Year of the Dog
So far my blog posts have focused on my personal experience of living in Bangkok, my frequent faux pas and general mishaps. But how has life changed for Charles and Siale, the two dogs who had no real say as to whether they moved to Thailand or not?
The first major difference is obviously the climate. Lurchers do not have an awful lot of fur (with what they do have being shed onto our furniture on a daily basis) and they also have comparatively thin skin so they really feel the cold. I remember when we first adopted Charles and Siale, the lady at the rescue saying that we probably needed to get them some pyjamas for the winter.
So you'd think that a move to warmer climes would suit them? But no, they actually don't seem to have any ability to regulate their own body temperature, or at least they didn't when we first arrived. During the first few weeks, they'd do their normal routine of zoomies in the garden but get so hot that we'd quickly have to usher them inside and switch the air conditioning on full blast to stop them exploding.
Strangely, the dogs seem completely unfazed by the general hubbub of people and vehicles. They are much more interested in the various dogs and cats that seem to line our daily route. Despite Bangkok being a seemingly unfriendly city for dogs, there are plenty of domesticated dogs where we live. Even the soi dogs tend to have some sort of affiliation with the motorbike taxi drivers, so although they are still territorial, they're not really fully feral.
We see many a live cat on our daily walk, which tends to prove exciting for the dogs and traumatic for us as we try to encourage the cat to run away from us, but not into the path of traffic. Fortunately, most of them scramble up a tree or into a nearby shophouse.
The good thing is that nobody in Thailand is bothered by dogs barking at other dogs or cats. In the UK, we would frequently be subjected to disparaging looks because our dogs were big and a bit noisy. In Thailand, it's useful to have Charles giving other dogs a firm warning not to come near him. And he needs to be very firm because Siale has continued to think every other dog is a potential playmate, which leaves him pretty exposed on the mean streets of Bangkok.
As dogs are allowed to be dogs in Thailand and there is no end of things to chase I don't think there could be a better a place for them! And they even have their favourite sofa!
A Change of Scene
Aside from the initial trauma of being stuffed into crates, put in the hold of a plane and flown 6000 miles, their whole environment has completely changed.The first major difference is obviously the climate. Lurchers do not have an awful lot of fur (with what they do have being shed onto our furniture on a daily basis) and they also have comparatively thin skin so they really feel the cold. I remember when we first adopted Charles and Siale, the lady at the rescue saying that we probably needed to get them some pyjamas for the winter.
So you'd think that a move to warmer climes would suit them? But no, they actually don't seem to have any ability to regulate their own body temperature, or at least they didn't when we first arrived. During the first few weeks, they'd do their normal routine of zoomies in the garden but get so hot that we'd quickly have to usher them inside and switch the air conditioning on full blast to stop them exploding.
Keeping Cool
What we've seen in the last few months is them learn new techniques to keep cool. Whilst we haven't quite got them in the swimming pool yet (apart Charles' back legs slipping in whilst he rushed past, chasing a squirrel) they have found the cooler spots in the house. Before we lived here, they would never have laid down on a tiled floor. Now, they frequently find the coolest spot and stretch out, just like Thai dogs. When we first started taking them for a coffee on a Saturday morning (coffee for us, water for the dogs), they would never settle, always wondering about not understanding why they were so hot. Now they have a little drink and then lie down.Hustle & Bustle
As described in 'Walking in Bangkok', we don't have the rolling hills and fields of Crick to wander in, we have big roads, street food vendors, and karaoke bars!Strangely, the dogs seem completely unfazed by the general hubbub of people and vehicles. They are much more interested in the various dogs and cats that seem to line our daily route. Despite Bangkok being a seemingly unfriendly city for dogs, there are plenty of domesticated dogs where we live. Even the soi dogs tend to have some sort of affiliation with the motorbike taxi drivers, so although they are still territorial, they're not really fully feral.
Feline Friends
There also seems to be no shortage of feral cats in Bangkok. Unfortunately, I have already seen four dead cats since I've been here, all presumably hit by cars. Normally someone moves a dead cat but there was one that was left in situ and we actually witnessed it's total decomposition in just a few days. Nature is a wondrous thing!We see many a live cat on our daily walk, which tends to prove exciting for the dogs and traumatic for us as we try to encourage the cat to run away from us, but not into the path of traffic. Fortunately, most of them scramble up a tree or into a nearby shophouse.
Woof, Woof, Woof!
The good thing is that nobody in Thailand is bothered by dogs barking at other dogs or cats. In the UK, we would frequently be subjected to disparaging looks because our dogs were big and a bit noisy. In Thailand, it's useful to have Charles giving other dogs a firm warning not to come near him. And he needs to be very firm because Siale has continued to think every other dog is a potential playmate, which leaves him pretty exposed on the mean streets of Bangkok.
As dogs are allowed to be dogs in Thailand and there is no end of things to chase I don't think there could be a better a place for them! And they even have their favourite sofa!
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