Are Thai stray dogs the happiest in the world?

[MiKT]

At least the new law on animal cruelty will help a little bit, but there are far too many stray dogs that are badly treated, even though they have a collar, the people who put the collar on the dog and probably feed it will take no responsibility if it barks all night or bites someone.

However, in general the Thai people do treat stray dogs quite well (in relative economic terms) and try to feed them; and often have them injected and taken to the vets for treatment, even though they do not consider that they own them and would not let them in the house.

In fact most Thais are happy to see the dogs roaming free and I though believe that Thai stray dogs are extremely clever and good at looking after themselves, an organization like SoiDog does fantastic work that is really necessary.

It is lack of education on how to look after dogs that is greatly lacking here (but you can say the same about humans as well).

We look after 10 real dogs in Buri Ram (+ 2 lap dogs) and my wife and daughters frequently go out in Pattaya to feed stray dogs and always keeps food in the car to feed to strays on any trip; and I like the idea of putting some powder in the food to cure mange, etc. At least Thai veterinary fees are very reasonable, the price my brother recently paid for a smallish operation on his dog in the UK would keep all 12 of my dogs in yearly injections, neutering and other fees, including grooming, nail clipping, etc. for a couple of years.

The new laws on animal cruelty might help in the long run (although they are very weak) and education in schools is necessary.

I recently castigated one of our local yobs in Pattaya for shooting at cats with an airgun (not a softair plastic pellet gun) and now I am definitely bad guy of the year; even with my own family, as this upsets the neighbourly environment. Wrong approach yet again Farang, softly, softly is always best so my wife tells me. Perhaps I should not have threatened to shoot him!

Far better to put down the likes of him and those who would like to kill Soi Dogs. I would be happy to give them a powder.

I am all for the authorities removing stray dogs from the streets, neutering and rehousing them, but not killing them if at all possible (dangerous animals excepted).

At least the practice of deliberately running over stray dogs has greatly reduced in the last 10 years or so; and to answer the question, I would say that overall stray dogs in Thailand do have a better life than in other countries.

The majority of Soi dogs are not aggressive if YOUR attitude is ok. Dogs sense your fear or your apprehension and may well see that as a threat. It's a rare thing for a dog to attack without apparent reason. I find Thai dogs generally very easy to befriend and they really will be your friend.

I can't own my own dogs living in a condo so Soi dogs are the next best thing and some of the dogs I've known for years you would never know were "wild" dogs.

When we get cool temperatures the dogs need to be "forced" to wear t shirts because they do suffer from the cold

Yup, you befriend them and when one of them takes a lump out of you and you end up with rabies or something, dont come crying on here!! I will continue to take a wide berth. You say dogs can sense your fear or apprehension, which I was aware of, as most people are, but, when being approached by a soi dog, isnt everyone apprehensive?

If this is the case, then nearly everybody is a risk from the dog knowing you are, at best, only apprehensive. For those that are literally shi77ing themselves, then its time to leg it!

As to the OP asking if they are happy, I would hope they are happier than the little handbag dogs that wear clothes and have ribbons in their hair!!

I have said it before on this forum and happy to say it again. If you live or travel extensively in this part of the world and you do not protect yourself and your family by having 3 tiny painless anti-rabies jabs, yes, you do deserve what you get if you get rabies......No I can't say it, nobody no matter how stupid or ill informed deserves that. But neither do dogs, please get them all injected, it costs so little here.

I only hope the anti-rabies jab idiots who responded about rabies before have managed to go down with a nasty case of mange and do not bring their pathetic Chinese dogs stories to this set of posts.

NB we also have 2 handbag+size dogs and they love to wear clothes and have ribbons in their hair, just as much as they love to roll in the sand and mud. Dogs are clever than you give them credit for. Oh, just in case you believe the old chestnut, yes dogs can see themselves in a mirror.

If you are shitting yourself when approached by a stray dog that is not dribbling white foam and trying to rip your throat out, you could probably do with a bit of desensitizing training, try calling a dog whisperer, or Bear Grylls.

