We don't always have the resources to provide our furry friends at the temples with snacks but every now and then a local supplier will give us things for free or near free that makes us able to provide the dogs with a nice little treat to brighten their hot summer.
This happened recently where we were able to get a hold of 2000 chew snacks for a mere 1100 Baht (about $35). The dogs love these things and I think it brightens their day a bit.
I will never tired of the way that the dogs at the temples have grown accustomed to my presence and now know the look and sound of our truck to the point where they all come out with tails wagging to greet me when I arrive. While I know the food is a strong motivator as far as this behavior is concerned, they are also very loving and smother me with love when I get there. This picture is special to me because there is an estimated 11 years separating the various animals in that picture and they are all so well behaved for dogs that have never lived indoors.
These were the big attraction of the day today, but we also got the regular food from the monks to have the dogs fed near us today so that we could give inspections for parasites and other potential injuries.
A little piece of advice for all you people out there though: It is NOT a good idea to approach a dog that is in the process of eating. Almost all dogs have some level of food aggression even if they are otherwise friendly. This is especially true of dogs that live in the wild or even at a temple. Most of their lives there has been some level of competition for food and they can't get this out of their heads. They don't want to hurt you, but they might lash out oat you purely out of instinct and then probably immediately feel bad for having done it. I have 3 dogs and one of them we have just learned over time that we need to leave her alone when she is eating. Since she lives with me I could break her of this behavior but I don't bother because it is quite mild. But a stray dog is a different type of thing and in some countries, if that dog bites you (which is just an instinct reaction) the animal-control will have to euthanize it and I don't think this is really deserved at all.
Our cloudy day was filled with wagging tails and happy dogs and pups filling up their bellies. Then afterwards they stuck around for a bit to say thank you (probably looking for additional snacks) and then they disappeared to look for a hidey-hole to have a nap in.
Overall it was a good day.
I know that 2000 treats seems like a lot but we have so many homeless dogs that we look after that we went through them rather rapidly!
I do look forward to these days and we try to make sure that we always have something on hand to give them when we arrive. We also don't want to play favorites so we have a rule that if we don't have enough for all of them, we don't give to any of them.
If you would like to see how you can help out or simply spread the word, please visit our website at
http://krabianimalwelfare.org
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