Sweater dogs and homeless pets

It has been a very difficult trip for our animal-loving hearts here in Thailand. We have been shocked by the sheer number of homeless pets running around loose all over Bangkok and Chiang Mai. You literally cannot go one block without seeing a stray or two.

They are especially prevalent at temples, where people dump unwanted pets because they know the monks will feed them. There is no such thing as an animal shelter or humane society in this part of the world, and spay/neuter programs are unheard of, so they breed freely, creating even more unwanted animals. The street animals here are filthy and mangy and unloved, and it's heartbreaking to see. Many are feral. But the few that aren't are so desperate for love they just soak it up when you give it to them. We've been trying to give as much love as we can.

But even the animals that are pets are allowed to run around loose. Here's the curious thing: the dogs here that ARE pets all wear sweaters. In Thailand. Hot, humid, tropical Thailand. It is hilarious to see these dogs running around wearing clothes. Some have coats, some have basketball jerseys; we even saw a little dog with a Winnie the Pooh hoodie.

Unfortunately, I have had to become more cautious with the dogs here. As my mom wisely said, not every animal knows how much I love it.

I came frighteningly close to being attacked by a wild dog at a seemingly deserted temple in Chiang Mai. We wandered on to the temple grounds and it felt like a ghost town. There was garbage piled up, the monks' dorms appeared to be abandoned, and there wasn't another soul in sight. I was walking past an open door to the dorms when I noticed a dog sleeping in the hallway, about 30 feet away from me. As soon as I passed the doorway, I heard a low growl. I took that as my cue to leave, so I started walking away. Then I heard the growl getting closer and louder, so I started walking faster and faster. My heart began racing. Soon the dog was right on my heels, snarling, and I felt his nose touch my leg. I was sure he was going to bite. I was running through my head what to do when a dog attacks, but all I could remember was what to do when a bear or shark attacks. Not helpful.

Thankfully he didn't bite, he just nudged. But by then some other dogs on the property had begun howling and barking and gathering together, and I was picturing the headline, "Tourists mauled by wild pack of dogs." I called out to Bob and we quickly exited the premises with all limbs and fingers intact. But it was a scary moment. I assume those dogs have taken over the property and become quite territorial, because their reaction to me was completely unprovoked.

Thank goodness we got those rabies shots, huh?