Dogs and markets

[dtaai-maai]

Most of you will remember that one of our retrievers died a couple of months ago. viewtopic.php?f=22&t=21147&p=265461#p265461

I thought I'd give you an update.

I was keen to avoid a knee-jerk reaction, but it became clear very quickly that it would be best all round for all of us to get another dog. O-Buck was moping around wondering where his playmate was, and when we went to the beach he kept looking around as if expecting her to appear.

So, what to get and where. We didn't want to replace like for like, but that left a lot of options. One thing we were sure about was that we wanted a dog that would grow to a similar size. We bought both retrievers at the Grand Market (the little shop at the back, not the stall), but it's pot luck there and when we started looking all he had were yappy little lap dogs.

We went up to Chatuchak market in Bangkok on a Saturday morning. That place is worth a thread all of its own. It really is a town in its own right and quite difficult to navigate around. The pet section is vast, with all kinds of creatures - enough fish to fill an ocean.

But there wasn't a huge range of dog breeds. Some retrievers, a few St Bernards and quite a few little things. But we weren't very impressed with the place or the dogs and definitely not with the prices, which were surprisingly twice what we'd paid at the Grand market.

We weren't in a great rush and wanted to make sure we got a dog we were sure we'd be happy with (as far as you can be, of course). In the end we found a Black labrador pup at Paeh Mai market on the Klong road by the driving range. She's about 10 weeks old now. The retriever kept running away from her for a day, but since then (2 weeks now) they've been getting on like a house on fire. They both sleep outside. They're happy, Mrs D-M is oozing love and affection and I have sore ankles.

[migrant]

Great!!

[PeteC]

That's wonderful news, the family is whole again. Buy her plenty of those rawhide chew bones to keep her away from the junk, and your furniture. Pete

[Lung Per]

Congrats, seems like you hit a lucky note there.
Just out of curiosity - how do you tell if those market puppies are healthy and free of disease or bodily malformations? I guess there is no guarantee that you can trust so you've got to take it to a vet for a full check-up?

[margaretcarnes]

Nice one - I'm never sure how well market pups are being treated but they all deserve a chance regardless. So will you be expecting the patter of tiny labby/retriever paws in the future?

[Takiap]

Good news DM, she looks adorable. We got both our dogs from markets as well, and both have been perfectly healthy. Our dalmatian is nine years old now and our rottweiler is eight, and both have got great temperaments. In fact, if I dropped the rottweiler (Shadow) off in a playground full of kids she'd be the happiest dog in the world, although she would end up knocking a lot of them over, and they'd all end up soaking wet from her licking them. Certainly not a good guard dog, but very lovable. The dalmatian on the other hand drives me up the wall. Nice nature, but I'll never own another one.


Anyway........

[GLCQuantum]

What a nice little thread to read first thing in the morning. Glad to hear how things worked out for you Dtaii Maii... She looks like a nice little dog you have there. Your other looks very well looked after too!

[Terry]

Nice one DM

[dtaai-maai]

Pete, I'm less concerned about the furniture and shoes than I am about my toes - her teeth are like miniature stilettos!

Buying dogs from the market is part common sense and part pot luck. The first thing we do is get down to the veterinary hospital. We haven't had a pup yet that didn't need some form of treatment.

I had a look round the Internet before going to Chatuchak. Unsurprisingly, there were a few people saying you shouldn't go there because the dogs are not healthy or well cared for, so go straight to the 'breeder' or 'dog farm'. But there were plenty more responding with what is pretty obvious if you think about it - most of the dogs at the market have come straight from the breeder anyway.

You have to accept that the pet section at a large market is not going to be a happy, fluffy place - the dogs are in cages. It ain't pretty, but what else can you expect? One thing in particular I didn't like was one twat flicking a towel at the cages to make sure the pups didn't sleep - you want a lively, perky little beastie, don't you?

We paid 4,500 baht for the retrievers at the Grand Market (asking price 5k). The prices for retrievers at Chatuchak ranged from 9-12k baht, with "pedigree" papers for the most expensive. Yeah right.
The St Bernards were 14k. They were beautiful and looked healthy, but they were already almost as big as an adult retriever!! A pair of golden labradors at c 8k each, but they didn't look well or happy. There were a few huskies, a British bulldog with an eye infection and a few other medium to large breeds, but nothing like as much choice as I'd expected. I was hoping to look at some old English sheepdogs too. (Still wouldn't mind, actually, if anyone knows a local breeder).

Someone will ask why spend all that money on dogs when there are so many free dogs needing a home. It's purely a matter of personal choice. We don't want a guard dog, nor do we want a dog that is going to annoy anyone within half a mile by constant barking. We also want a good-looking dog.