[Fairynuff]

At least the new law on animal cruelty will help a little bit, but there are far too many stray dogs that are badly treated, even though they have a collar, the people who put the collar on the dog and probably feed it will take no responsibility if it barks all night or bites someone.

However, in general the Thai people do treat stray dogs quite well (in relative economic terms) and try to feed them; and often have them injected and taken to the vets for treatment, even though they do not consider that they own them and would not let them in the house.

In fact most Thais are happy to see the dogs roaming free and I though believe that Thai stray dogs are extremely clever and good at looking after themselves, an organization like SoiDog does fantastic work that is really necessary.

It is lack of education on how to look after dogs that is greatly lacking here (but you can say the same about humans as well).

We look after 10 real dogs in Buri Ram (+ 2 lap dogs) and my wife and daughters frequently go out in Pattaya to feed stray dogs and always keeps food in the car to feed to strays on any trip; and I like the idea of putting some powder in the food to cure mange, etc. At least Thai veterinary fees are very reasonable, the price my brother recently paid for a smallish operation on his dog in the UK would keep all 12 of my dogs in yearly injections, neutering and other fees, including grooming, nail clipping, etc. for a couple of years.

The new laws on animal cruelty might help in the long run (although they are very weak) and education in schools is necessary.

I recently castigated one of our local yobs in Pattaya for shooting at cats with an airgun (not a softair plastic pellet gun) and now I am definitely bad guy of the year; even with my own family, as this upsets the neighbourly environment. Wrong approach yet again Farang, softly, softly is always best so my wife tells me. Perhaps I should not have threatened to shoot him!

Far better to put down the likes of him and those who would like to kill Soi Dogs. I would be happy to give them a powder.

I am all for the authorities removing stray dogs from the streets, neutering and rehousing them, but not killing them if at all possible (dangerous animals excepted).

At least the practice of deliberately running over stray dogs has greatly reduced in the last 10 years or so; and to answer the question, I would say that overall stray dogs in Thailand do have a better life than in other countries.

The majority of Soi dogs are not aggressive if YOUR attitude is ok. Dogs sense your fear or your apprehension and may well see that as a threat. It's a rare thing for a dog to attack without apparent reason. I find Thai dogs generally very easy to befriend and they really will be your friend.

I can't own my own dogs living in a condo so Soi dogs are the next best thing and some of the dogs I've known for years you would never know were "wild" dogs.

When we get cool temperatures the dogs need to be "forced" to wear t shirts because they do suffer from the cold

Yup, you befriend them and when one of them takes a lump out of you and you end up with rabies or something, dont come crying on here!! I will continue to take a wide berth. You say dogs can sense your fear or apprehension, which I was aware of, as most people are, but, when being approached by a soi dog, isnt everyone apprehensive?

If this is the case, then nearly everybody is a risk from the dog knowing you are, at best, only apprehensive. For those that are literally shi77ing themselves, then its time to leg it!

As to the OP asking if they are happy, I would hope they are happier than the little handbag dogs that wear clothes and have ribbons in their hair!!

Any suggestions where I might go crying?

[MiKT]

At least the new law on animal cruelty will help a little bit, but there are far too many stray dogs that are badly treated, even though they have a collar, the people who put the collar on the dog and probably feed it will take no responsibility if it barks all night or bites someone.

However, in general the Thai people do treat stray dogs quite well (in relative economic terms) and try to feed them; and often have them injected and taken to the vets for treatment, even though they do not consider that they own them and would not let them in the house.

In fact most Thais are happy to see the dogs roaming free and I though believe that Thai stray dogs are extremely clever and good at looking after themselves, an organization like SoiDog does fantastic work that is really necessary.

It is lack of education on how to look after dogs that is greatly lacking here (but you can say the same about humans as well).

We look after 10 real dogs in Buri Ram (+ 2 lap dogs) and my wife and daughters frequently go out in Pattaya to feed stray dogs and always keeps food in the car to feed to strays on any trip; and I like the idea of putting some powder in the food to cure mange, etc. At least Thai veterinary fees are very reasonable, the price my brother recently paid for a smallish operation on his dog in the UK would keep all 12 of my dogs in yearly injections, neutering and other fees, including grooming, nail clipping, etc. for a couple of years.

