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  1. #1
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    Napping in the mid-day heat

    Here's a few snap shots of the menagerie taking a break during the heat of the day.

    Starting with Soda, the miniature pincher who has been my wife's companion for 14 years. That's quite old for a dog of this small size. She likes to park underneath the computer desk and gets the occasional foot massage to make sure she's still with us.



    Next there's Val, a 2 year old Thai mix. We found Val one evening while riding the motorcycle to dinner. She was only about 3 months old and was sitting in the middle of the main highway in the dark barking. This road is a death trap for dogs of all ages, and it would not have been long before she would have been the next victim. My wife suggested taking her to the parent's farm as one of their dogs had just passed on. We spent the next 45 minutes chasing her around a cane truck trailer as she was reluctant to be nabbed. By that time about 15 Thai locals were involved and she was finally scooped up by a young man with a bath towel. Val acquired her name since she was found on Valentine's day. As it turned out, back at the farm they didn't want a female dog, so she ended up with us. Val is what the Thai people would refer to as "ba", quite crazy and high strung. If she manages to get out of the yard, it takes us a lot of chasing and coaxing to get her back. She went missing for 5 weeks one time after we had brought her to the farm for a change of scenery. It was a big mistake to let her off the rope. She was found roaming a nearby field and was still in good shape and happy to see us.



    Now here's Bonnie, a 7 month old Soi dog that has taken to us and spends time in the yard with the other pets. She's very easy going and gets along well with all. Unfortunately, Bonnie's brother, whom she used to spend all her time with, got too adventurous and was flattened by a truck on that same highway that Val was found on about 50 meters down the Soi just one week ago. So I think she appreciates the company of Val now in her brother's place.



    This brings us to Becky, an American short hair cat we have had for about 4 years. Becky decided to wake up from her nap for a little grooming. She is very easy going, and as long as the dogs are not trying to play rough, she's quite OK being around them.



    Lastly, there is poor Irving, who I'm afraid is on a permanent nap break. I found Irving one evening on our bathroom wall. I was amazed at the size of this mosquito and hadn't seen anything like him before. I quickly grabbed an empty peanut butter jar from the kitchen and managed to scoop him up before he flew away. He sounded like a small airplane buzzing when he tried to take flight. I attempted to keep Irving alive for as long as possible, putting succulent leaves in the jar in the hope that he might draw fluids. He put up a good fight and lived for about a week in captivity. I still have not been able to identify what type of mosquito this is. I suspect it is male judging by the large size of the antennae. If anybody has any info that would help identify this insect, please share. That's a one baht coin to give an idea of the size.



    Missing from the photo set is a tokay gecko I've named Gertie, who inhabits the kitchen of our house. I've assumed it's a female because of her size, which I think is smaller than a male. We usually hear Gertie several times a week, and I occasionally see her parked around the ceiling beams at night. I know where she sleeps in a notch in the wall and sometimes see her poking her head out as she gets ready for the evening rounds. On a couple of occasions I have found large insects in the kitchen area and I've tossed those up to the crevice where Gertie hides, and much to my amusement she's jumped out and snapped them up.

  2. #2
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    david44's Avatar
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    Tnahks great pix
    We had a Tannoy level male (according to locals) tokay under wooden stairs in the old hhouse it was over a foot long ,lovely colours and eau de nil droppings.In mating season was like a boom box around 2am seemed the peek time curfew or not,loud enough to wake if sleeping lightly !

    I love watching ginks and despite the droppings they hoover up the insects
    Quote Originally Posted by Latindancer View Post
    I just want the chance to use a bigger porridge bowl.

  3. #3
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    Who ties up a cat?

  4. #4
    I am in Jail

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    stop the cat from attacking the dogs

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Necron99 View Post
    Who ties up a cat?
    For the cat's safety and that of all small animals, insects, anything that moves, etc., we've been tethering her with a rope since she was a kitten whenever she is outside. She is OK with that as she is used to it.

    I'm afraid the life span of a cat roaming freely here would be cut short by road traffic, Soi dogs that are not the friendly kind, poisons used carelessly, and so on.

    I've seen the effects on the dog population as in the span of 4 years, several neighborhood dogs, pets and Soi, have died from various mishaps, and this is a small Soi with only a few houses.

  6. #6
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    You can come too Our Village anytime and rescue the Cats, We lived in Dad's old wood House next to the Temple.the Monk had 20+ cats He was proud of, 1 a Burmese color lived in our roof, entertainment for the dogs below!

