It's a dog's life 1
Previously, I wrote about the soi dogs that hang around our apartment grounds here
The other day, there appeared a new addition. A tiny dark brown puppy came snuffling up to us, sniffing my toes, following us around and trying to bite my trouser legs. She was adorable, such a sweetie. From what we could gather by our limited Thai, she had been found near the canal swimming (or drowning?) and was now being somehow looked after by the security guards.
We saw her the next evening too and thought that on the weekend we'd take her to the vet. Fatt was aching to give her the name 'Biscuit'. The following day, Fatt reported that Biscuit had lollopped after him as he left for work, following him out of the apartment block. I saw her in the evening. She was sitting next to a pile of goo. I don't know anything about dogs, but it looked like she'd been sick. Oh well, I thought, take her to the vet tomorrow.
The next day, we phoned up the vet who told us what the procedure was for vaccinating new puppies. We thought she might be too young but we went downstairs to see her anyhow. 'Tua lek yuu thi nai?' (Where is the Little One?) we asked the guard. Ohh, he answered with an embarrassed laugh, 'Tua lek dear'. He was speaking English. 'Tua Lek's dead' is what he meant. And he pointed to his tummy.
It was a shock. And a frustrating shock at that. The horrendous timing, the fact that I'd seen she was sick already and had done nothing, the fact that I'd seen her put a fat dirty filthy sponge in her curious puppy mouth and had done jackshit. That I hadn't taken her to the vet by myself earlier...
I ruminated on this as we ate our lunch of beef and fish. And I had to think, well we kill animals every day for food don't we? Was I just being sentimental because the poor puppy had been so cute? I'm sure that's it. But at the same time, I am becoming more and more affectionate towards dogs and feel for the sorry stray soi dogs wandering around with their mangy sores, bitten ears and lost legs. For Biscuit, we'd been looking forward to somehow helping her in her rescue. Fatt says maybe she was simply too young to have lost her mother. Poor Biscuit. RIP.
The other day, there appeared a new addition. A tiny dark brown puppy came snuffling up to us, sniffing my toes, following us around and trying to bite my trouser legs. She was adorable, such a sweetie. From what we could gather by our limited Thai, she had been found near the canal swimming (or drowning?) and was now being somehow looked after by the security guards.
We saw her the next evening too and thought that on the weekend we'd take her to the vet. Fatt was aching to give her the name 'Biscuit'. The following day, Fatt reported that Biscuit had lollopped after him as he left for work, following him out of the apartment block. I saw her in the evening. She was sitting next to a pile of goo. I don't know anything about dogs, but it looked like she'd been sick. Oh well, I thought, take her to the vet tomorrow.
The next day, we phoned up the vet who told us what the procedure was for vaccinating new puppies. We thought she might be too young but we went downstairs to see her anyhow. 'Tua lek yuu thi nai?' (Where is the Little One?) we asked the guard. Ohh, he answered with an embarrassed laugh, 'Tua lek dear'. He was speaking English. 'Tua Lek's dead' is what he meant. And he pointed to his tummy.
It was a shock. And a frustrating shock at that. The horrendous timing, the fact that I'd seen she was sick already and had done nothing, the fact that I'd seen her put a fat dirty filthy sponge in her curious puppy mouth and had done jackshit. That I hadn't taken her to the vet by myself earlier...
I ruminated on this as we ate our lunch of beef and fish. And I had to think, well we kill animals every day for food don't we? Was I just being sentimental because the poor puppy had been so cute? I'm sure that's it. But at the same time, I am becoming more and more affectionate towards dogs and feel for the sorry stray soi dogs wandering around with their mangy sores, bitten ears and lost legs. For Biscuit, we'd been looking forward to somehow helping her in her rescue. Fatt says maybe she was simply too young to have lost her mother. Poor Biscuit. RIP.
posted by sylv at 10:04 am
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