Dog Bites

[Dr Mike]

Observing the patients that I have seen in the emergency room of the Bangkok Hospital in Hua Hin
It is striking that there are a larger proportion of patients than usual with serious Dog bites.
Several have required extensive stitching, daily dressings, antibiotic and anti-rabies treatment.
Do others think that this is a problem??

[PeteC]

Even from a non-resident of HH Dr. Mike, I can tell you from visits and comparisons to other places here, Hua Hin is over run with stray dogs. I would say almost to epidemic proportions. Pete

[Spitfire]

Sorry to state the obvious Dr. Mike, but Thailand, in general, has a huge dog problem with feral beasts running amok everywhere.

Really, there needs to be some action taken/or a cull, but it'll never happen as the authorities don't have the stomach for it and the religion is generally against such things, amongst "other" possible reasons.

People, including me last year, will continue to be attacked, crash motorbikes, children disfigured.......and on, and on, and on because of this unnecessary and fixable danger.

This is a long running problem here that will unlikely be changed in the future. Seems that many locals like dogs etc but not the responsibility on having/owning one, which is childish in my opinion.

There is, however, the "Save the fluffy bunnies" brigade that will disagree, but they have probably never been attacked, pulled off a motorbike or watched some 6 year old kid getting attacked and the aftermath disfigurement etc.

Sorry for the Dr.Mike, just that this subject really 'gets on my goat.'

[dozer]

The feral dog situation is blight on Hua Hin, and a lot of the fault lays with many within the farang community who go out of their way to feed, what to all intends and purposes are vermin.

[Lung Per]

Quite a few people seem to be feeding stray dogs on rural roads around 6 pm. Also, there are many stray dogs around the temples which may indicate that the monks feed them.
I always carry a good stick when I take a walk......

[kendo]

I agree with Spitfire on this one, far to many dogs, when i first went to my wifes village she told me to carry a stick especially at night and to beat agressive dogs that get to close to you i thought she was joking, but she was right but as an animal lover i find this hard to do.

One thing i dont understand is the whole buddist bit about not killing dogs but yet you get the dog catchers go around catching them and handing out plastic bowls.

Kendo.

[Big Boy]

For my 2 Bahts worth, I did a lot of walking during my recent visit, and can't remember encountering a single stray dog in Hua Hin - maybe I was lucky.

What I did find disturbing was the ferocity of 'owned' dogs protecting their territory (house) as I walked past. Several dogs had the sights of my size 14 boots trained on them as I walked past.

[STEVE G]

In our Issan village there are no stray dogs, they all belong to someone or they become plastic bowls and get eaten by Cambodians!
I walk and cycle around Hua Hin and to be honest I've never had a problem with stray dogs apart from being barked at a bit. As BB says above, generally the owned ones on property are more aggresive than the strays.

[Spitfire]

One thing i dont understand is the whole buddist bit about not killing dogs but yet you get the dog catchers go around catching them and handing out plastic bowls.

Those dog-catcher guys in the vans exchanging plastic bowls etc for dogs then sell them on in cities or to small factories and they end up as meatballs in noodle stalls and the like, quite an industry revolving around it apparently. You know the Chinese/Burmese/Thais and all, everything is fair game for the dinner table.

And no, that's not a wind-up either.

[Homer]

I'd sure like to know what the people were doing right before they got bit. I'm thinking I'm not as safe as I thought I was on my morning walks. Carry a stick? Dogs are pack animals - if I fight back is that a cue for his buddies to join the attack?

On a related not, Google 'Bali' and 'rabies'. Bali has a rabies epidemic with over 100 deaths in 2010. Some sources say tens of thousands of reported dog bites. Some say between 100k and 200k dogs have been killed. The statistics are all over the map which probably means all but the death figures are mostly made up. I wonder how many tourists would have to die of rabies in Thailand before mass culling takes place.

[richard]

One thing i dont understand is the whole buddist bit about not killing dogs but yet you get the dog catchers go around catching them and handing out plastic bowls.

Those dog-catcher guys in the vans exchanging plastic bowls etc for dogs then sell them on in cities or to small factories and they end up as meatballs in noodle stalls and the like, quite an industry revolving around it apparently. You know the Chinese/Burmese/Thais and all, everything is fair game for the dinner table.

And no, that's not a wind-up either.

I've eaten my dog without knowing it. Read my Isaan articles

They also barbecue them in Isaan (see my photo from way back) especially at Christmas time

Hell of a lot of plastic bowls around my village

[Takiap]

The crazy thing about this is that the council actually provide a free service regarding spaying and etc, on a regular basis, but people just can't be arsed. I've been bitten and come off my bike, my wife and child came of a bike because of one of these overgrown street rats, and my daughter has also been bitten. So, in my book, that's three strikes against these dogs. The next one that crosses the mark will die for it, no matter how I have to do it. I came to Thailand a dog lover, and now, after many years living here, I basically detest the things. And yes Dr. Mike, the severity of the bites are bound to get worse, considering the in fashion these days are Pit Bull, which of course, as we know, will be left to breed at will, and the resultant offspring dumped onto the streets. TAT should actually start using the dogs on their advertising campaigns - Visit the Land of Smiles and Stray Dogs, and go back home with a bite to remember...... lol

[kendo]

Richard is this why your barking mad.
Kendo.

[bozzman101]

some one should cull the friggin mutts as they are as stupid as thai drivers and are a danger to anyone driving a car motor bike bicycle tricycle scooter (one foot type) penny farthing , tractor might be ok just squish em
or send them to sachoon na khon where they eat them !!!

[jimmy40]

I was taking the rubbish out last week,[ the bin is out at the end of the estate] and three dogs ran toward me barking, i was close to the drive way so they didn't pursue me. I now carry an atomatic air gun loaded, to the bin if i go at night [perfectly legal here] I live out of town about 10 k's and the wild dogs are everywhere