The new laws on animal cruelty might help in the long run (although they are very weak) and education in schools is necessary.

I recently castigated one of our local yobs in Pattaya for shooting at cats with an airgun (not a softair plastic pellet gun) and now I am definitely bad guy of the year; even with my own family, as this upsets the neighbourly environment. Wrong approach yet again Farang, softly, softly is always best so my wife tells me. Perhaps I should not have threatened to shoot him!

Far better to put down the likes of him and those who would like to kill Soi Dogs. I would be happy to give them a powder.

I am all for the authorities removing stray dogs from the streets, neutering and rehousing them, but not killing them if at all possible (dangerous animals excepted).

At least the practice of deliberately running over stray dogs has greatly reduced in the last 10 years or so; and to answer the question, I would say that overall stray dogs in Thailand do have a better life than in other countries.

The majority of Soi dogs are not aggressive if YOUR attitude is ok. Dogs sense your fear or your apprehension and may well see that as a threat. It's a rare thing for a dog to attack without apparent reason. I find Thai dogs generally very easy to befriend and they really will be your friend.

I can't own my own dogs living in a condo so Soi dogs are the next best thing and some of the dogs I've known for years you would never know were "wild" dogs.

When we get cool temperatures the dogs need to be "forced" to wear t shirts because they do suffer from the cold

Yup, you befriend them and when one of them takes a lump out of you and you end up with rabies or something, dont come crying on here!! I will continue to take a wide berth. You say dogs can sense your fear or apprehension, which I was aware of, as most people are, but, when being approached by a soi dog, isnt everyone apprehensive?

If this is the case, then nearly everybody is a risk from the dog knowing you are, at best, only apprehensive. For those that are literally shi77ing themselves, then its time to leg it!

As to the OP asking if they are happy, I would hope they are happier than the little handbag dogs that wear clothes and have ribbons in their hair!!

Any suggestions where I might go crying?

Wat?

[jacko45k]

The completely bald pathetic scrawny thing I often see at the corner doesn't look too happy to me.

Then don't look in the mirror!

Go to you local vet, buy a sachet of powder, mix it into some food and give it to the dog. Within days it will look better. Mange is so easily cured. You might even feel happy you've done something good

I am far from scrawny.

I have no inclination to increase the number of stray and feral dogs in the vicinity. The reality is they should be rounded up and taken off the streets. I will PM it's location to you if you wish, or are you just all talk?

[jacko45k]

The completely bald pathetic scrawny thing I often see at the corner doesn't look too happy to me.

perhaps its looking at you thinking the same thing

Nor am I bald.......ho-hum.

Edited March 17, 2016 by jacko45k

[Keesters]

If they are wearing a collar, they are not strays.

Lost of stray dogs in Thailand are quite thin.

Correct. Collared dogs on public streets are owned pets on the loose. The owners don't really care for the dog most of the time and almost certainly won't take any responsibility if the dog causes any injury to people or damage to property. They also don't clean up the poop and piss made by the dog. These irresponsible owners are far worse than any dog in my opinion and should be put down while the dog should be taken into care.

[Laughing Gravy]

Sadly I find soi Dogs generally to be the opposite of happy. in fact they are dam right miserable. they have a crap life. Get beaten and stones thrown at them. If they are lucky they get a bag of rice and scraps of food. They never smile and dogs do smile, trust me. When you go to show them some affection they are overjoyed. Dogs are pack animals and need love and structure to be at their best. the life of a soi dog is not a good one in my opinion. If I was a Buddhist (I am of no religion) I would be dreading coming back, as a soi dog. They are usually underfed, thirsty and have little shelter if any, for the heat and rain. Life as a soi dog for most is a pretty tough one.

[dageurreotype]

The completely bald pathetic scrawny thing I often see at the corner doesn't look too happy to me.

Take it to a vet then That's what I did. I don't view them as 'strays'. More 'community pets'

[dageurreotype]

The completely bald pathetic scrawny thing I often see at the corner doesn't look too happy to me.

