe offerring to take in a few for the operation, shots and a shot of ivermectin might help...

We could take a few, but I think they have over 50 now with the new pups. It's some bizarre dysfunction I think, like pet hoarding.

My grumpy old Thai neighbor says he's going poisoning them and is at the poor house every day fighting with them about the mess the dogs make. It's funny to watch him get worked up. He's your typical old Chinese / Thai man who is grumpy 24/7. Two of the poor shacks built a fence around their property and then lock the dogs out at night when they sleep. Day time comes, gate is open and the dogs are let in. But that's like 50 or so dogs on our street every night making noise and ripping stuff up, it's insane. If I didn't know better I would think they were running a bootleg dog shelter.

Lick clockwork, one of the dogs crawls through a neighbors fence around dawn and gets stuck. The dog lets out the most God awful howl you have ever heard in your life, and he does it until someone, usually the wife of the grumpy old man, gets up and helps him out of the fence and beats it with a stick. The dog keeps going back, keeps getting stuck, and keeps getting beat. I have a feeling that one is going to be the first one to go and I'm surprised he's lasted this long with all the horrible noise it makes when it gets stuck.

I guess it could be worse, they could be hoarding pigs.

[pomchop]

Since you live in an upscale area how about taking up a neighborhood collection and hire someone to round up all the dogs and have them fixed? If you do nothing and have 50 now pretty soon you will have 150. Grumpy old man no doubt will poison a few but having them fixed would sure slow down a problem that will only get worse if you do nothing.

cause, like everyone else, they like dogs? and probably cant afford vet care, and probably lacking major education for acceptable (to you) practices for pets... so if it really bothers, then maybe offerring to take in a few for the operation, shots and a shot of ivermectin might help...

We could take a few, but I think they have over 50 now with the new pups. It's some bizarre dysfunction I think, like pet hoarding.

My grumpy old Thai neighbor says he's going poisoning them and is at the poor house every day fighting with them about the mess the dogs make. It's funny to watch him get worked up. He's your typical old Chinese / Thai man who is grumpy 24/7. Two of the poor shacks built a fence around their property and then lock the dogs out at night when they sleep. Day time comes, gate is open and the dogs are let in. But that's like 50 or so dogs on our street every night making noise and ripping stuff up, it's insane. If I didn't know better I would think they were running a bootleg dog shelter.

Lick clockwork, one of the dogs crawls through a neighbors fence around dawn and gets stuck. The dog lets out the most God awful howl you have ever heard in your life, and he does it until someone, usually the wife of the grumpy old man, gets up and helps him out of the fence and beats it with a stick. The dog keeps going back, keeps getting stuck, and keeps getting beat. I have a feeling that one is going to be the first one to go and I'm surprised he's lasted this long with all the horrible noise it makes when it gets stuck.


.

I guess it could be worse, they could be hoarding pigs.

Edited August 21, 2013 by bonobo
Put post outside of quotes

[kannot]

does anyone know why those who can hardly feed themselves always have an army of wild dogs?

Because they know it annoys the **** out of all those slightly-richer people standing at the end of the street, sanctimoniously tut-tutting away.

get back in yer tin hut peasant

[kannot]

cause, like everyone else, they like dogs? and probably cant afford vet care, and probably lacking major education for acceptable (to you) practices for pets... so if it really bothers, then maybe offerring to take in a few for the operation, shots and a shot of ivermectin might help...

We could take a few, but I think they have over 50 now with the new pups. It's some bizarre dysfunction I think, like pet hoarding.

My grumpy old Thai neighbor says he's going poisoning them and is at the poor house every day fighting with them about the mess the dogs make. It's funny to watch him get worked up. He's your typical old Chinese / Thai man who is grumpy 24/7. Two of the poor shacks built a fence around their property and then lock the dogs out at night when they sleep. Day time comes, gate is open and the dogs are let in. But that's like 50 or so dogs on our street every night making noise and ripping stuff up, it's insane. If I didn't know better I would think they were running a bootleg dog shelter.

Lick clockwork, one of the dogs crawls through a neighbors fence around dawn and gets stuck. The dog lets out the most God awful howl you have ever heard in your life, and he does it until someone, usually the wife of the grumpy old man, gets up and helps him out of the fence and beats it with a stick. The dog keeps going back, keeps getting stuck, and keeps getting beat. I have a feeling that one is going to be the first one to go and I'm surprised he's lasted this long with all the horrible noise it makes when it gets stuck.

I guess it could be worse, they could be hoarding pigs.

Dont worry the recently featured "Monk" has a way with dogs.

[PoodMaiDai]

We could take a few, but I think they have over 50 now with the new pups. It's some bizarre dysfunction I think, like pet hoarding.

My grumpy old Thai neighbor says he's going poisoning them and is at the poor house every day fighting with them about the mess the dogs make. It's funny to watch him get worked up. He's your typical old Chinese / Thai man who is grumpy 24/7. Two of the poor shacks built a fence around their property and then lock the dogs out at night when they sleep. Day time comes, gate is open and the dogs are let in. But that's like 50 or so dogs on our street every night making noise and ripping stuff up, it's insane. If I didn't know better I would think they were running a bootleg dog shelter.

Lick clockwork, one of the dogs crawls through a neighbors fence around dawn and gets stuck. The dog lets out the most God awful howl you have ever heard in your life, and he does it until someone, usually the wife of the grumpy old man, gets up and helps him out of the fence and beats it with a stick. The dog keeps going back, keeps getting stuck, and keeps getting beat. I have a feeling that one is going to be the first one to go and I'm surprised he's lasted this long with all the horrible noise it makes when it gets stuck.

I guess it could be worse, they could be hoarding pigs.

Dont worry the recently featured "Monk" has a way with dogs.

I missed that one, what did the monk do to a dog? Or maybe it's best I don't know.

[Jasun]

You don't get rich by lacking common sense or self control. And you'll find little of either in people who stockpile cats and dogs.

EDIT: typo

Edited August 21, 2013 by Jasun

[lujanit]

Thais believe heavily in incarnation. Hence so many soi dogs which the thais feed daily. Buddhist thais have a belief that common sense does not count.

[simple1]

If your Thai neighbours are also annoyed by the filth and noise take a few to your local Amphur to make a complaint.

[DragonQuest]

Why do the poorest people have the most dogs?

NOT TRUE, I have a rich friend with a ton of dogs in the house. And just because you see dogs in a soi doesn't necessarily mean they have owners, some can be homeless.