Poissoning Dogs

[STEVE G]

They come around our place in Nong Ki with a pick-up as well, exchanging stray dogs for plastic bowls or buckets.
I know in some places you can buy dog meat packaged with a smiling pig logo on the packet, that’s why the pig is smiling- it’s dog meat!

[kendo]

Steve g and Richard, i am totally shocked at this i have belived that the odd person might eat dog but not on this sort of scale and even packaged meat that does not seem at all buddist,so wots with the plastic bowl is it to wash the evil of you hans for sending the dog to it's demise ?the good thing about this forum is i can learn a lot from more experianced farangs but this has to top the lot every time i am up in Surin i will be worrying about wot meat i am eating these dog catchers and there horrible indistry do they keep this low key and is it legal here. Can i ask you wot is your take on your averge soi dogs since you have been here a long time.

[STEVE G]

I don’t think generally you will have a problem around Surin, although people come around buying stray dogs I think most of them go further North to areas around the Lao border where dog is a bit of a delicacy.
One thing I’ve discovered is that dogs seem to be able to tell people who eat dog-meat, perhaps from the scent. One guy in the village from further North and who is known to indulge in the stuff is always chased past the house by our dogs who get very aggressive every time he comes near.

[Takiap]

This is a really interesting thread as the topic concerns many of us living here. Of course, before we state our right to live in a nice soi without any stray dogs, we should keep in mind that 99% of us were aware of the stray dog problem before we bought our homes. One should also take into consideration that a system that works in one country may not work in all countries. In my homeland for example, one is required to have a dog licence which does not cost much at all but serves the purpose of holding you accountable. Dog inspectors drive around and if a dog is seen without a collar with the licence disk, it is captured and impounded. It get held for two weeks then it gets put up for adoption for six weeks. If nobody claims it or adopts it, it gets put down. To see a stray dog is almost unheard of because of this policy so it has and does work but the conditions are so much different to Thailand.

Before I came to Thailand I was very much a dog lover but my feeling have somewhat changed since I started living here. My wife and daughter came of the motorbike because of a stray and just a few months ago I was chased, nipped and came of as well. I wonder how many people get injured in this way in Thailand? Of course I still love dogs but just to a lesser degree. As Dawn knows, I have two dogs (females) of my own and as a responsible owner, they were both neutered so to this day, they are still virgin girls........lol. Of course, the vast majority of Thais would not even consider spending money getting their dogs neutered, no matter how wealthy they are. On top of this is the fact that most Thais who own dogs, don't really own them as we would - they simply feed and thats where it ends.

Some of you may have noticed the growing interest in Pitbulls lately. Eveywhere you look, you see a pitbull. These are never neutered as there is money to be made from breeding them. Having owned a pitbull before, I am the first to admit what great dogs they can be, both with people and with other animals. By the way, my pitbull was killed in the same dirty way as mentioned earlier in this thread, simply because he was a pitbull. For those who are wondering, this did not happen in Thailand. Anyway, the question I ask is what sort of strays, resulting from the pitbull boom, will be running around the sois in the years to come? Poorly bred pitbulls are really not a dog to be desired.

As far as dog collectors are concerned, yes they do drive around exchanging plastic buckets, etc for dogs.

Dawn, if Dogchance is neutering strays for free, I would gladly bring in a few from our area - please advise. There is also a male in the area which sort of belongs to a Swedish guy and this male has fathered hundreds already and yet the Swedish gentleman does not get him cut. Now I would go as far as stealing the bloody dog and getting him cut before returning it but I have no doubt that the bugger would bite me.


Anyway, thats all from me for now ...........................whew
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Don't try to impress me with your manner of dress cos a monkey himself is a monkey no less - cold fact

[spitfire]

Takiap's point is a fair observation and neutering as Dawn suggests is the most humane thing to do.

However, I would like to point out that part of the problem might be the motivation on the part of most Thais to own a dog in the first place which is partly due to the cheap security factor(we are all aware of all the break-ins).

Unfortunately, these dogs are encouraged, through thier treatment, to be aggressive and slowly become something that actually belongs in a Steven King book, rather than a positive addition to a family environment.

