You don't want me to take you in?

Street dogs... This is a weird subject for me to consider.
On the way to school the other day I saw a pair... well fed...just cruisin' down the block. They didn't need to be rescued. Or did they?

I have been involved, in one way or another, in the rescue and fostering of many dogs and cats. I think that my ex-girlfriend and I had maybe 4 or 5 dogs at one time. This was also when we kept 11 cats. If you are thinking that would be crazy, you are correct. It was a very hectic household indeed. Our backyard became a pet cemetery because we had at least 4 animals die during that period in the Heights of Houston.

So I've started with this background information because (like I said) when I saw those dogs, my first thought was that they did not need rescuing. It also made me notice that there is some difference between your typical stray dog and a street dog.

Strays are affected by mange, underfed, and need to be helped; while street dogs are a different breed. These animals seem happy and content to wander from place to place. The creatures that I saw that morning were not going hungry. It was as if they were more equipped for survival. In comparison, they were definitely more fit than the average, weaker stray.

Almost automatically, I went over my experience with homeless culture in American cities.

There are the class of homeless

that truly struggle. They beg for food; they sleep in areas barely passable for shelter; and they rarely shower or change clothes. They need to be rescued and also need hand-outs, and other services. They rest most of their existence on the idea that you will wake them up with a peanut butter sandwich. They look under-fed and under-appreciated.

Last but not least, there are the "street dogs". They are well-fed because they go find food wherever they can wrangle it up. They will find showers and make camps or even sleep in shelters. Once in a while, they might even have enough money to get a cheap hotel for a night. Don't believe me? Do the field study and go live with them. Smart "street dogs" will acquire a little hustle washing windows in a downtown area with a bucket and squeegee because that's how you do it. Or there is crime and jail- but I won't go into that parallel of the penitentiary/pound and euthanasia/death penalty because god-forbid, I have school here shortly! (on a side note- if you live in San Antonio and are interested, go to the Humane Society on Nacogdoches road. These dogs live in cell blocks and they are actually called "units".)

So then, the question I ponder is whether or not "street dogs" need to be rescued, too. Because is there not more to rescuing than just providing some one or some animal with food and shelter. Don't we pet the stray we take in or feed? If we have a heart we do. So what about the "street dogs" in all God's kingdoms? If they do not need food, do they still need love?

Perhaps more importantly, can you help someone or something that doesn't want to be helped?

As an afterthought I did a little research and came across a BLOGGER site run by "Casanova" a street dog from Bangkok, Thailand that happens to be about street dogs in Bangkok.


This is the welcome from Casanova:

Taken from the the Blog page Bangkok Street Dogs www.bkkstreetdogs.blogspot.com

A welcome from Casanova

Hello, and welcome to Bangkok Street Dogs, my first foray into the blogging world (I abhor the term 'blogosphere'). My name is Casanova, and I'm a 3 year old male mongrel who lives near the Klong Toey market in Bangkok, Thailand. The purpose of this blog is to document the lives of several prominent characters of the Bangkok Street Dog community.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Thailand and its capital, Bangkok, let me provide you with some background. Thailand, as a Buddhist country, does not believe that stray animals should be rounded up and put to sleep. It does happen, but not with the same sad frequency as in other countries. And that means that the streets of Bangkok, and other Thai cities, are teeming with large communities of homeless hounds.

Although we're happy just to be alive, life in Bangkok is tough for us street dogs. We oftentimes live in unkempt, filthy conditions - you might even say that most places we sleep aren't fit for a dog! But amidst the squalor, I can tell you that great things do emerge from our community. Great characters are constantly developing and standing up for themselves against all odds. Survival instincts take over and carry us through the sometimes difficult conditions.

In short... us Bangkok street dogs may be poor, wretched, and desperate, but we do have each other, and telling our stories is therapeutic for our lonely souls. We also have the love and support of Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is a dog lover and has adopted a former street dog named Thongdaeng.

With me as your guide, this blog will serve as a place to meet members of Bangkok's street dog community, and hear their anecdotes. In reading my posts, you'll get a keen sense of the challenges Bangkok street dogs face, and perhaps better appreciate their ability to stay positive during all the hot, dusty days and hungry nights spent scraping out a living in the Thai capital.

Sincerely
Casanova