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by mingmong View Post
    You can come too Our Village anytime and rescue the Cats, We lived in Dad's old wood House next to the Temple.the Monk had 20+ cats He was proud of, 1 a Burmese color lived in our roof, entertainment for the dogs below!
    Thanks for the invitation, but one cat is more than enough. Having all these pets certainly puts a crimp on your lifestyle as any time you want to get away you need to make arrangements for care. Fortunately the extended family is nearby to offer some assistance with that.

    The situation with temples and using them as a dumping ground for unwanted animals is quite interesting here. I thinks it's better than dumping them off in the countryside where they might have little to no chance of survival.

    Unfortunately one of the attitudes that I've come up against here is that the animals can be left to their own fate, such that if they become another roadkill victim, it's their fault for being stupid. That's a common Thai way of animal birth control instead of having the animals spayed or neutered to prevent them from multiplying. For Bonnie the Soi dog, we went to the local vet and bought medicine to keep her from going into heat for a few months.

  8. #8
    I'm in Jail

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    I think Irving was a midge. Definitely not a mosquito : Insects Commonly Mistaken for Mosquitoes

  9. #9
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    If those critters were people, it would look like my house has looked all day. Sweltering - 35 degrees, 75% humidity - day after day..............

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton View Post
    If those critters were people, it would look like my house has looked all day. Sweltering - 35 degrees, 75% humidity - day after day..............
    I should be thankful to be here then, as even though it's 38 degrees, the humidity is about 50% according to the cheapo hygrometer on the wall. It shows the green "comfort" zone for humidity as being up to 70%.

  11. #11
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    Do you ever exercise these pets ?

    Those canines look a bit chubby

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Latindancer View Post
    I think Irving was a midge. Definitely not a mosquito : Insects Commonly Mistaken for Mosquitoes
    Nope, definitely not a midge. When Irving is right side up, he looks just like a mosquito, only B-52 size. I'll have to try to get another shot of him and post again.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dillinger View Post
    Do you ever exercise these pets ?

    Those canines look a bit chubby
    Bonnie the Soi dog is normal in girth. It's just the way the photo was taken that isn't flattering.

    Val on the other hand is a bit on the porky side. She's was spayed and following that she started to put on some weight. She get's daily walks and does some spirited running around the yard, but I'm sure could do with a bit more exercise. We also try to limit the food intake and the quality of the food is considered. I wish we could let her run around on her own more, but due to her crazy behavior we have to keep her on a leash when out of the yard.

  14. #14
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    I wouldn't fancy owning a dog in Thailand, too bloody hot to walk them, plus all the stories of poisonings. I brought a kitten back home the other night and put the whingeing thing back on the street when I sobered up the next day


  15. #15
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    Here are a couple of photos of Irving right side up. Hopefully this will help in the identification.


  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sumocakewalk
    That's quite old for a dog of this small size
    Actually small dogs live longer.
    Quote Originally Posted by Latindancer
    I think Irving was a midge. Definitely not a mosquito : Insects Commonly Mistaken for Mosquitoes
    Quote Originally Posted by Sumocakewalk
    Nope, definitely not a midge. When Irving is right side up, he looks just like a mosquito, only B-52 size. I'll have to try to get another shot of him and post again.
    Irving's most likely a crane fly, it has no proboscis, let alone a long one used by mosquitoes. The male proboscis is generally longer then the females. It would probably be male were it a mosquito given the males are larger and they don't bite. The females bite to produce eggs mostly, in normal times they suck nectar from flowers except when they are producing eggs.

    Crane Flies, Family Tipulidae
    Although a crane fly might look like a giant mosquito, it doesn't bite.

    Flickr user edans (CC license)
    This is a crane fly. People often think these are giant mosquitoes. Admittedly, many crane flies do kind of look like mosquitoes on steroids, but they're completely harmless, just like midges. They're called crane flies for their incredibly long legs, like those of the similarly long-limbed birds. Many members of this group dwarf the typical mosquito, but not all crane flies are giants.

    Look for these clues to differentiate a crane fly from a mosquito:

    long legs - A crane fly typically has very long, slender legs in comparison to its body length.
    Usually lack a proboscis - Most crane flies don't have a proboscis, but even those with elongated mouthparts cannot bite.
    smooth-edged wings - Like midges, crane flies lack the fringed wings that are characteristic of mosquitoes.
    straight appearance - A crane fly at rest will hold its body straight, not in the humpback manner of mosquitoes.
    A different species of crane fly, but most likely a crane fly..

    Last edited by FloridaBorn; 03-06-2014 at 08:44 PM.

  17. #17
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    What camera looks better than my smartphone output.

