Wat a mangy dog in front of a temple in Chiang Mai
Two distinct memories of Thailand are centered around the intricate design found in their beautiful temples and the proliferation of the mangy dog. This picture illustrates both at the same time. This post also promises to be the last time I use this bad pun. Click the link on “beautiful temples to see the first.
The elaborate golden design found in the Thailand wat’s or temples is extraordinary. It is a sight you never get tired of. There are hundreds of temples in Bangkok and Thailand’s second city, Chiang Mai.
There are also hundreds of mangy dogs roaming around. It is a sight I could do without. It is tough for dog lovers to see a plethora of flea ridden dogs roaming around the streets and the countryside. They seem to be well fed, but most could definitely use a dog makeover.
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Impressive dragons. But my heart would also break to see dogs that don’t seem to be looked after.
Marlys recently posted..The Largest Wine Barrel In The World In Bad Dürkheim
Yea, I love Thailand, but that aspect is rather sad.
I am sure many may consider a dog lazily lying in front of a temple blasphemous. However, with as many temples as there are in Thailand, this probably isn’t the only dog doing this. As a dog lover myself, it’s sad that these dogs aren’t given more attention.
Jeremy Branham recently posted..A photo journey through Hungary: Budapest, Eger, and Recsk
Buddhists do have a couple of things they find offensive, but overall, they are much more laid back than Christians. I don’t think they mind the dogs much.
There seem to be packs of wild roaming dogs in lots of third world country cities… in Puno, Peru they were everywhere! They weren’t very nice either, if some of them started coming towards you, you had to bend down and pretend you were picking up rocks to throw at them to make them go away… I love the photo though, it’s cool that it’s not just the temple but has the dog in it too, and tells a story.
Thanks Payje,
Groups of wild dogs can be kind of scary. We came across a pack in Trinidad, but they just yipped at us and were afraid to come too close.
Ted, while I am going to stay tuned, as a Christian and I use the term loosely, I was slightly offended by your remark that a group of people love mangy dogs more than Christians. Admittedly I am not getting the context here. The broad brush of so called Christians is unfair and would admit firstly most of them are not. For the first time, this post confuses me, you would like for dogs around the world to be better cared for or you feel Christians don’t like mangy dogs. I will accept that a few beers influenced your comment; the article was a little lacking for your standards. I just don’t get the point of this post. As someone that knows the Bible, I know that throughout history, mangy dogs have always lied outside the temples and licked the sores of the lepers, I am working on a theory and perhaps my own world changing article on it myself. All that being said, in the future any unwanted mangy dog you come across, if we can come up with the funding, they are more than welcome here on the farm and that includes any animal because as a so called Christian, I am really laid back.
Robb714 recently posted..Handling the Holidays
The point of this post was just to show the picture of the cool dragons. I decided to add a little commentary, and I remembered about the unfortunate case of mangy dogs in Thailand.
There is no real point to this post except to just showcase another part of the world and inspire travel. I don’t expect it to be up to par with any featured post. I usually have a significant point to all of those.
As far as my comment to Jeremy. I admit it was a dumb comment. I really had nothing to say, but I felt the comment deserved some reply by me. Like I would know the relative chill factor of Buddhists to Christians. Sorry to offend. It always irks me when people make sweeping generalizations without much thought. Glad to hear you will not punish me too hard and dessert me 🙂 I value your readership more than you know.
Ted, I would never abandon you and I have been your biggest fan for two years. I am not and can not be offended, I don’t roll that way. I like dragons and I love animals and bugs, fish occasionally. I have been and will always be, your friend. (I know you know what movie that is from) you’re good! Aside from getting teddy his spectacles, I would love for us to team up in saving every creature that needs a home to be honest. I have five acres with two dogs, two goats and fifteen cats so far.
Robb714 recently posted..Handling the Holidays
That is quite a load of animals you have there Robb. What state do you reside in? I knew you said you used to live in the Appalachians in North Carolina I think?
Fun pun. 🙂 I also remember being surprised – not so much that the dogs were so mangy – but that the dogs in Thailand seemed well-fed. They must have had some home or base they were going back to each night. And then I was surprised they were mangy because if that’s the case, then shouldn’t they be brushed and bathed?
Gina recently posted..Couple Travel: Camping for Closeness
I think dogs in Thailand spend too much time outside. I was petting a puppy, and I looked at its ears and there were probably over twenty fleas on just one ear.
The dogs are usually abandoned by the temples by the people, who can’t look after them any more. The tradition says that the monks should provide the dogs with care. And most of the time they do. They feed the dogs, but they don’t have any money for vets and medication for them, so the dogs look like they do.
There is at least one shelter in Chiang Mai that looks after the soi dogs.
Jo (The Blonde) recently posted..Thai culture – things you won’t find in your travel guides
It is nice to know that the monks at least provide for their food. It is sad though that their general health is not cared for and they are also not neutered or spayed, so the problem perpetuates. Half the mangy dogs I saw were pregnant.