We had Thai dogs before that we loved very much. One was a former soi dog who adopted some neighbours and was inherited by us when they moved. Nervous but grateful. She brought up another Thai dog we had from a pup who was bigger than her and took the lead role by the time she was 6 months - she was a bully, but only to the other dog and Thai people she didn't know. Unfortunately, she was extremely boisterous and relatively big, and when I was very ill a few years ago we had to find a new home for her as she kept knocking me over! She went to a farm, killed the farmer's champion fighting cockerel worth 20k and was sentenced to a bullet in the brain.
The other dog stayed with us, but much to our surprise disappeared overnight at Loy Kratong 3 years ago. Must have been terrified by the fireworks.

So when we decided to dip our toes back into the... erm... sea of dogs... we decided to go for a slightly bigger dog and a recognised breed. In financial terms, I don't really see it being much different from buying a more expensive make of car. And in any case, whatever you spend on buying a dog pales into insignificance when compared with what you'll spend on keeping it healthy!

None of our dogs have been from the same litter. The two retrievers always got on extremely well and the little lab pup seems to be settling in fine. In many respects, dogs are like people - sometimes you'll find one that just doesn't fit in or has character flaws. Fingers crossed, we've been lucky.
They sleep outside at night, but they come in and out of the house during the day, although a lot of that is spent asleep too! These dogs are not bothered by thunder (unlike the Thai dogs who cowered and trembled the whole time), they love the water (we don't have a pool, but we keep a large tub of water that the big feller likes to stand in when he's hot) and they adore people. The male retriever is a big dog with a very deep bark, but he would only intimidate you if you knew nothing about dogs. The only danger a potential burglar would be in is of being smothered to death.

[Takiap]

DM, did you notice if there were any doberman pups at Chatuchak? I know there are one or two breeders in Thailand, but they are "SERIOUS" breeders, and pups cost far more than I can afford. All their adult dogs are show dogs which are generally imported, and their histories can be verified via the internet, so they are legit, but just too expensive.

[dtaai-maai]

Nope, just a couple of rottweilers.

I like them as a breed, but too much drool...

[Takiap]

Nope, just a couple of rottweilers.

I like them as a breed, but too much drool...

Thanks DM, and you're right about rottweilers and their drool. I pity the person that ever decides to burgle our place. I just looked on the Baht and Sold website and there are doberman pups, but they're going for 35,000K

[Vital Spark]

What a lovely little pup DM, glad that you've found a companion for O-Buck.

You never can really tell what kind of personality a dog will have until it's too late. Our favourite dog (sadly now gone) was born in our garden, and his mother was a nervous wreck. He was the most loving and affectionate dog I've ever owned. Our second dog was also born in our garden, to another strange dog, but was a nervous and slightly hyper dog (he just disappeared one day ). They were both brought up by us as soon as they were weened. Our current dog happened to arrive in the garden (probably aged about 2 years old, don't really know) but has turned out to be a friendly, healthy and totally non-aggressive dog.

Some of the dogs sold at markets are removed from the mother far too early. Apart from not learning basic skills like how to clean themselves, they also lack the vitamins from the mother's milk which gives them antibodies. Just something to be aware of.

Thanks for the update on your canine clan. Can't wait to meet Lucy

VS

[Takiap]

You're absolutely right VS. Whether you get your puppy from a top rated breeder, or whether you get one from the market, you can't be sure what sort of dog it will grow into. This is one of the reasons why I refuse to buy into the idea that certain breeds are born to be aggressive. I think it depends on the individual dog rather than on the breed. Rottweilers are said to be killer dogs, and yet my one is nothing but a drooling eating machine that fulfills the role of a horse every now and then when the kids are out playing. The pitbill I owned in SA was just the same. A great pet with a wonderful nature, but totally useless as a guard dog, and yes, he loved kids more than he did adults. Saying that, I honestly wouldn't be willing to give dalmatians a second chance.

[dtaai-maai]

Sadly, our handsome big fellah O-Buck (see photos above) died last week, quite suddenly, after being poorly for just a couple of days. We'd decided to take him to the vet, but when we went out to get him, he'd gone to sleep and passed away.

Absolute devastation in the household, as he was very much a mummy's boy. I thought we'd got over it, but writing about it now, I definitely need a hug.

Lucy the black lab seems blissfully unaffected by it all, which is a bit weird as they were inseparable and she no longer has anyone to torment!

Bit of a bugger all round really.

One of the worst things was that he died in his favourite shady spot - under the sala. As he must have weighed around 40 kg, getting him out was a herculean task...