When Soi Dog's Attack...

[Rider]

I'm in a part of the built-up urban area that, at nightfall especially has a serious dog problem.

The locals will not address the situation so you're on your own when the dogs run loose!

I was setting out this night into the heart of the city to meet an old friend who was flying out to Europe the following morning.

Anyway, at dusk on leaving the apartment, which is nearly a kilometer from the main road, up some quiet and deserted side-streets the dog pack are out and about.

The night previous I'd heard them tearing into a cat (I think the cat got away).
Anyway I'm turning the corner and there's about 5 of them.
Not massive, nor tiny. They are the feral dog size and the pack leader is a brown mutt that's mean and arrogant.

It's barking like crazy at a gateway which has another dog behind it, barking like mad at each other.

I see this and think 'I'll use that as a distraction' and increase my pace.
As I do so two of the top-dog's underlings (some white-greyish mutts) wander over towards me.
By now the pepper spray I bought at a local market is out of the EDC and in my hand with my thumb on the trigger.
I'm not out for spraying whilly nilly so let them pass by as they don't pose a threat.

So far so good.
Then, maybe out of scent, who knows, the top dog turns from it's bark-competition with the gate dog and heads over to me.
It's obviously trying to look good and fancy's a piece.
Instead of standing off and barking it closes the range down to about 4 feet and makes for an attack.
I'm ready and it get's a blast!

Now, even though this is the tropic's I'm in, the wind was breezy and took the bite out of the spray jet.
Meaning only the fringes of it caught the head area. Also the spray was weak only 4 feet if that. (partly why it didn't strike the creature full on too I'd say)

I'm walking on by as I do this btw.

It's barking dropped off dramatically, almost to whimpers.
I sprayed again, once out of range, worrying I'd bought a deficient canister This time it managed about 6-8 feet.
Meanwhile the top dog is sneezing and very much confused with what's just buzzed it's nose and face!

I continued up the side-street and make the main road without issue and go meet up with my buddy

A bit of the residue from the nozzle had dripped onto my right hand and despite my best efforts I got a bit on me, which was quite irritating, but nowhere near that which the dog's getting I'll wager.

After some drinks in the city centre I tell my tale to my friend, imagining that's the end of it.

Well, how wrong I was, on my return, several drinks later, the dog pack is waiting!
They'd managed to chase out one of the nice guard dogs and isolate it at my end of the side-street (main road side). It's tail is up but it's unfazed. Neither was I that much (thanks to the pepper spray).

This dog's ok and I pass it by, facing me is brown top-dog from before.

It's a bit wary now and I give it some shouts and harsh words.
As I move nearer I give it a little false rush and it scuttles away a bit then stops before doing the same.

I make my left turn towards the apartment and now all four of it's cohorts are there lined up on one side of the street.
It wasn't the brown-mutt that made the charge but one of the white dogs.
It obviously fancied it's chances of becoming the new leader.
The peppers-spray was out again by now of course I gave it a burst. Wisely it scuttled back before it could reach, these things learn fast folks

So that's my first time of using a pepper spray in anger. It probably won't be the last. I can hear the mangy mutt's barking around outside two floors below as I type.

Lesson's learned:
On buying pepper spray give it a shake and a test spray, just to get it 'primed'. For some reason mine wasn't at full 'performance' on initial firing.

Just after spraying be aware of the residue / drips that trickle down the canister.
It's not a big deal but might irritate you if you touch your skin with your spray hand.

Oh and I'm glad I was carrying something, as hippy love and vibes only go so far with such beasts...

[Takiap]

Wait for..........you're going to get a bunch of replies telling you how mean you are, and that you should rather try to make friends with the dogs.

I had a problem dog just up the road, and no matter what I tried, he would still always have a go at me. Eventually I put myself into a dog's shoes, and appointed myself the alpha dog, which needless to say, resulted in Mr Snappy limping around for about a week or more. Small stones might not work, but I can assure, a large rock goes directly to memory, which is why the said dog no longer even looks at me. The minute I approach, he's away. For now at least, I live in peace....lol.

[OscarMike]

Wait for..........you're going to get a bunch of replies telling you how mean you are, and that you should rather try to make friends with the dogs.

Yes, wait for the PC treehugging brigade to come on here and call you a monster for trying to defend yourself against ferral mangy street mutts.

They wasted no time in calling me all the names under the sun on this thread when all I wanted to do was keep the animals from destroying my property.

Keep spraying bro ...

[sateeb]

They wasted no time in calling me all the names under the sun on this thread when all I wanted to do was keep the animals from destroying my property.

Yeah!!!...with an air rifle,bit of a subtle difference there...........


With you on the pepper spray and other humane means of controlling the mutts

[KateB]

Rider, reading that was almost like watching an episode of The Wire......Thank you!

I do love dogs (and trees....though I don't actually hug them) but agree that sometimes unfortunately you do have to take some form of action (would draw the line at firearms though....). I lived in Bucharest for a while where wild dogs were a problem as well....you could buy a little zapper thing there which gave off a really high pitched noise that used to scare them off - don't know if you can get them here...and maybe not as good as the spray, I can't say for sure.

Anyway,

[Rider]

Thanks folks.

I am aware the liberal's don't like my style, especially when it comes to dogs being put in their place.

