Songkram Jutjarat has a love of dogs, he takes them off the streets and away from the danger of landing on plates in Thai and Vietnamese eateries – he tells Traversing the Orient it’s a tough battle.

Amid loud growling and gnashing teeth, dog catchers round up the homeless hounds in Thailand’s Lopburi and sell them to the butcher’s knife in Vietnam. Any­where from 40 to 80 dogs at a time are crammed into trucks, their destiny priced at around US$10 a portion, unless the trucks cross paths with the Thai police first. A legal spot fine of a mere US$60 per truckload sees the thieves release the stolen dogs, only to return another day or move on to another territory.

Songkram Jutjarat – nickname Golf – is from Lopburi, for the last ten years he has co-run/owned a small restaurant called Mali in Bangkok’s Sathorn Soi 1 district. Three years ago he wit­nessed the canine hunters being fined, which consequently left the police with the problem of what to do with the 40 dogs in the truck. With no facilities or shelter for stray dogs in Lopburi, they would have been released, only to be open to the fate of the truck an­other day. Golf couldn’t bear it…and that night he arrived home with 40 dogs. So began the Lopburi Dog Rescue Center.

Luckily, Golf also lives in the middle of the countryside, about 80 miles north of Bangkok and 20 miles east of Lopburi, on a 20-rai farm that has been in his family for over 70 years. Since witnessing the dog trade first-hand three years ago, his farm is now surrounded by a two-meter high fence, houses three dog shelters and is home to 80 dogs.

“Some of the dogs arrive is such a terrible state of health while others are young cute puppies. We look after them by making all male dogs neutered, each gets their injections and we give them a happy home. People looking for pet dogs can come to us, and we will first vet their house and family to see if that is a suitable home for a dog,” explains Golf.

Finding a home for the dogs is the least of Golf ’s problems, the situation needs tackling at the roots, and they spread in many different directions. “With the help of friends and volunteers we put up 50 signs at bus stations and public places around Lopburi, urging the public to call the police if they witness the dog catchers in the region. As a result of this, the police received around 2,000 calls and for the past three months there has been no sighting of the trucks,” says Golf with a smile, but that was quickly replaced by frustration when he explained that 50% of these signs had been vandal­ized, “probably by the dog traffickers”. Prior to Golf ’s notice boards, the dog catchers were entering the area every two weeks, then once a month…and Golf knows they haven’t stopped now, only gone to target a different area.

Another root cause lies in the demand. In Isaan and Bangkok there are a small number of restaurants known to serve dog meat, and are proud of it. Of particular value is the black dog which the brainless diners believe will give them extra strength – try the gym, guys! Most of these restaurants stay low key but some can be easily identified as the owners proudly display the dog’s head on the wall, a form of public announcement that fresh pickings are to be had.

While explaining this to me, Golf is disgusted and in despair at the situation. The Kingdom of Thailand has millions of homeless street dogs, but unlike many other countries, it does not kill them because Thai Buddhists revere all forms of life. “It saddens me to see people do this to the dogs and also the hypocritical nature of Thai people claiming to follow a Buddhist belief and then doing this kind of practice.”

Ultimately Golf would like to see more action from the Thai Government by allowing international aid groups to carry-out neutering schemes to combat the over-abundance of stray dogs and also see harsher Thai legislation/fines introduced against the dog traffickers. The soi dogs are a problem; no one knows how many there are, but it runs into millions. Some of them are in­fected with rabies and other diseases, posing a health risk for humans. With­out help, the public take the over-population of dogs into their own hands, sometimes culling the dogs by feeding them poisoned meet.

Teaching old dogs new tricks

In Buddhist Thailand, though, simply culling the animals is not acceptable. Even sterilizing them is hard for many Thais to swallow, although a growing number of pet-owners have seen the benefit of bringing their sometimes-re­luctant pooches to the veterinary surgery. “When I have time, my volunteers and I also go to the schools to educate the children about caring for dogs and why it is important to see them as a companion for life, not just for a few months while they are a cute puppy,” explains Golf. “There are only so many dogs I can take in, both from the amount of land I have for them to run freely in, and from the financial aspect. Currently I spend around 100,000 THB every month on dog food, injections, vet bills and staff wages. We rely on donations for this and there is simply nothing more I can do at the mo­ment, but give these dogs a happy life.”

The problem is enormous. For every dog that is fed and at least minimally cared for, there are many more which are not and must fend for themselves on the streets. Some are in poor shape, and live nasty and short lives, some land on plates in Vietnam and Thailand as meat, and the lucky ones live with Golf on his farm.

Lopburi Dog Rescue
PNonabua Soi 26 67/10, Patana Nikom, Lopburi
www.lopburiDogRescue.net
Volunteers are invited to stay at the center, food and
lodging are provided.
If you would like to make a donation or contact Golf directly, call 089 039 8896.
During the week Golf can be found at Mali restaurant on Sathorn Soi 1, Bangkok. The atmosphere is homely and they do a great green curry
– the wines not bad either so go check it out.