Such steps have significantly reduced the numbers and the problem of stray dogs on the island, but much more can still be done.
In Thailand, stray dogs are called soi dogs or street dogs, which goes some way to explain how they are viewed in the country.
Stray means lost. Street dog means it lives on the street. The Thai dog lives paw to mouth and exists off the kindness of others.
It’s curious and fascinating to witness the differences between the temperament of a stray dog in, say, England, and a street dog in Thailand.
In the UK, stray dogs tend to be are aggressive, fearful, sleep-deprived, hungry and often vicious. Things to be wary of – the animal equivalent of a mentally unstable heroin-using vagrant.
In Thailand, meanwhile, street dogs tend to be calm, loving, trusting and generally well cared for.
It is quite common to see them at the side of the roads, in convenience stores or in temples sleeping and blissfully unaware of any dangers that could theoretically afflict their day.
It is also however quite common to see dogs limping after having been hit by cars, or with painted eyebrows on them (if you haven’t seen this yet, you will).
Through sterilisation, and thus stopping their opportunity to breed, reducing their numbers goes some way to reducing the likelihood of such negative instances occurring.
But is not only the good work that is done by the Soi Dog Foundation that should be commended, credit is also due to those who merely show kindness to the unfortunate animals: every security guard who uses a chunk of his low wage to feed a street dog, every monk who offers shelter to a puppy.
Sure it’s not ideal, but then what is? It would arguably be better for every one of the street dogs to have loving, caring homes where they are locked up at nights and roam the streets only whilst chained to their owners. Failing that it would arguably be better if dogs were kept safe and sound in dog pounds and only euthanised if deemed unadoptable, like in the West.
Thailand no longer has annual culls and actually ceased euthanising animals in 1999. In December 2012, representatives from the Thai government made a request that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra declare a national agenda on the ending of the dog meat trade. Earlier this year former bombshell and current animal activist Brigitte Bardot issued an appeal to the PM to clamp down on the slaughtering of dogs in illegal abattoirs. The PM has yet to respond to either request.
Still, you can judge a country by how it treats its animals and to be fair, by and large, considering the lack of infrastructure, available funds and facilities, and not withstanding the brutal, sorry excuses for humans that profit off the dog meat trade, Thai people, arguably, do treat their stray and street animals pretty well.