    As for dumping animals
    Unwanted daughters Falang
    Unwanted sons army
    Unwanted politicians sandpit

    They've palace for everything in the best of all right-thinking hubs

  18. #18
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    To me, Irving looks like he's got a drink problem.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by FloridaBorn View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Sumocakewalk
    That's quite old for a dog of this small size
    Actually small dogs live longer.
    Quote Originally Posted by Latindancer
    I think Irving was a midge. Definitely not a mosquito : Insects Commonly Mistaken for Mosquitoes
    Quote Originally Posted by Sumocakewalk
    Nope, definitely not a midge. When Irving is right side up, he looks just like a mosquito, only B-52 size. I'll have to try to get another shot of him and post again.
    Irving's most likely a crane fly, it has no proboscis, let alone a long one used by mosquitoes. The male proboscis is generally longer then the females. It would probably be male were it a mosquito given the males are larger and they don't bite. The females bite to produce eggs mostly, in normal times they suck nectar from flowers except when they are producing eggs.

    Crane Flies, Family Tipulidae
    Although a crane fly might look like a giant mosquito, it doesn't bite.

    Flickr user edans (CC license)
    This is a crane fly. People often think these are giant mosquitoes. Admittedly, many crane flies do kind of look like mosquitoes on steroids, but they're completely harmless, just like midges. They're called crane flies for their incredibly long legs, like those of the similarly long-limbed birds. Many members of this group dwarf the typical mosquito, but not all crane flies are giants.

    Look for these clues to differentiate a crane fly from a mosquito:

    long legs - A crane fly typically has very long, slender legs in comparison to its body length.
    Usually lack a proboscis - Most crane flies don't have a proboscis, but even those with elongated mouthparts cannot bite.
    smooth-edged wings - Like midges, crane flies lack the fringed wings that are characteristic of mosquitoes.
    straight appearance - A crane fly at rest will hold its body straight, not in the humpback manner of mosquitoes.
    A different species of crane fly, but most likely a crane fly..
    Thank you for the clarification on the longevity of small dogs. There is a vet here that told us it is common for this kind of dog to last about 12 years, so we figure that Soda is doing pretty well to be in the shape she's in at 14. She's deaf now and her eyesight is not so good anymore, but she can see well enough to recognize hand signals.

    About Irving, there is a proboscis, it's just bent up a little bit. In the second of the right side up photos, you can see three appendages at the end of the snout, and the one in the middle is the proboscis.

    The other aspect that contrasts with the crane fly description is the lack of a straight appearance. Irv most definitely has the humpback manner of a mosquito.

    So far I have not found any information on giant mosquitos that are native to Thailand. I did find a page that showed a giant variety of mosquito found in Brisbane, which looks very similar to Irv. When Irv was alive, he held his legs in exactly the manner in these photos, as most mosquitoes I have seen do. Could this be an accidentally introduced species from somewhere else? Or, perhaps some endemic but relatively uncommon type? I wish I knew of an entomologist here in Thailand to contact.

    Here's the link to the page on the Brisbane mosquito:

    Predatory Mosquito - Toxorhynchites speciosus

  20. #20
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    [QUOTEI've seen the effects on the dog population as in the span of 4 years, several neighborhood dogs, pets and Soi, have died from various mishaps, and this is a small Soi with only a few houses.][/QUOTE]

    I witnessed the neighbours Thai dog die of poisoning last year, really sad, Locals said it was a Band of Thieves in the area, we have our Suspects but!

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sumocakewalk
    The other aspect that contrasts with the crane fly description is the lack of a straight appearance. Irv most definitely has the humpback manner of a mosquito.
    Irving is humped back because Irving is bent over dead, his body is bending from the head area.

    Actually it's true that much of the reason you Min pin is a bit of an exception is because she's a down sized version of a larger dog through breeding, so yes in that case she is getting up in years as that breed has not been around for dozens of generations like many other downsized breed dogs have or just plain naturally small breeds. By the way recently they came up with some new formula for determining a dogs age based on size and so forth now but it's like trying to figure out the Chinese calender. Mathematically it's some convoluted equation but no longer do they determine all breeds to age the same ratio as humans of what used to be 7 human years to 1 canine year.

    Anyway good luck on your research on the rare and unusual Mosquito you seem to think you have, It could be I admit it does seem to have several characteristics of one, maybe you've discovered one of those mutant mossies that were exposed to the nuclear waste from Japan?
    Last edited by FloridaBorn; 04-06-2014 at 12:09 AM.

  22. #22
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    dogs life

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dillinger View Post
    I wouldn't fancy owning a dog in Thailand, too bloody hot to walk them, plus all the stories of poisonings. I brought a kitten back home the other night and put the whingeing thing back on the street when I sobered up the next day

    That cat's a real cutie, too bad you dumped it again, it's certain it was just scared and disoriented it would have calmed down or am I being duped here and you still have it?

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    Frig!! I just realized my post above has a big mistake. I meant 7 dog years to 1 human year..

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