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Thread: Anna the dog

  1. #1
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    Anna the dog

    For many years now we've fed a dew dogs out the back of our house every evening. Different dogs have come and gone, a few have remained for years at a time. Some of the dogs 'belong' to neighbours who have the habit of disappearing for weeks at a time, leaving their pets to fend for themselves. Most however have no homes and just turned up.

    One such dog was a tan coloured bitch my daughter named Anna (Anna has a sister called Elsa - she was in to 'Frozen' at the time). Anna is distinctive because not only does she have a lovely ridge down the centre of her back, hinting at some Thai ridgeback in her ancestry, but she also has terrible scarring across her hind quarters and tail. It looks as though at some point in the past she's had boiling water or oil thrown at her. Nothing really surprises me in this part of the world any more.

    Anyway, at first she would watch from a distance as I fed our usual pack, and run off when I came towards her. After a while I'd leave her a bowl of food and hide behind a tree. She would come and eat, but as soon as she saw me she'd run off. She was very timid and scared of humans. Eventually, after a few months, she would come up and feed with the rest of our 'outside' pack. She had done well to get the others to accept her. Being a girl seems to help - another male turning up would have been chased off.



    Anna still lived elsewhere, but started spending more time out the back of our house around feeding time, and she gradually started getting tamer. Then, nature being as it is, one day she turned up with some suitors...



    When these poor bitches come into heat they are shagged mercilessly for a few days by every dog in the neighbourhood, one after another. As well as a few locals, other dogs turn up from nowhere, and then just disappear again when they're done. In the pic above Anna (second from left) had no fewer than eleven males following her around (there are also two up the lane in the background). Needless to say the female street dogs have a pretty poor time of it. They come into season, have puppies, come into season, have puppies.... until they are just worn out and die. Most girls don't make it past puppy-hood as no-one wants a girl puppy and they're left to fend for themselves from the get go. The 800 Baht it costs to neuter them is just too much...

    After all Anna's boyfriends had disappeared she started getting larger and larger, until after about eight weeks she disappeared and stopped coming for food. She had obviously whelped somewhere. Eventually I went out looking for her...



    She was in a patch of grassland about a kilometre up the road from us. I was walking our dogs and they sniffed her out. Anna knew me by this time but still didn't like me coming too close to her pups. I left her some food but wasn't happy about leaving her there. A big problem with nursing mothers is that they become so desperate for food to produce the milk for their young that they start travelling ever increasing distances to find food, risking busy roads etc etc. In Korat its common to see obviously nursing bitches trotting along the side of roads. They get killed by cars and then the puppies all die of starvation.

    So, I went to see her every evening to leave some food. I had to put her up on this old cable spool to dine or else other dogs would steal her food. Anna was becoming tamer and tamer and increasingly trusting of us. It was no problem to lift her up onto the spool for food. By this time I had a keen young helper who enjoyed going to see the puppies every night.



    One night we had some unseasonably late rain and I made a shelter for Anna and the pups to try and keep them dry (Bear Grylls would have been proud). It was nice and close to the dining area so all looked good. In this pic you can also see the terrible scarring across her hind quarters.



    One night we had a storm. I went to see the family and they were soaking wet, even with using my shelter. I wasn't happy leaving them that night... Anna and seven beautiful pups! Incidentally, all the locals in the area think I'm absolutely farkin mental. You'd have thought they'd never seen anyone build a tent for a street dog before.



    The next day I decided to bring Anna back home. I built her a small kennel and went to pick up the family... but there were only six pups. One had disappeared. I went back the next night and still only six. After much consideration I brought back Anna and the six pups, thinking that the remaining one had either been taken by someone or had wandered off. I couldn't see a puppy surviving for two days in the rain without any food or shelter. Not an easy decision to make by any means, but I reckoned to save the remaining six was priority.

    So here is my daughter trying to encourage Anna into her new home. Its amazing really, I've given up trying to get my daughter to sleep in her own bedroom, even after spending a weekend painting it pink. Build a bladdy kennel and she's straight in there.



    Anna was easily persuaded.