Then don't look in the mirror!

Go to you local vet, buy a sachet of powder, mix it into some food and give it to the dog. Within days it will look better. Mange is so easily cured. You might even feel happy you've done something good

I am far from scrawny.

I have no inclination to increase the number of stray and feral dogs in the vicinity. The reality is they should be rounded up and taken off the streets. I will PM it's location to you if you wish, or are you just all talk?

You weren't being asked to neuter it. Just give it a cheap sachet of meds. How difficult is that?

[rijit]

imo The stray dogs in Thailand, which in general are in v v poor condition absolutely reflect.extremely poorly ( being nice ) on Thai society.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Fairynuff]

Sadly I find soi Dogs generally to be the opposite of happy. in fact they are dam right miserable. they have a crap life. Get beaten and stones thrown at them. If they are lucky they get a bag of rice and scraps of food. They never smile and dogs do smile, trust me. When you go to show them some affection they are overjoyed. Dogs are pack animals and need love and structure to be at their best. the life of a soi dog is not a good one in my opinion. If I was a Buddhist (I am of no religion) I would be dreading coming back, as a soi dog. They are usually underfed, thirsty and have little shelter if any, for the heat and rain. Life as a soi dog for most is a pretty tough one.

Fortunately there are many of us that have an experience totally different from yours. Maybe where I live is also different because I see local people showing kindness and compassion to the Soi dogs who are most definitely not underfed, most definitely not aggressive and most definitely in generally good health.

[rijit]

^ not in Bangkok.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[jacko45k]

The completely bald pathetic scrawny thing I often see at the corner doesn't look too happy to me.

Then don't look in the mirror!

Go to you local vet, buy a sachet of powder, mix it into some food and give it to the dog. Within days it will look better. Mange is so easily cured. You might even feel happy you've done something good

I am far from scrawny.

I have no inclination to increase the number of stray and feral dogs in the vicinity. The reality is they should be rounded up and taken off the streets. I will PM it's location to you if you wish, or are you just all talk?

You weren't being asked to neuter it. Just give it a cheap sachet of meds. How difficult is that?

I ain't touching it!

[isanbirder]

There are actually two topics being confused in this thread, soi dogs in the towns, and stray dogs in the countryside. I live in the countryside, and most of my remarks refer to the latter. In my recent experience, these strays are healthy-looking, and not at all aggressive (my 5 kg toy poodle can rout a small pack of them!).

Obviously neutering and speying is the way to go (euthanasia and eating dogs being forbidden). It's much easier and cheaper to neuter males, but much more effective to spey females. I wonder how large a proportion of the dogs desexed (by CareforDogs, SoiDogs, and private individuals) is female.

[Fairynuff]

^ not in Bangkok.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I'm in Bangkok

[meatboy]

If they are wearing a collar, they are not strays.

Lost of stray dogs in Thailand are quite thin.

Correct. Collared dogs on public streets are owned pets on the loose. The owners don't really care for the dog most of the time and almost certainly won't take any responsibility if the dog causes any injury to people or damage to property. They also don't clean up the poop and piss made by the dog. These irresponsible owners are far worse than any dog in my opinion and should be put down while the dog should be taken into care.

myself i never venture out of our mooban,but i see a few that are left to fend for their selves.the same owners have had 4 dogs in the past and all have died as they are left to run free on a busy road.there are 2now locked out to run or chase anything they can,the security feeds them,but nobody will de-louse them so its only a matter of time before these 2 go the same way as the others.ARE THEY HAPPY not one bit the tears are streaming down their faces.

so there is no difference between a dog on the street and a kid,both have no one to love them.

oh and my boy he is very very HAPPY. and ME tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

[MiKT]

If they are wearing a collar, they are not strays.

Lost of stray dogs in Thailand are quite thin.