[DawnHRD]

Takiap, we'll gladly neuter any of 'your' local strays you can get to us. If any might be a problem, they can be blowdarted & brought in, but we can only do that when the blowdarters are down from Ratchaburi. I'll pm you when the next neuter clinic with available places comes up.

Actually the pitbull thing is something I've been watching & thinking about with trepidation. The last thing I want is to have to deal with is some pitbull and aggressive/scared Thai dog crosses on the street - and that time is coming, fast, due to irresponsible owners & breeders. I was badly bitten by a fighting dog (Staffy) cross a number of years ago; my dog, whom he was fighting, was nearly killed - and I really don't want to go through that again. You're right, though. It's going to happen.
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"The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But, can they suffer?" - Jeremy Bentham, philosopher, 1748-1832

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[dtaai-maai]

[Vital Spark]

Love Dawn's idea of 'diversion therapy' using dried dog food. It's not expensive and has the added advantage of feeding the usually poorly underfed and uncared-for dogs.

When Parahandy and I are out on the tandem we find that if you actually stop when a dog is being aggressive, and we sometimes shout or growl at it (I know this sounds stupid, but it works), then the dog will back off. Sticks and the like just seem to make the dogs more interested and/or aggressive. This works particularly well if you're cycling the same route regularly. The dogs get to know you and (it takes time but..) they eventually stop barking or trying to attack.

I agree with you Dawn about the fighting dogs. Irresponsible owners of those kinds of breeds are dangerous in any country, but especially here where the more aggressive breeds will mate with the Thai dogs. The resultant pups will obviously have more aggressive instincts, and be wandering the streets...

We have a lovely neutered male Thai dog, who is also a good guard dog. They don't need to have balls to do the job (guarding that is ).

VS
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'Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana' -Groucho Marx

[sargeant]

Firstly may I say it is rather pleasing to see a thread on dogs that is well mannered and reasoned.

I am apposed to poisoning dogs let me get that right out there.

The dog problem is a serious one and I agree 100% with Dawn a night of the long knives cull would only provide a short respite as the vacuum would be filled in weeks by dogs coming in and irresponsible owners.
However I do disagree with neuter and release not with the neuter but definitely with the release if that includes medication etc and then putting a fully fit set of teeth and jaws back on the street. (if its fit healthy and put back neutered the next day fine thats ok by me)
I believe the welfare of ALL the dogs requires that mangy obviously ill and malnourished dogs should be put out of their misery humanely.
There is just not enough money available and therefore its how that money is spent which becomes vital for the OVERALL welfare of the dogs.
Diseased dogs are a threat to all the other dogs and humans bitten by them, paying to neuter and releasing still leaves a diseased dog to spread its disease to the rest, paying to medicate it and then releasing is wasting valuable resources (and potentially dangerous to humans especially kids) and like it or not the only sensible humane and logical answer is to put it to sleep.
Malnourished dogs are a threat especially to children I know one 3 year old now with a horrendous scar (which she will carry for the rest of her life)
on her face from eating a chicken leg because a starving street dog took it and inflicted the scar at the same time.
We have 2 soi dogs and not one hour ago a neighbor Put a cup of dog biscuits out for them, both sniffed it and both left it, obviously not hungry the neighbors and myself feed them and one neighbor (Thai) was giving the female contraception injections up until he couldn’t afford it any more.
The problem isn’t so much soi dogs where the soi takes a certain amount of care, in my opinion it is the roving packs and roving loners that park at the end of your soi that are the problem.
I believe what is needed is a voluntary (tessabahn just are not going to do it) Organisation that has experienced helpers that can recognize 1. Pack animals
2. Diseased dogs (difficult I know but should err on the side of not taking any chances) 3. Malnourished dogs (ie dogs that are loners but not soi dogs where the soi takes care) and a centre that can humanely put them to sleep and dispose of them.
I think that will at least raise the overall standard of welfare of the dogs plus dead dogs can’t have pups.
How that will come about I cannot give any ideas in the meantime things will carry on the same.
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A Greatfull Guest of Thailand