    Nearly a week later I had a call from a guy who lives up the road to say he'd heard a yelping noise and found the seventh pup, the one that had gone missing. God know's how it had survived for so long on its own, and it was a bit skinny. I sneaked it in with the rest of the pups when Anna wasn't looking, in case she rejected it. But no problems and after giving it a good sniff she was happy to let the new pup feed with the rest.



    A couple of cute puppy pics...

    The missing pup (on the left) reunited with his fatter brother.



    And just because it's a nice pic...



    As the puppies grew they became increasingly difficult to control, so I transferred them to a small cage we use for broody hens. I left the top open so mum could come and go at will...



    For some time Anna had been discharging a pinkish fluid from her vulva (I've spared you the pics), which was also swollen. I'd been assuming that it was some kind of post-pregnancy infection but antibiotics didn't help and the vet eventually found a large tumour up inside her woman bits. It was going to cost a few thousand Baht in chemotherapy to sort out, but what can you do... Yes, sometimes I think I'm too soft to live in Thailand...

    After we'd found homes for all her pups she went off to the vet for a couple of days of chemo, followed by injections every week for a month or so. That was nearly three years ago, and today she is happily living out the back of our house with two boyfriends. She is one happy, contented dog.



    She has been neutered, vaccinated and has regular meals. Her two boyfriends are long term residents out the back and they all make a lovely small pack of dogs. They're very friendly and have even become popular with the neighbours who occasionally also leave some food out. Contented, well fed dogs are rarely a problem.

    And when it rains, they all crowd in to the original kennel!



    Out of all the dogs we've helped, Anna has been a special favourite. She has become incredibly friendly and affectionate and my little girl loves her to bits. Every time we go outside she runs up, wagging her tail. When I walk our 'inside' dogs she comes along with us every single day. I tried to bring her in with our four dogs, but she just couldn't settle and howled every night. I think that some of these soi dogs are too used to the street life and freedom.

    If there is one moral to the story, I would urge anyone to help out these dogs if possible, especially the girls. I have found it incredibly rewarding and without help these guys don't stand a chance. I know that many people have limited sympathy for street dogs, and I can understand why to a certain extent. But, the only difference between these soi dogs and the pampered lap dogs and huskies you see in Thailand is that the soi dogs have never been given a chance. They all deserve that, I think.

  2. #2
    I am not a cat
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    Thank you for that Mendip. It made me so sad, and so glad at the same time. I abhor how Thais generally treat dogs, and it is good to see one good story occasionally.

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    Thailand Expat AntRobertson's Avatar
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    There's a lot that's awesome about that whole tale so I'll just give it a general:


  4. #4
    CCBW Stumpy's Avatar
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    Yeah, Great thread. Hopefully all those new Pups will not become Soi dogs and add to the pack. The food source gets thin, they fight and they wound each other. When I lived in ChaAm I saw that on numerous occasions. Sad to see them hobble off to pass.

  5. #5
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    ^ All the pups from that litter went to 'good' homes, or at least as good as possible. A couple went as far afield as Kon Buri. That litter was relatively easy to home as it was the first I've helped out. Since then I've home a further five litters, comprising over 40 puppies, but it gets harder as all my contacts now have dogs! Also, I'm now getting suspicious that word has got around that there is a soft farang in the area. A pregnant bitch I had never seen before suddenly turned up last winter - I'm sure someone dumped her near our house hoping I'd sort it out (which I did...)

    A big problem with the puppies is, as you say, the food source gets spread thin. Also, once the females reach six months they can have their first season and start breeding themselves. The problem can soon get out of hand. Added to that, inbreeding is rampant amongst soi dogs. A dominant male will mate all the females in the area, regardless of whether they are sisters, daughters, daughter's daughters, etc.

    What I find really sad is that the problem could be sorted in a few years with a concerted effort of sterilisation. But it will just never happen...

  6. #6
    CCBW Stumpy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    What I find really sad is that the problem could be sorted in a few years with a concerted effort of sterilisation. But it will just never happen...
    Where I live they went on a big push to have people spay and neuter their dogs after they did a big sweep to remove the strays. So many had that terrible skin disease and infected wounds from fighting. This was set in motion after a concern about rabies. Many took their dogs to have it done but most just started keeping their dogs in their yards as they should. I seldom see a Soi dog in our "Mooban" anymore.

