Dad’s Dog Doesn’t Live Here

I have always loved dogs. They are playful, fun, cute, and happy in that innocent way that only occurs through gracious naivety. They are companions for all. Due to natures pack mentality they are loyal, sometimes to the point of worthy trust. They have been dubbed “man’s best friend” for these traits. People have enjoyed the companionship of dogs for centuries. They are a good pet, fully domesticated to life alongside humans.

My father also has always loved dogs. When he was a boy he had a dog named Max, a big farm dog who loved to romp and play with my father. I recall my dad telling me stories of swimming with Max, running with him, and just plain being a boyhood friend with the kind beast. Throughout my childhood whenever I would see my father around a dog his mood would lighten and his eyes, expression, and voice would go soft. He has always had a soft spot for a good dog. But Dad’s dog doesn’t live in Bangkok.

I have said jokingly that the population of Bangkok is about 8-12 million not counting the dogs but the population is at least 20 million if you count all the dogs that live on the street. We call them soi dogs because “soi” is Thai for “street”. Any street in Bangkok has roughly (and with no exaggeration I might add) one soi dog for every 20 ft of road. They can be found lying under carts, walking across the road, scratching for bugs, and even scavenging through the garbage. They are not a pretty site. Most of them are bug-infested which is painfully obvious as you observe them constantly scratching and chewing at their fur. They have sores and unhealed injuries. It is very difficult to take in.

I come from a country where most dogs are a part of a home with loving owners and regular food. They have nice fur, wagging tails, and think only of eating, sleeping, and playing. Their masters are to be pandered after for attention and signs of acceptance. They are loyal, cute, and kind. Bangkok has these dogs too. They are the ones kept as pets by wealthy people, but this accounts for only a small fraction of the dogs. The grand majority of the dogs in Bangkok live on the street and fend for themselves by whatever means necessary, striking their turf, arranging into packs, and growling at other dogs who trespass.

For the most part they are harmless. They move about sulkily and are generally apathetic towards humans (except for those irritating ones that chase me when I run in the mornings – man I hate those dogs). But generally they only want to get by. They don’t wag their tails or romp and play, they just want to find some food and a place to lie down. They are the defeated. They are not looking for a conquest, just lunch.

When I first observed these animals my heart went out to them and I felt terrible for their plight. As time went on I realized that it is all part of a much larger picture. Not that the situation seemed better, it just seemed in perspective of a larger situation, one that didn’t mean any direct malice to the poor creatures, it is all merely a side-effect of how life works here. But soon I saw there were some small-scale answers to some of the problems that the soi dogs faced. They all tend to stake out their territory and mind each others boundaries, so they all get their piece of the leftover pie. Then the people in each of these territories seem to do their own part to allow the dogs access to certain prime trash. People actually seem to separate some of the better compostable food waste from the other trash in order to provide for the soi dogs. In fact, some people even seem to adopt the dogs to a point of bringing food for them purchased and transported by loving hands. On their way to work they might find an extra 3 Baht to buy a pad of rice and then deliver it to the mangy k-9. These dogs subserviently wait each day for this delivery and even might give their tail a single wag showing they are experiencing a little piece of light in their day.

Seeing acts of kindness to those that are the least is heartening. Perhaps Buddhists feel the need to take care of all towards a higher moral purpose. Maybe they are simply caching in on karma. Or they just might be decent people with big hearts and giving souls. For whatever the reason is I respect the wellbeing that I see. In a country where far too many people are in search of leading a good life, there is still some room in the peoples hearts for the soi dogs.

People in Thailand say “mai pen rai” or “no worries” quite a lot. I think part of the reason is that existence goes on like an eternal game of chess. All the players are on the board. Some will be sacrificed in the name of others but the team that wins is the one that uses all the players together for later strategies to come to term. The people here are not proclaiming to understand the game of life or how it ought to be played but they are at least trying to preserve the players and coexist together. Mai pen rai; why sacrifice a piece on the board, just coexist and the world will go on, no worries. The soi dogs may be merely pawns amidst the larger scheme of Bangkok but even the pawns serve to protect the King.

*Note: Why are there no pictures in this blog you may ask? Because the soi dogs are not pretty. I omitted many of the grisly details of their various disfigurements and visible ailments and to add pictures would only spoil any positive nature of this blog.