Correct. Collared dogs on public streets are owned pets on the loose. The owners don't really care for the dog most of the time and almost certainly won't take any responsibility if the dog causes any injury to people or damage to property. They also don't clean up the poop and piss made by the dog. These irresponsible owners are far worse than any dog in my opinion and should be put down while the dog should be taken into care.

myself i never venture out of our mooban,but i see a few that are left to fend for their selves.the same owners have had 4 dogs in the past and all have died as they are left to run free on a busy road.there are 2now locked out to run or chase anything they can,the security feeds them,but nobody will de-louse them so its only a matter of time before these 2 go the same way as the others.ARE THEY HAPPY not one bit the tears are streaming down their faces.

so there is no difference between a dog on the street and a kid,both have no one to love them.

oh and my boy he is very very HAPPY. and ME tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

"never venture out of our mooban" and you have the temerity to post about Stray/Soi dogs in Thailand?

NB note to self - must not be contentious or antagonistic, so, yes of course there are many, many, many, bad owners ( bad owners = temporary, a little bit, put a collar on types who don't do much for the dog except let it "guard" their property) in Thailand, but there are many more, often very poor people who do their best to feed and look after stray dogs.

Often the old ladies waiting to put food in the monks bowl's in the morning also feed dogs (and cats) Our neighbour in Pattaya sometimes has 30 cats, which can be a damn nuisance, but we look after kittens (and help to pay for neutering them) and stop idiots from shooting them - I just spray them with a hose to keep them away from my fish and stop them beating up our lapdogs - damn tough some of those cats).

Frequently the worst dogs in a Soi are big dogs owned by farang's who don't know how (or more often don't care) to control them. A hosepipe can work wonders with this type of dog too.

The very worst type being damn yappy poodles, the owners just don't care if they yap all day. Now poodles really are great dogs, but they need training not to yap. (I can never understand how the Thai's can ignore the noise).

Many, people here also pay to have stray dogs injected and taken to the vet when sick, but cannot take them home as they live in condo's or similar. So yes, although there are far too many sick and unloved dogs in Thailand, I think the people here give them a better deal than in most other Asian countries.

And yes, dogs really can laugh and smile and are extraordinarily clever. You want to see happy dogs in Thailand I will send you a video of my 10 dogs in Buri Ram. Better yet I will send you a vid of them ganging up and killing a cobra. Real teamwork.

A few weeks ago my sister-in-law wanted to go into her ground floor house and the dogs all bunched-up and physically prevented her going in the (always open) door. Then they went in and out came a big fat 4' cobra who stayed for lunch. Clever, brave, happy dogs.

I have seen this before when walking (stupidly) without a torch at night the dogs have walked under my legs and pulled my shorts to slow me down and keep me from walking near a snake.

BE KIND TO DOGS - and cats; and chickens and etc.

[Fairynuff]

@MiKT. you're an exceptional person. We need more like you

[Keesters]

If they are wearing a collar, they are not strays.

Lost of stray dogs in Thailand are quite thin.

Correct. Collared dogs on public streets are owned pets on the loose. The owners don't really care for the dog most of the time and almost certainly won't take any responsibility if the dog causes any injury to people or damage to property. They also don't clean up the poop and piss made by the dog. These irresponsible owners are far worse than any dog in my opinion and should be put down while the dog should be taken into care.

myself i never venture out of our mooban,but i see a few that are left to fend for their selves.the same owners have had 4 dogs in the past and all have died as they are left to run free on a busy road.there are 2now locked out to run or chase anything they can,the security feeds them,but nobody will de-louse them so its only a matter of time before these 2 go the same way as the others.ARE THEY HAPPY not one bit the tears are streaming down their faces.

so there is no difference between a dog on the street and a kid,both have no one to love them.

oh and my boy he is very very HAPPY. and ME tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

"never venture out of our mooban" and you have the temerity to post about Stray/Soi dogs in Thailand?

NB note to self - must not be contentious or antagonistic, so, yes of course there are many, many, many, bad owners ( bad owners = temporary, a little bit, put a collar on types who don't do much for the dog except let it "guard" their property) in Thailand, but there are many more, often very poor people who do their best to feed and look after stray dogs.

