What’s with all the stray dogs in Thailand?
Posted in Thailand
ReindeerF, Jan 20, 2008
The dogs are here to stay, but they’re mainly harmless (though not 100%). Those wild dogs are part of what’s supposed to be a relatively modern local tradition of taking care of a homeless dog like the King did once (or some such thing, I’ve heard different versions). Anyway, whatever the intention was, the result is that the entire country is overrun with “soi dogs” (street dogs) that are unkempt and pretty much run around doing what they want, chasing foreigners, barking all night, causing motorcycle accidents and generally looking like dog extras from Resident Evil.
The good news is that while they’re stupid and aggressive in quickly forming packs and barking a lot, generally just turning around and persistently pointing your finger violently is enough to back even an entire pack down. Turning around and lurching toward them helps too. Yelling is to be avoided if you can, but it’s the next logical step. Don’t kick them or whatever unless you absolutely have to as this could set off the owner a bit (you wouldn’t believe some of the tales of farang-thai conflict over soi dogs). I handle this issue all the time while running throughout Thailand and I’ve never run into a pack I couldn’t back down now that I’m used to it.
April 29th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Aye, soi dogs in Thailand are a shaggy, menace. The state of the poor animals will have you gobsmacked. Just the same, they do tend to be quite harmless at least in the cities.