Animal lover that I am, I’m always on the prowl for a fur coat to pet, a friendly tail wag, the slobbering kisses of dogs and/or cats passing by. It’s a rare day in the USA — no matter the place or time — that I don’t find one.
In fact, in the tiny house nation I lived in, I was stalked by my neighbors Chris and Sandy’s dog, Sophie. an adorable Shitzu with quite the personality..The second my door opened, she’d zoom out her door from across the street and pounce, determined to get as close to my face as possible. To eat me up as much as I inhaled her. It was awesome to be loved like that. I miss her so much.
In Koh Samui, the wild dog population runs rampant — roaming the streets in packs, sleeping on random hotel chairs, running up and down the shorelines. Their interest in humans is limited to accepting water or food set out for them on a storefront mat or at a hotel’s lobby door. No whining noises, no sad puppy dog eyes, no high fives or tricks to draw out sympathy or earn a treat.
They don’t go out of their way to avoid us, but they don’t engage either. They just exist alongside us… looking for food, water, and sex. What else is there? I mean, for them. Most of the dog population appears to be a smorgasbord of muttness — nary a recognizable purebred. Not one Maltipoo, Labradoodle, Bernadoodle, Goldendoodle, or Cockapoo among ’em.
In Hua Hin, I saw one woman walking two Chihuahuas — on a leash, even. Like much of urban Asian life, housing is small and compact. It would fit that house dogs would be of smaller stature. Not that I imagined Great Danes bounding out of apartment doorways, but there are literally no dogs coming out of anywhere. Not a bark, whimper, scratch, collar jingle… nada. It’s very eerie.
There are two dogs indigenous to Thailand: the Thai Ridgeback and the Thai Bangkaew Dog. The Thai Ridgeback is officially recognized by the UKC (United Kennel Club) and is one of the oldest dog breeds in the world. The Thai Bangkaew, a more recent addition to Thailand’s National Dog status, according to Wikipedia, came about when a Buddhist abbot’s local black and white female dog purposefully hooked up with a now-extinct wild dog. The result looks like a cross between a German Shepherd and a Siberian Husky to me. A Germesky? A Shepsky? A Huskygerm? A Sherky? Whateve.. It’s a beautiful dog. Reminds me of a larger version of Wolf.
Damn, I miss my boys. Eight hundred fifty-six days later and I’m still running my mascara. Biggest hurt I will ever experience, and it just never goes away.
Chiang Mai is Thailand’s Cat Lady. Not a pooch in sight — just lots of scraggly kitties. Last night I spent an hour in a cat café. I like cats — really — but it’s not the same as being smothered by a bunch of crazy canines.
My last outing in Hua Hin, before making the 12-hour pilgrimage to Chiang Mai — 4 hours on a ferry, 6 hours on a bus, with a few pit stops along the way — was to check out the Wildlife Friends Foundation. Talk about a tear jerker. Every animal I saw was rescued from an abusive situation.
Some of the elephants were blind due to mistreatment and use in the logging industry. Other elephants were ripped from their mothers at 3 months old to be whipped into submission and used as photo props. A large gorilla spent the majority of his 33 years in a cage the size of my bathroom. Many of the monkeys were used as coconut gatherers, chained to trees. These are just some of the stories. Humans can be so evil.
On the flip side, thanks to men like Mr. Edwin Wiek, founder of this awesome center, these lucky animals will live in peace for the remainder of their days.
But am I being hypocritical here? Isn’t eating animals just as cruel? My pal Brian asked me recently, “If you’re such an animal lover, how can you poison rats?” They’re animals too. Food for thought… ok, maybe strike that. What better place to examine some of my long-held beliefs than the spiritual Mecca of Thailand? In a few days, I’m headed to a three-day Pa Pai meditation retreat.
Seventy two hours of no talking, no electronics, no Diet Coke, No Chardonnay, no meat-eating, no killing anything — not even ants. Living such a clean life might just kill me. If that doesn’t take me out, the No Makeup stipulation will. I’ll die of embarrassment on day one. By far the scariest thing I’ve ever attempted.
There’s still time to back out. No one’s forcing me to go. If I don’t, who would know? I can do whatever I want.
And what I want… is to live like I’m dying.
