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Sonny Days

Time flies...

A lot can happen in a year. And seeing as one year for us is seven for him, Sonny has been a busy guy.

Life in Bangkok isn’t always easy for a dog, even spoiled little pugs. The streets are packed with cars and roving gangs of strays eager to sink their teeth into a sheltered houseboy. So we made a real effort to get Sonny out of the city as often as possible and to experience life off of the pavements.

He made it to the far north of Thailand, where he enjoyed wandering free, eating leaves, chasing bugs and rolling in the dirt. He discovered that if he weren’t such a city boy, a career in ditch digging might be right up his alley.

He also a made it to the beach, where he got to see the ocean for the first time. I don’t think he enjoyed that nearly as much, something about the sand made him sneeze. I don’t think his mom liked the fact that lots of girls at the beach wanted to play with Sonny, but for some reason only when his dad was walking him.

When he couldn’t make it out of the city with us, Sonny got to stay with our vet, which, on one occasion, led to another big event in Sonny’s life: He became a dad.

It seems Sonny got away from the vet and was allowed to play with another pug... oops. The result was a litter of four, of which, unfortunately, only one lived. That puppy, named Moo-Uan (it basically means fat pig, but you’ll have to trust me when I say it is a much cuter term in Thai than when translated), has been to visit us a few times, and he is growing into the spitting image of his dad.

Sonny still likes to play dress-up, or at least his mom likes to. I’m not a big fan of dogs in clothes, but somehow I always lose on that front. I did, however, draw the line at a full tuxedo his mom was eyeing on a recent trip to Singapore. We settled on a tube of doggy toothpaste instead – which is the lesser of two evils for Sonny remains to be seen.

I’ll try to keep this page updated more frequently this year with new pictures and entries. Now that Sonny’s teeth are pearly white again, he should be up for more photos.

Lend a Hand

Thailand can be a funny place -- with strange contradictions sometimes slapping you in the face.

The issue of dog ownership is one. Upon walking into any vet or pet shop, you will never see a more spoiled animal than a Thai dog. Coddled and dressed in the latest trendy doggy gear, nothing is too much for a Thai housedogs.

Some of the most gluttonous, overweight pooches you can imagine are found here in Thailand.

But when you walk back out onto the street, there is a stunning change. The streets of Bangkok, and most Thai cities, are littered with what are known as Soi Dogs (soi being the Thai word for a small street).

These soi dogs are caught in a vicious cycle. Unwanted by anyone, yet fed by those who pity them, these dogs live what can only be called a miserable life. Sometimes sweet and sad looking, other times vicious and unpredictable, something needs to be done about these dogs -- not only for the safety of the public, but also for the welfare of the animals.

Being a Buddhist country, euthanasia is unheard of in Thailand and these dogs are left to roam the streets and reproduce -- multiplying the problem.

Local temples are at the forefront of the of the battle for caring for these animals, with the monks and novices sharing their morning alms when they can and trying to offer the dogs a quiet sanctuary to rest.

Unfortunately, the problem is so massive that the temples cannot handle this on their own. Our soi alone is home to at least 10 soi dogs in various stages of health.

Fortunately, one group is doing something about this, and their efforts deserve to be lauded, applauded and supported. This organisation is known as Soi Dog Rescue.

Not only do they care for the dogs and attempt to rescue and rehabilitate as many as they can, they also offer much needed education programmes about dog ownership and responsibility.

Any one interested in this issue, please have a look at www.soidogresuce.org. Maybe there is something you can do to help.

Putting him to good use

Throughout his skin issues, Sonny has been forced to wear one of those great big plastic collars that keep dogs from biting or scratching themselves.

Now, Sonny doesn't even seem to know the thing exists, but everytime we look at him it is kind of hard to not have a chuckle at the lttle guy's expense.

Being the entertainer he is, Sonny was happy to put himself to good work and volunteered to sit on top of our TV and serve as our living "puggy" ears.

Check out the soon to arrive pic.