It’s not easy to think of many bad things about the country I currently call home. I’ve lived in Thailand for over two years now, and when I compare it to the state of the place where I grew up, Thailand comes out on top in most categories for me. I’m British, by the way.
But there is one thing that bothers me about living here.
Whether I’m weaving through mountain roads in the north or sitting with a beer on a Bangkok side street, there are stray animals everywhere, and more often than not they are suffering. Regardless of if you are an animal lover or not, it can be hard to see. And although a very small number of dogs can be dangerous, I have never had problems. The majority are lovely creatures who have had a very hard life, so please be considerate. Confidence and respecting their space will keep you out of trouble 99 times out of 100, so I’m not going to be focusing on that side of things in this article.
I also want to make it clear that I’m not trying to criticize Thailand or Thai people at all. I understand that managing millions of stray animals is a difficult problem, one that would result in even more short-term suffering and death to fix. But there are two clear elements holding Thailand back from fixing this issue, one is simple and the other is a little more complex.
Firstly, the Thai government either doesn’t have the resources to fix the problem, or it is so far down on their list of priorities that it will never get resolved. You can understand this somewhat when you consider that many people live in poverty across the country, not that the government is doing much about that either, but that’s a conversation for another day. Of course, those in power will still be influenced by culture and what the people want, but they are the only ones who could make a real difference and don’t look like doing anything soon.
The culture and attitude of Thai people towards animals will certainly seep into the minds of government officials, and is a far more interesting topic to discuss than policy. Most Thai people do not view pets, especially cats and dogs, in the same way that we do in the West. In the UK, pets are part of the family who you share your home and life with. In Thailand, for most people other than the upper middle-class who have designer dogs and walk their cats on a lead in the park, animals are just around but do not qualify as part of the family. They may put out food and water, make them a cardboard bed and create some shade, but the animals roam freely and do what they want. This is a scary concept for a Western dog owner such as myself.
There is also a Thai Buddhist philosophy that promotes non-interference with the natural world, this is a major factor as to why people do not get involved with animals and simply allow them to do as they please. I agree with this idea in principle, but also believe that dogs are domesticated animals rather than wild ones, this is problem that humans created and it is us who should fix it.
In general this philosophy is a good thing, as people do sometimes care for animals and actively avoid harming them, by driving carefully and so on. This is a big contrast to the Philippines where no such philosophy is in place and the stray animals are a in far worse shape. However, in Thailand it is unlikely that anyone will care for a sick or injured animal, especially when it involves taking them to the
vet and paying for treatment. After all, they view it as nature running its course. But I have met some incredible people who do their best to look after stray animals by going above and beyond, and have a real connection with them. Sadly, they are a rarity, but there are also brilliant charities such as Soi Dogs who do fantastic work. Please check them out and give them a visit when you come to Thailand.
The state of stray animals in Thailand is upsetting and frustrating, but there is something else that just downright pisses me off. Let me explain with a short anecdote. I arrived in Bangkok the other day with my dog, a beautiful mongrel who I adopted from the streets when I was teaching in Phetchabun (learn more about adopting a dog in Thailand here). People are mostly very friendly and nice, but I have heard a very strange question rather a lot, “oh, is that a Thai dog?”. Let me explain by continuing the story. One evening, we went to a beautiful park next to a lake as the sun was setting, I’d heard this was the best place for a dog walk in Bangkok. I am not exaggerating when I say this, I saw hundreds of dogs during the walk, not one of them were ex-strays like mine. All were expensive designer dogs or pure breeds, and their owners looked at my mutt and I in confusion.
I am firmly against breeding animals for sale at the best of times, let alone in a country with tens of millions of animals that need homes and love. But people want something ‘pretty’ and ‘easy’, they see pets as more of a statement and a fun play thing than something they care for and is part of the family. Of course, not everyone is like that, but I cannot get behind people buying dogs when there are so many in need. That is the state of things in Thailand, I like to think it wouldn’t slide in the UK, but plenty of people still buy from breeders when shelters across the country are full.
Despite my negativity about this side of Thailand, I still love the country and it is somewhere I plan on staying for many more years to come. I do my best to help animals but I could do more, I am just one man who cannot change the system, so I must accept the way it is.
This article was written to inform and spark discussion, not to put you off coming to Thailand. If you are very sensitive to animals suffering, something that doesn’t seem to effect Thais as much as us Westerners, then it’s important that you read this and can consider your options. I want to make it clear, you could go weeks and months without seeing anything unpleasant, but the chance is always there and stray animals will surround you almost everywhere you go.
Thailand is beautiful, a land of happiness and opportunity, but it’s not perfect. If you want to make your own judgement about this fascinating place, a short trip won’t suffice, you need to live here longer term. And you can do exactly that as a teacher with us! Check out our Thailand page here and shoot over any questions to me, Josh, at josh@impact-teaching.com 🙂
Thank you for reading and I hope to speak soon!