  7. #7
    A Cockless Wonder
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    ^^^^^Great post thanks

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    Nice story and good on you Mendip for trying to help out. The problem is as already mentioned nationwide with a few exceptions and it really needs a national level effort for solve it, the problem though is that even if they did so i suspect after a few years it'll fall apart. Anything in Thailand that requires money without an overt profit to be made will fail, sad to say.

  9. #9
    Thailand Expat VocalNeal's Avatar
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    A dominant male will mate all the females in the area, regardless of whether they are sisters, daughters, daughter's daughters, etc.
    My wife discovered that her dog's father is also his step brother

  10. #10
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    ^ I always thought that street dogs would have a diverse gene pool, but it's the exact opposite. If there's a dominant male in the area with distinctive features you can often see those traits throughout the local population.

  11. #11
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    I said i won't be posting in general threads anymore.
    This post by the OP is an exception.
    Well done!
    What a wonderful, heart warming story.
    Thank you.

  12. #12
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    mendip you are a man after my own heart.my wife is doing the same with some homeless dogs near us,bitch and 3dogs,bitch gets pregnant six puppies,what next the wifes freind takes the bitch and gets her spayed.its only her that she can pat on the head,the others are just starting to wag their tails.as for the pups all have found homes.
    we do feed them the best in honour of our boy who passed away feb.2018.
    that reminds me we have to make another trip to K9 RESCUE KORAT. for the sick and pups with some more food.
    we will meet one day.

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    Thailand Expat jabir's Avatar
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    Nice one, dob dob dob!

  14. #14
    I'm in Jail

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    nice story, mendip.


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    Something I forgot to mention...

    Anna hasn't been a hundred percent success story, things rarely are in Thailand. There will always be something...

    A few months after Anna was spayed she came into season. I immediately thought the vet had done the dirty on us, so my wife called to complain. The vet assured us that Anna had been speyed and there was no way she could conceive. A google search has shown that if not all the women's bits tissue (can't remember the biological names) is removed, a speyed dog can indeed still come into season.

    I was reminded about this, having just returned home after a work trip to ...





    Seuar (tiger) and Vigo, Anna's two best friends for the past three years, are taking it in turns and constantly growling at each other. Another four or five male dogs are loitering around.

    Its great that Anna won't be having more pups, but there is still the risk of infection. Not to mention all the fights her two jealous buddies are getting in to, trying to protect her. I was swabbing Seuar's bites with Betadine this morning.

    If you are going to get a dog speyed in Thailand, ask the vet to do it properly!

  16. #16
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    A google search has shown that if not all the women's bits tissue (can't remember the biological names) is removed
    ...*cough*...ovaries?...

  17. #17
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    ^ Yes thanks. Just checked again, and if some ovarian tissue is left in, it can release the hormones that cause a dog to go into season.

    This is a bit outside my area, I'm a geophyisist. I wanted to be a gyneacologist but spelt it wrong on the application form!

    (an old geo joke)

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    Nice feel good story, Mendip. I'm glad Anna & her pups found good homes.

    Great pics too, especially the 2nd one on post #1 and the last one on post #15 - you can see the dogs snarling.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    If there is one moral to the story, I would urge anyone to help out these dogs if possible, especially the girls. I have found it incredibly rewarding and without help these guys don't stand a chance. I know that many people have limited sympathy for street dogs, and I can understand why to a certain extent. But, the only difference between these soi dogs and the pampered lap dogs and huskies you see in Thailand is that the soi dogs have never been given a chance. They all deserve that, I think.
    Not a dry eye in the house, good on you man!

    We bought/rescued a husky pup from a Sunday market cage and about a year later decided he needed a wee pal so we scooped up a stray pup we found wondering around a market. We spoke to a market seller who had been feeding her mum and she urged us to take her and give her a home so we did. She is a beautiful wee dug and she has the 'Thai ridge' thing going on but only on her head. She has a great temperament, never growled at anyone, followed my son everywhere as a toddler, bit of a licker and loves to be clapped.
    Lang may yer lum reek...