Often the old ladies waiting to put food in the monks bowl's in the morning also feed dogs (and cats) Our neighbour in Pattaya sometimes has 30 cats, which can be a damn nuisance, but we look after kittens (and help to pay for neutering them) and stop idiots from shooting them - I just spray them with a hose to keep them away from my fish and stop them beating up our lapdogs - damn tough some of those cats).

Frequently the worst dogs in a Soi are big dogs owned by farang's who don't know how (or more often don't care) to control them. A hosepipe can work wonders with this type of dog too.

The very worst type being damn yappy poodles, the owners just don't care if they yap all day. Now poodles really are great dogs, but they need training not to yap. (I can never understand how the Thai's can ignore the noise).

Many, people here also pay to have stray dogs injected and taken to the vet when sick, but cannot take them home as they live in condo's or similar. So yes, although there are far too many sick and unloved dogs in Thailand, I think the people here give them a better deal than in most other Asian countries.

And yes, dogs really can laugh and smile and are extraordinarily clever. You want to see happy dogs in Thailand I will send you a video of my 10 dogs in Buri Ram. Better yet I will send you a vid of them ganging up and killing a cobra. Real teamwork.

A few weeks ago my sister-in-law wanted to go into her ground floor house and the dogs all bunched-up and physically prevented her going in the (always open) door. Then they went in and out came a big fat 4' cobra who stayed for lunch. Clever, brave, happy dogs.

I have seen this before when walking (stupidly) without a torch at night the dogs have walked under my legs and pulled my shorts to slow me down and keep me from walking near a snake.

BE KIND TO DOGS - and cats; and chickens and etc.

The people who contribute to the well being of stray dogs by feeding them, getting them medical attention etc but never housing them are also contributing to the many attacks by these dogs on humans, the many road accidents caused by these dogs, the many illnesses and sickness from the dog poop and piss left on public land. BE KIND TO HUMANS first and foremost.

[meatboy]

MIKT says i have the audacity,nerve,impudence,cheek,gall regarding stray and soi dogs.[TEMERITY]

let me tell you,having been a greyhound trainer for twenty yrs.i do know what goes on in their world.i have also seen enough misery in the last 33yrs.in thailand

with pets as well as children,which has sickened me insideout.

so please before you use the term TEMERITY know what it means.

[MiKT]

MIKT says i have the audacity,nerve,impudence,cheek,gall regarding stray and soi dogs.[TEMERITY]

let me tell you,having been a greyhound trainer for twenty yrs.i do know what goes on in their world.i have also seen enough misery in the last 33yrs.in thailand

with pets as well as children,which has sickened me insideout.

so please before you use the term TEMERITY know what it means.

know only too well what temerity means (and what a thesaurus is) and would like to know how you have the temerity to post this rubbish having clearly stated "I never venture out of our mooban" and then expect people to know (by magic, osmosis, thought transference, or what?) that you are suddenly an expert on stray dogs all over Thailand, train greyhounds and put-up with misery in children.

And I will have you know that I think very little of greyhound racing and greyhound trainers in general, the dogs certainly are not well treated and most end up being killed when they are injured (frequently) and get to old to race and MAKE MONEY for the owners and trainers. Only a few get to go to good homes and they don't make particularly good pets. So it's no wonder you are sickened.

I have travelled many, many thousands of k around Thailand and seen what goes on for myself, plus having lived/worked in nearly every country in the Far East and many others as well and can tell you far more than even you (who must be an expert on cruelty to make your racing dogs move) would ever want to know about cruelty to animals; and yes children too.

So don't try to lecture me about the English language. Read my posts and say something sensible about looking after stray dogs (and stray children if you like) in Thailand. How about something on the shocking everyday cruelty to cows and pigs that goes on here (especially in the moobans), or caged birds released to "make merit", or fighting chickens, etc. The list is long enough to sicken me, but having seen other countries I still think stray dogs in Thailand have the best deal for this part of the world. It's not a good deal, but its all comparative

[Fairynuff]

If they are wearing a collar, they are not strays.

Lost of stray dogs in Thailand are quite thin.

