A piece from thairidgeback.co.uk
Thai Ridgebacks originally came from the Pho Quoc Island originally part of Siam, now a part of Vietnam. It is the major isle in the Gulf of Siam, about 200 km south of Bangkok.
It would seem that Thai Ridgebacks were originally used to hunt wild boar, deer, tapirs and birds. They were also used to escort carts along side their master, which were the mode of transport in Thailand at that time. As you can imagine long distance travel was difficult. These areas were very isolated because of the non existence of roads. There was no chance of cross breeding with other breeds due to this situation. As a result the Thai Ridgeback has remained unchanged for centuries. Due to natural selection only the strongest and fittest dogs survived thus creating a very healthy dog we know of today.
It has only been with introduction of modern day transport that these dogs have began to get more widely publicised and recognised around Thailand and the western world. Intense deforestation throughout Thailand has destroyed most hunting habitat and Thai Ridgebacks are no longer used in the same way. Nowadays they seem to be used mainly for guarding their masters family and property. It seems to be a real status symbol to own a Thai Ridgeback in Thailand. Government, military and police officials seem to be keen enthusiasts of this breed.
There have been many speculations regarding numbers in Thailand. One source reported over 50,000 dogs. This simply isn't the case. Although I accept that not all Thai Ridgebacks are registered with the Kennel Club of Thailand the actual recorded number was only 367 in November 2002.
The first TR pup to exported out of Thailand was in 1990 by Ray Mersmann from Holland with his blue male "Hintza". Since then their popularity has grown rapidly. America seems to have around 150, Holland have around 70, Germany 40, France 20 and the United Kingdom 13. There are also a few in Spain, Finland, Norway, Czech republic, Canada, Argentina and Sweden.
With less than 700 Thai Ridgebacks recorded across the world it really earns it right to be classed as a rare breed. Hopefully with selective breeding we will improve numbers as well as quality in the near future. If we are to do justice to this breed we should also try and show it's intelligent nature. I urge all owners to participate in at least one of the following:- obedience, agility, tracking or any other activity which magnifies it's intelligence.
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