Amid the turmoil of the Greece financial crisis, photos and videos of street protests have turned up a kind of canine “Where’s Waldo” figure: a mutt that may have some German shepherd genes, and clearly has a strong interest in civic disorder.

While one can’t be certain that it’s the same pooch at every protest — Athens is something of a magnet for street-savvy stray dogs — this mutt does sport a distinctive blue collar, which may indicate that, while he’s a stray, he’s also current on his shots.

By some accounts, the dog has been on the Athens protest scene ever since 2008 (though some say the 2008 pooch is a similar-looking dog named Kanellos who established himself as a fixture at demonstrations and died that year).

For those who have stayed in Bangkok, Thailand the site of Bangkok’s Soi Dogs is a common occurrence as the city boasts a large number of calm yet unowned Soi (or “Street” in English) Dogs. As Thai people have a primarily Buddhist mindset, their attitude towards these animals is, essentially: Live and Let Live. This attitude should not be mistaken for neglect or indifference as the Thai Humane Society and various other charitable organizations see to it that many of these animals are spade and/or neutered in an effort to keep the population of such animals low. Furthermore, the anecdotal evidence of instances of hostile Soi Dogs would seem to suggest that hostility on the part of the Soi Dogs is uncommon.

These animals are mostly fed by local street vendors or those living in neighborhoods that are chosen territory of the dogs. For the most part, Thai Soi Dogs are not considered a threat and some have even gone so far as to note the seeming indifference of the Bangkok Soi Dogs. In most cases, such dogs barely notice their human counterparts going about their business.

Since the beginning of the political protests in Thailand, this author has wondered if there would be any Soi Dog displacement as protesters take up positions in the streets formerly held by Soi Dogs. As of yet, there have been no dog’s with rebellious characteristics such as the one noted in Athens. This lack of canine rebellion may stem from the fact that Bangkok’s Soi Dos are less rebellious when compared to their Athenian counterparts.

For those interested in learning more information about Soi Dogs in Bangkok please see: Soi Dogs.

Stumpy (named for his stump of a tail) is the older of the two and with his mangy fur and time worn face looks about a tough as an old boot. Then there is Grumpy who is always asleep, but never has his eyes completely closed. Grumpy is named Grumpy because his overall demeanor implies a less than “happy-go-lucky” disposition. Grumpy does not like to have his naps disturbed unless food is involved. Grumpy makes a somewhat irked face when loud motorbikes pass and stir him.

In the novel Confessions of a Bangkok Private Eye, the author discusses the lot of the Soi Dog in Bangkok. He compares them to the Thai people: much like the Thai people most soi dogs are completely laid back and easy going. They seemingly live a life of ease and, like the Thais, can occasionally be found napping outdoors in the middle of the afternoon. Like most Thais, the soi dogs easy going demeanor belies a ferocity if and when threatened (which is unusual for dogs in Bangkok). Food is very important to soi dogs and the only way they can usually be stirred from their otherwise round-the-clock slumber is by offering them some kind of meat on a stick.

Although they do add a great deal of ambiance to Thailand, there is a sad side to the life of a soi dog, they are truly street dogs because they have been abandoned or born into orphanage. They are generally treated tolerantly by the Thai people (who, as ardent Buddhists, will not destroy or in any way try to purposely harm them without provocation) , and often they are given food and water by the local street vendors. Even still, they are often overlooked and malnourished. The Thai equivalent of a humane society does pick up some of the strays and sterilizes them so that they cannot reproduce and then they either keep them on in a kennel for adoption, or in some cases, they put them back out on the street.

During my stay in Bangkok, I have become quite fond of the Soi Dogs and can go out on a limb and say that I’ve become friendly with some of them (provided I come bearing some form of the aforementioned meat on a stick). I have also grown far too accustomed to ignoring these animals’ plight. For this reason I decided to put up a post about them in an effort to raise some awareness and hopefully get people to be a little more proactive in helping these animals (if nothing else just give one of them a piece of meat on a stick).

Below are some pictures of some of the soi dogs in Bangkok and Thailand:

Although they are not as aggressively opportunistic as the Moscow Subway Dogs it is because Thailand is warmer and street food is usually more plentiful. However, many of these animals need to be cared for if possible and a program of adoption and population control would be very welcome so this cycle of homeless animals does not continue unabated.

In closing, for anyone who is interested in adopting or helping to assist these animals there is a wonderful organization in Thailand called SCAD, the Soi Cats and Dogs Rescue Mission. Their website can be found HERE. They do a lot to save these animals and find them homes when they can. I would recommend anyone, particularly those living in Bangkok, stop by their site. Hopefully, by raising some awareness and everyone doing their part, more of these animals will find homes and care.

Thanks for reading, For information about the owners of this blog please see Thailand Lawyer