let sleeping dogs lie

Thailand is full of dogs. On the street, on the sidewalk, in elevators, everywhere you look.

There are several families of strays that live in our town; I say "families" because I think they're all related. They're medium-sized dogs, short-haired, and they're almost all the same golden-brown color. We've gotten to recognize several of the dogs that hang out near our condo and near the College of Music.

The condo dog can usually be found sleeping somewhere near our building; poor, furry creatures that can't sweat are understandably lethargic during the day. Sometimes, though, this dog gets adventurous, and sleeps right in the street, or else gets up and trots into the elevator for a ride up and down. I've ridden in the elevator with the dog, but I've never seen it walking around any floor of the building other than the ground floor, so I have to assume it rides up and down, then gets back off at the ground floor. During the "cool season" last year, someone (I have to suspect a student) got this dog to sit still (not a difficult task) long enough to slip an orange T-shirt over its head and front paws. Because, you know, the frigid "cool season" temperatures (and we're talking lows of 75 degrees Fahrenheit here) can be dangerous for dogs with only a thin layer of fur.

The College of Music dogs sometimes sleep on the rickety bridge over the canal that runs in front of the building (yeah, we have a moat). They'll lazily lift their heads as we pass, but no more effort than that seems to be required to acknowledge people they know. At mealtime, though, these dogs spring into action. They saunter into the canteen area and go from table to table, tongues hanging out, tails wagging, trying hard to give the impression of incipient starvation. "Feed me! Feed me! No one ever feeds me! I know you're eating! That looks so good! I never get to eat anything that good! Oh, won't you please feed me?" You can see it in their eyes. But their eyes are lying eyes--these dogs are nothing if not well-fed. They get scraps from people's lunches, scraps from the kitchens of the little food stalls, scraps from the trash, and probably lots of other things too.

There are many other dogs in town; I've often wished I had a camera with me as I bicycle to work, so that I can take a photo of each sleeping dog I pass on the side of the road. There are usually at least 5 or 6, and sometimes more like 10 or 12. They get more active at night, when it's cooler, and sometimes I get a little nervous. I've never seen one attack a person, but they do roam around in packs, and they fight each other at night. Call me skittish, but if I'm walking home in the dark and there are 3 or 4 dogs following me, I sometimes get a little concerned.