Correct. Collared dogs on public streets are owned pets on the loose. The owners don't really care for the dog most of the time and almost certainly won't take any responsibility if the dog causes any injury to people or damage to property. They also don't clean up the poop and piss made by the dog. These irresponsible owners are far worse than any dog in my opinion and should be put down while the dog should be taken into care.

myself i never venture out of our mooban,but i see a few that are left to fend for their selves.the same owners have had 4 dogs in the past and all have died as they are left to run free on a busy road.there are 2now locked out to run or chase anything they can,the security feeds them,but nobody will de-louse them so its only a matter of time before these 2 go the same way as the others.ARE THEY HAPPY not one bit the tears are streaming down their faces.

so there is no difference between a dog on the street and a kid,both have no one to love them.

oh and my boy he is very very HAPPY. and ME tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

"never venture out of our mooban" and you have the temerity to post about Stray/Soi dogs in Thailand?

NB note to self - must not be contentious or antagonistic, so, yes of course there are many, many, many, bad owners ( bad owners = temporary, a little bit, put a collar on types who don't do much for the dog except let it "guard" their property) in Thailand, but there are many more, often very poor people who do their best to feed and look after stray dogs.

Often the old ladies waiting to put food in the monks bowl's in the morning also feed dogs (and cats) Our neighbour in Pattaya sometimes has 30 cats, which can be a damn nuisance, but we look after kittens (and help to pay for neutering them) and stop idiots from shooting them - I just spray them with a hose to keep them away from my fish and stop them beating up our lapdogs - damn tough some of those cats).

Frequently the worst dogs in a Soi are big dogs owned by farang's who don't know how (or more often don't care) to control them. A hosepipe can work wonders with this type of dog too.

The very worst type being damn yappy poodles, the owners just don't care if they yap all day. Now poodles really are great dogs, but they need training not to yap. (I can never understand how the Thai's can ignore the noise).

Many, people here also pay to have stray dogs injected and taken to the vet when sick, but cannot take them home as they live in condo's or similar. So yes, although there are far too many sick and unloved dogs in Thailand, I think the people here give them a better deal than in most other Asian countries.

And yes, dogs really can laugh and smile and are extraordinarily clever. You want to see happy dogs in Thailand I will send you a video of my 10 dogs in Buri Ram. Better yet I will send you a vid of them ganging up and killing a cobra. Real teamwork.

A few weeks ago my sister-in-law wanted to go into her ground floor house and the dogs all bunched-up and physically prevented her going in the (always open) door. Then they went in and out came a big fat 4' cobra who stayed for lunch. Clever, brave, happy dogs.

I have seen this before when walking (stupidly) without a torch at night the dogs have walked under my legs and pulled my shorts to slow me down and keep me from walking near a snake.

BE KIND TO DOGS - and cats; and chickens and etc.

The people who contribute to the well being of stray dogs by feeding them, getting them medical attention etc but never housing them are also contributing to the many attacks by these dogs on humans, the many road accidents caused by these dogs, the many illnesses and sickness from the dog poop and piss left on public land. BE KIND TO HUMANS first and foremost.

What absolute nonsense. To say that you are clueless is being generous.

[MiKT]

Actually dog pee and poop here dries up very quickly and I have no inclination whatsoever to be kind to people who mistreat animals.

[Merylhighground]

In our old area most of the dogs were all happy enough and over the years we all became good pals through simply spending a few minutes to 'say hello' as it were. One or two were timid at first but after a while they would come bounding over like a house dog welcoming home his master or mistress.

They got on well with our three dogs, even the two who took it on themselves to guard the house by 'moving in' to our front garden.

Almost all were well taken care of either by the moto lads or various security guards or stall holders who fed them and took care of their general well being right through to the silly T Shirt thing in the 'cool' season.....

[ev1lchris]

Are we counting the Chinese tourists?

[MiKT]

Are we counting the Chinese tourists?

Yes, counting on them to increase the number of dogs stolen to go on their dinner plates.

[Keesters]

If they are wearing a collar, they are not strays.

Lost of stray dogs in Thailand are quite thin.

