It is said that dogs are man's best friend. That's true in most cases, though sadly there are still many dogs out there abandoned and left wandering the streets. Many of them end up at Prawet Dog Shelter.
This is where hundreds of stray dogs are put in cages awaiting their unknown destiny. Some are still strong and energetic, but many arrive looking depressed, their eyes downcast. The shelter is the only official refuge for stray canines in Bangkok, which operates under the health department of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). One part of the staff's job is to pick up street dogs according to requests from citizens -- normally they don't go out and catch random dogs. But mostly the shelter provides a temporary refuge to strays; it also welcomes four-legged pets whose owners can no longer take care of them.
For a month the BMA has geared up in preparation for this Sunday's Bike For Mom event. One of the tasks is to make sure that there are no stray dogs obstructing the bike route, which may cause accidents to participants. Staff at the shelter will be deployed to patrol the bike areas this Sunday as well.
There were some concerns that there will be a crackdown on stray dogs, but Siwa Maison, head of dog control, assured us that after they survey of the areas "it's likely that the number of dogs to be caught will be very small."
Prawet has a tough job. According to BMA statistics, there are 100,000 stray dogs in Bangkok, while the number of dogs as pets is as high as 600,000. Each year, there are approximately 4,500 complaints from Bangkokians about trouble caused by soi dogs. This is almost 100% of all complaints made through the BMA's Health Department.
"There is a higher chance for dogs to cause problems in crowded city areas where people raise them as pets and share public areas," said Siwa.
Every year, there are approximately 7,000-8,000 dogs arriving at Prawet, while only 20% of these are later adopted. The shelter is a temporary refuge, and later most stray dogs will be transported to the bigger shelter in Uthai Thani province -- they will live there until they die.
Prawet can take up to 1,000 dogs, while the Uthai Thani shelter can take 8,000. There are two pickups from Prawet each month, with 170-180 dogs being brought to the other shelter each time. The annual budget for the Prawet refuge is 12 million baht and most of it spent on food. Dogs in Uthai Thani eat 40 tonnes a month, while it's only 2-3 tonnes at Prawet.
Every time a new dog arrives, it will immediately be separated. Each morning veterinarians will come and give a shot of rabies vaccine to the new dogs as well as starting the process of sterilisation. Then every dog will be categorised into four different groups: puppies, regular dogs, dogs that cannot socialise with others and dogs that are suspected of carrying rabies.
There have been many complaints -- online and official -- about conditions the dogs are kept in. On our visit, however, what we saw was generally acceptable. Cages were not overcrowded, but some faeces was still visible on the cement floor. The staff clean the cages only once a day, which some may consider unhygienic.
"There are no fixed standards when it comes to building cages for dogs," explained Siwa. "Dogs are not zoo animals. They are pets."
Living in big packs, dogs carry a high chance of spreading disease to others. Three veterinarians are in charge of looking after the dogs, while the budget for the animals' healthcare covers only diseases that can have an impact on humans.
"Prawet shelter started in 1997, and the number of stray dogs as well as petitions from people remain unchanged," said Siwa. "What the BMA attempts to do now is not only run the shelter, but apply a dog registration programme so we can trace where each dog comes from. However, it hasn't been applied successfully. Apart from that, the BMA is also responsible for providing free sterilisation and rabies vaccines to both stray and foster dogs."
The environment at the shelter may not satisfy pets lovers' expectations. There is a Facebook page called "We're Concerned About Dogs at Prawet", with nearly 10,000 followers. One of the strongest critics of the BMA's dog handling is Sirikanjana Meunchamroen, a retired government officer who in 2010 filed charges at the Administrative Court against the shelter for its poor treatment of dogs. The case was dismissed, but Sirikanjana remains a de facto watchdog for the stray dogs.
"Imagine when hundreds of dogs are crammed in one cage without proper care. Chances of them getting infected with diseases are extremely high," she said.
Sirikanjana said stray dogs should be given vaccines and be sterilised. This would stop stray dogs reproducing, while the registration programme needs to be seriously applied to all dog owners. Penalties and law enforcement must be strong enough to make people realise their own responsibilities, she added.
"I think if we can turn Prawet into a city attraction, this would benefit the dogs. It would pressure the staff to keep the dogs in good shape. As they become healthy and clean, visitors want to give them a new home," said Sirikanjana.
So the pressure is on the BMA -- before and definitely after this Sunday's Bike For Mom.
"Some who consider stray dogs dirty expect the BMA to take them away from the streets, while pet lovers believe that we should provide better care for the dogs. Either way, it's difficult for us," said Siwa.
"In order to solve the problem, people should actively co-operate with the BMA by notifying us of the location of stray dogs.
"Then after proper vaccinations and sterilisation, it should be fine for stray dogs to live freely since they are no longer a danger. But it is even better if someone adopts them.
"We are waiting every day with anticipation for someone to show up and finally bring them to a loving home, because every dog needs an owner. Prawet should be the very last place for them to be."
Siwa Maison.
Prawet Dog Shelter is the only official refuge for stray canines in Bangkok.
A van picks up stray dogs across Bangkok on request from residents.