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    ^ Yes thanks. Just checked again, and if some ovarian tissue is left in, it can release the hormones that cause a dog to go into season.

    This is a bit outside my area, I'm a geophyisist. I wanted to be a gyneacologist but spelt it wrong on the application form!

    (an old geo joke)
    one thought even if the neutering didn't do the full job,have a thought for the owner of 7pets who allowed the dept.of livestock to come and neuter them/,spayed them all,got up this morning only to find 5 of them DEAD.

  21. #21
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    That is absolutely horrific mate, I'm truly gutted for you.

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    Thailand Expat VocalNeal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by headhunter View Post
    one thought even if the neutering didn't do the full job,have a thought for the owner of 7pets who allowed the dept.of livestock to come and neuter them/,spayed them all,got up this morning only to find 5 of them DEAD.
    My wife took her Chihuahua to the vets to get neutered as she also had a female. Male caught PARVO at the vets and died quite quickly. His sister caught it from him and also died.

  23. #23
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    I'm a geophyisist. I wanted to be a gyneacologist but spelt it wrong on the application form!
    ...*cough*...given both misspellings, I suggest trying geophagist on future application forms...

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by VocalNeal View Post
    My wife took her Chihuahua to the vets to get neutered as she also had a female. Male caught PARVO at the vets and died quite quickly. His sister caught it from him and also died.
    the last vets that we used just before our boy passed away,i saw a large tick in the clinic,when I pointed it to the doc.she said its came from outside.it was crawling to the treatment room till I helped it along with a size 9.
    I could write a book on vets practice's of treatment for our boy that we were prepared and paid for,only for the vets to have the farang virus,one incident was finding out that a blood sample that was taken to a top animal lab,had been HELD FOR 43HRS,by the vet,thus giving a false count,which the lab didn't know about.
    its a good job I don't have a GUN.

  25. #25
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    Lovely story and good to see that there are more people who not bother dog breeds with papers .

    I was watching years ago a straying bitch and she got 7 puppies as well. While feeding them I have observed that there were 2 brothers who were going even for big males to defend the food i gave them. I built up confidence and after 8 weeks they were old enough to jump in the sidecar and went with me home.
    Meanwhile they are the most lovely dogs you can find. Very protective
    ....and spoiled by my wife. They have an own Motorbike with sidecar as they loved to go for a ride from the first day on, they got the small guest room with airco and my wife loves them to bits.
    When I come home from offshore I always have some dog treats bought in the country I am returning from and after an overexcited welcome from them they are sitting in front of my suitcase waiting on me to open it...
    Only once I had no chance to buy some treats and they were disappointed like little children and proved that dogs have feelings and show emotions..

    Stray dogs are the most thankful friends you can have..


    I was teaching him to knock at the window when its too warm outside and he fancy some airco, well that subborn fellow knocks now everything that is from Glass, My Specs, my camera lens ....
    Anna the dog-10848542_212219692281584_7590068902846543680_o-jpg

    and the brother learned to get me the ashtray which gives in exchange a big cuddle, now that ashtray is everywhere where he is...

    Anna the dog-1932794_212219942281559_4842574606359108129_o-jpg

    and which stray dog can say he owns a Motorbike and scratches 5 am at the bedroom door, I have to get up, drive 10 Kilometers to meet their former Packs and old Mother for a "hello"
    (5 am its my own fault at the begin I wanted to be early and as we all know dogs need strict times when you start it)

    Spoiled little boys, one is a Gentleman the other a Daydreamer.. sort of..

    I hope you have also a long and enjoyable time together with Anna....

    Anna the dog-20190401_072108-jpg
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Anna the dog-10848542_212219692281584_7590068902846543680_o-jpg   Anna the dog-1932794_212219942281559_4842574606359108129_o-jpg   Anna the dog-20190401_072108-jpg  
    Arguing with an engineer is wrestling a pig in the mud, after 3 hrs you realize that he f**king enjoys it

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