A Barking Sub-Culture

I see them everywhere. They hang out on the streets in packs, making trouble and getting into fights for no apparent reason. They've had to beg, cheat, and steal their way through life, so there's no messing around with these guys. They don't need houses or shelter; the street is the only home they've ever known. They're a sub-culture all their own, and they aren't even human.

This is the life of the Soi Dog: the four-legged creatures that have barked, bitten, and clawed out an existence on the stuffy Bangkok streets. They crowd the narrow soi's day and night, chomping down chicken bones given to them by food vendors who take pity on their flea-bitten selves. Their hobbies include: blocking traffic by running into the busiest intersections at the busiest time of day, stopping to pee in the middle of a crowded sidewalk, and mating with Soi Dog-ettes directly next to where I am trying to have lunch. They also enjoy beer hand-outs given to them by young men playing cards on the sidewalk, lunging at unsuspecting foreigners (aka myself) as they walk by, and scratching at fleas until they have bigger bald spots than the large German tourists that like to vacation in Bangkok.

Sorry if I'm coming off as an insensitive animal-hater. I assure you all, I do love all of Buddha's creatures, especially our furry canine friends. The point of this rant is to give insight into another element of street life that makes Thailand an entertaining place to live. Soi dogs can teach us all to slow down and enjoy the basic things in life: sleeping, eating, and... uh... mating. I admire them for their will to survive, by whatever means necessary. And it just wouldn't be a normal day if my motorbike taxi driver didn't have to swerve or slam on the brakes because of two fighting soi dogs that spill out into the middle of traffic. One day maybe I'll open up a home for the dogs that roam these dirty soi's. But until then... You go, Soi Dogs. You keep on hustling.