In Thailand, it seems that all the guesthouses and households that I have visited in the countryside have at least 2 or more dogs who live on the premises. The dogs are more than just pets - they are also provide a certain measure of security as they deter unwanted intruders from entering. Among the dogs, there usually is a social hierarchy or pecking order – invariably one dog establishes himself as the alpha dog and all the other dogs fall behind in rank. Sometimes there is a shuffling of the pecking order, when a new dog is put into the mix.

I observed this ‘shuffling phenomenon’ or changing of the guard on my last visit (Nov 07) to Malee’s Nature Lodge in Chiang Dao. Son, the small gold hair dog who impressed me so much with her leadership abilities and personality in November 2006, had been pushed aside by Jennie, a relative newcomer on the scene. A 2-year-old Lhasa Apso, Jennie parades around Malee’s like she owns the place. Jennie no doubt is a very smart little dog but she acts too much like a primadonna. Because of her attitude, I have nicknamed Jennie, the little tyrant. Displaced by the more forceful personality of ‘the little tyrant’, poor Son now spends most of the day moping around upstairs on the sundeck. Whenever the opportunity presents itself, Son relishes leaving the compound and escorting some guests on a nature hike or birdwatching
expedition.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 at 5:59 am and is filed under Thailand, dogs, travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.