However, I've been bitten by a feral dog already once this year (outside of Bangkok) and I vowed it's not going to happen again without a fight.
Let those that dislike violence against dogs hear this:
I had to pay over 5,000 baht or so of painful arm injections of Rabipure vaccination over the course of a month.
The mutt didn't pay a satang, nor did any of the Thai's who lived next-door to the pack of dogs do anything about the feral things.
When I asked them about what they were going to do about feral hounds biting tourists they just shrugged!

I like dogs btw, but not when they go feral and start viewing us as the next step in the food chain!

[dtaai-maai]

A thread starts with comments like "I am aware the liberal's don't like my style", "you're going to get a bunch of replies telling you how mean you are" and "wait for the PC treehugging brigade to come on here and call you a monster for trying to defend yourself against ferral mangy street mutts", and you know they're just dying for someone to step right in... I'm sure someone will oblige eventually!

[Brit Jim]

Lesson's learned:
On buying pepper spray give it a shake and a test spray, just to get it 'primed'. For some reason mine wasn't at full 'performance' on initial firing.

Just after spraying be aware of the residue / drips that trickle down the canister.
It's not a big deal but might irritate you if you touch your skin with your spray hand.

Oh and I'm glad I was carrying something, as hippy love and vibes only go so far with such beasts...

Rider: Im with you on this one as much as I love dogs!

Good point about shaking the canister, should be monthly. Also check expiry dates. Easy to forget.
Wind direction important and effects only temporary. Better than using a stick!!


Hopefully they have learnt their lesson?

[Spitfire]

Wild soi dogs are a menace and should be dealt with accordingly.

However, responsible dog ownership is a noble endeavour and should be commended as it benefits both the dog and the owner.

Problem is, is that there is a lack of indigenous responsibility regarding this subject and is, in general, lamentable at best.

The dog problem here represents nothing more than a real public health problem imo.

The 'Save the Fluffy Bunnies' brigade should remember that children are disfigured and attacked all the time and the results are far more serious than most would like to admit.

[Lung Per]

A dead stray dog is a good stray dog.

[Super Joe]

Yes, wait for the PC treehugging brigade to come on here and call you a monster for trying to defend yourself against ferral mangy street mutts. They wasted no time in calling me all the names under the sun when all I wanted to do was keep the animals from destroying my property.

To those that said 'build a fence' - would you go to all of that expense to keep rats out or would you spend a couple of hundred baht on poison? No, I shall not spend thousands on fencing.

If that was really 'all' you wanted to do Mike then a bit closer to the truth would be that the 'treehuggers' wasted no time in advising you how to protect your property. Like normal people do... with a fence. Crazy88 even offered you a stack of free timber. But judging by your rambo-responses it seemed more like you were trying to increase the size of your own 'wood', by bragging about your 'brave' attempts to assault those nasty killer soi wolves... from behind a rifle, from behind the curtain of a bedroom. Only it got a lot smaller the more you cracked on


SJ

[Terry]

I'm an absolute dog lover - I should be - I have 10 of them

Having said that ....

Wild soi dogs are a menace and should be dealt with accordingly.

However, responsible dog ownership is a noble endeavour and should be commended as it benefits both the dog and the owner.

Problem is, is that there is a lack of indigenous responsibility regarding this subject and is, in general, lamentable at best.

The dog problem here represents nothing more than a real public health problem imo.

The 'Save the Fluffy Bunnies' brigade should remember that children are disfigured and attacked all the time and the results are far more serious than most would like to admit.

totally.

When we lived in our house along the Khlong Road, my eldest son was twice attacked by soi dogs and had to suffer the rabies jabs as a result - so I am no fan of the irresponsible attitude to the feral dog problem that unfortunately exists with the local population.

However it is one of the things that you have to put up with if you live here.

A bucket of water, a water pistol, pepper spray and even a stick - I've used them all at one time or another - but I would never resort to the use of a gun of any description.

[Super Joe]

Wild soi dogs are a menace and should be dealt with accordingly. (agree)

However, responsible dog ownership is a noble endeavour and should be commended as it benefits both the dog and the owner. (agree)

Problem is, is that there is a lack of indigenous responsibility regarding this subject and is, in general, lamentable at best. (agree)

The dog problem here represents nothing more than a real public health problem imo. (agree)

The 'Save the Fluffy Bunnies' brigade should remember that children are disfigured and attacked all the time and the results are far more serious than most would like to admit.

I think the fluffy brigade just advocate that people should put their money and effort into responsible ways of tackling the problem, like Dawn on here did, rather than spending it on buying air rifles to mostly, disfigure rather than kill, dogs.

Is that not just the responsible choice!? What next, guns for burglars, guns in the car for car-jackings... then we can be like American's and shoot at our own shadows. U.S. gun owners kill more family members accidentally in the home each year than they do... home intruders

SJ

[Big Boy]

Although I'm not living there yet, and in my many visits I've never felt threatened by dogs, I must say that the use of pepper spray sounds an excellent deterrent. I will certainly consider getting myself a can when I arrive in April.

[kendo]

Lesson's learned:
On buying pepper spray give it a shake and a test spray, just to get it 'primed'. For some reason mine wasn't at full 'performance' on initial firing.

Just after spraying be aware of the residue / drips that trickle down the canister.
It's not a big deal but might irritate you if you touch your skin with your spray hand.

Oh and I'm glad I was carrying something, as hippy love and vibes only go so far with such beasts...

Rider: Im with you on this one as much as I love dogs!

Good point about shaking the canister, should be monthly. Also check expiry dates. Easy to forget.
Wind direction important and effects only temporary. Better than using a stick!!


Store the canister upside down.
Kendo.


Hopefully they have learnt their lesson?