Awoke the other morning to find my little pal Pinky's lifeless body on the terrace outside. Snake bite. I didn't have to check for a heartbeat, her body was stiff and her eyes were dull. I was, and am, gutted.
For the last 3 months we have kept the dogs in an outdoor kennel. It's pretty big, easily big enough for them to sleep comfortably, but these Thai dogs not being used to confinement, do everything they can to escape. Little Pinky was probably the best escape artist among them.
I took to burying her immediately, partly because I didn't want the others to see her, and partly because I was looking to close the issue as quickly as possible.
Instead of shovels or spades, the Thai's instead use a long pick, to break through the soil and lift it out. Once you get used to them, they are effective, and equally usable by both men and women being that they are a more 'foot friendly' alternative to the shovel, which generally requires boots, and not sandals. I buried her behind an old shrine of one of Sutiya's relatives in the garden, and in the muggy humidity of the morning I worked up quite a sweat; the inside of my thumbs became red raw as I chopped away at the earth, illustrating to me just how hard the hands are of the Thai's I work with, I swear some of them can crack nuts with their fingers.
So a very sad day for me. Apart from myself and Sutiya, no one in my Thai family spoke of it, even though everyone was very fond of Pinky.
As a dog lover, losing them has been one of the hardest things to deal with during my stay. Of course I've lost dogs back in the UK before, but always because they are too old, or ill, which makes it more acceptable. Pinky was only three.... and we've lost three dogs now in under six months, all to snakes. The house I am staying in has no real boundaries, is used for work as well as living, so is open, and has a lot of natural water, plants, and treescape, so it's the perfect environment for snakes. During the wet season you are probably only a few feet away from a snake at anytime, although if exposed they quickly make for the hills. The dogs are at a natural disadvantage in that their innate curiosity gets the better of them, and should they come across the wrong one, it's curtains.
So another day, another dead dog. I am slowly hardening to this fact of rural Thai life, although I still fear greatly for the others left in the pack. I have barricaded the kennel so much that Charles Bronson would have a hard time getting free.
(pic: how Thai's use normal shovels) So farewell my little Pinky, you were a lovely little mutt, and will be sorely missed. In a strange way you have done your job well, as your death is a constant reminder to me that while I am here I shall have to keep a constant watch on Aiden when he is tottering around, so thank you my lovely.
If you've read this post, please don't feel obliged to post messages of sympathy, the post is just to show how some elements of living in rural Thailand are difficult for us Western folk to swallow, but are very much just another part of the rich tapestry here.. In Thailand, life generally is more unfiltered than back home.