Correct. Collared dogs on public streets are owned pets on the loose. The owners don't really care for the dog most of the time and almost certainly won't take any responsibility if the dog causes any injury to people or damage to property. They also don't clean up the poop and piss made by the dog. These irresponsible owners are far worse than any dog in my opinion and should be put down while the dog should be taken into care.

myself i never venture out of our mooban,but i see a few that are left to fend for their selves.the same owners have had 4 dogs in the past and all have died as they are left to run free on a busy road.there are 2now locked out to run or chase anything they can,the security feeds them,but nobody will de-louse them so its only a matter of time before these 2 go the same way as the others.ARE THEY HAPPY not one bit the tears are streaming down their faces.

so there is no difference between a dog on the street and a kid,both have no one to love them.

oh and my boy he is very very HAPPY. and ME tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

"never venture out of our mooban" and you have the temerity to post about Stray/Soi dogs in Thailand?

NB note to self - must not be contentious or antagonistic, so, yes of course there are many, many, many, bad owners ( bad owners = temporary, a little bit, put a collar on types who don't do much for the dog except let it "guard" their property) in Thailand, but there are many more, often very poor people who do their best to feed and look after stray dogs.

Often the old ladies waiting to put food in the monks bowl's in the morning also feed dogs (and cats) Our neighbour in Pattaya sometimes has 30 cats, which can be a damn nuisance, but we look after kittens (and help to pay for neutering them) and stop idiots from shooting them - I just spray them with a hose to keep them away from my fish and stop them beating up our lapdogs - damn tough some of those cats).

Frequently the worst dogs in a Soi are big dogs owned by farang's who don't know how (or more often don't care) to control them. A hosepipe can work wonders with this type of dog too.

The very worst type being damn yappy poodles, the owners just don't care if they yap all day. Now poodles really are great dogs, but they need training not to yap. (I can never understand how the Thai's can ignore the noise).

Many, people here also pay to have stray dogs injected and taken to the vet when sick, but cannot take them home as they live in condo's or similar. So yes, although there are far too many sick and unloved dogs in Thailand, I think the people here give them a better deal than in most other Asian countries.

And yes, dogs really can laugh and smile and are extraordinarily clever. You want to see happy dogs in Thailand I will send you a video of my 10 dogs in Buri Ram. Better yet I will send you a vid of them ganging up and killing a cobra. Real teamwork.

A few weeks ago my sister-in-law wanted to go into her ground floor house and the dogs all bunched-up and physically prevented her going in the (always open) door. Then they went in and out came a big fat 4' cobra who stayed for lunch. Clever, brave, happy dogs.

I have seen this before when walking (stupidly) without a torch at night the dogs have walked under my legs and pulled my shorts to slow me down and keep me from walking near a snake.

BE KIND TO DOGS - and cats; and chickens and etc.

The people who contribute to the well being of stray dogs by feeding them, getting them medical attention etc but never housing them are also contributing to the many attacks by these dogs on humans, the many road accidents caused by these dogs, the many illnesses and sickness from the dog poop and piss left on public land. BE KIND TO HUMANS first and foremost.

What absolute nonsense. To say that you are clueless is being generous.

The clueless people are those that do everything in their power to keep these nuisance dogs on the streets and have no regard for all the damage they cause.

[Keesters]

Actually dog pee and poop here dries up very quickly and I have no inclination whatsoever to be kind to people who mistreat animals.

I have no wish to mistreat animals but would mistreat a human who puts animals over humans.

[Keesters]

Actually dog pee and poop here dries up very quickly and I have no inclination whatsoever to be kind to people who mistreat animals.

You seem to be saying it is OK for dogs to poo and piss on Thailand's public land. If that is so why all the fuss over the person who took a s**t in a Chiang Mai canal. Feces is Feces.

[MiKT]

Actually dog pee and poop here dries up very quickly and I have no inclination whatsoever to be kind to people who mistreat animals.

You seem to be saying it is OK for dogs to poo and piss on Thailand's public land. If that is so why all the fuss over the person who took a s**t in a Chiang Mai canal. Feces is Feces.

I have never seen a dog poop in a canal, if I ever do I shall speak strongly to it and advise it is against TV sensibilities and to kindly cease and desist.