On my Block...

It takes something major to wake me out of my blog coma, and that thing just happened tonight. I was in my apartment around 8:30PM when I started hearing a whole lot of barking...

Where I live in Khon Kaen, and throughout most of the city for that matter, dogs rule the town. They're treated so well that it's nothing to be eating lunch with a dog huddled up on top of the table next to you, or having to side-step another one that's sun-bathing in a sprawled out position on a narrow path. These soi (street) dogs are a trip. They're not all well-kept, but they are usually fed by somebody and they tend to roam and hold some sort of territorial ground, which they guard vociferously at night. I ride my bike around Khon Kaen, and I've quickly learned which streets to avoid if I want to steer clear of any trouble with the dogs. They haven't bitten me yet, but they love to have a go at cyclists - probably because they can keep up for a while...

So I was in my room, when I started hearing some dogs causing a raucous. It kept going for a minute, then two...and then turned into this full blown fight which sounded bad. I stepped out of my room (which is on the 2nd floor and faces away from the street) to see what was going on, and as I looked out of my door, I saw some of my neighbors peering out onto the street. I went back into my room, but the noise just got louder and more vicious. The suspense was killing me, so I walked down the balcony to look into the street and I saw this awful sight: one of the dogs on my street, Bon, was being attacked by a pit bull on a leash and led on by it's owner. It was just nasty - Bon was backpedaling, crying, and bloodied as the pit bull kept biting into his flesh, and the owner of the pit showed no signs of pulling the beast back. Most of the neighbors were out in the street by now; some were trying to pull Bon out of the pit's grip, while others yelled at the pit's owner to fall back. The other neighborhood dogs were also out and I just imagined them crying out for the sake of their friend, begging the pit bull to let go. It really was surreal, and I was genuinely scared and horrified by the brutality that I was witnessing.

After a few seconds, the pit bull's owner pulled the leash hard and walked his dog back down the street like nothing happened. Heartless bastard. All this time I just stood frozen on the balcony, and I decided to go out into the street. Am I a coward for only coming out when the coast was clear? Why didn't I go down there to help stop this? In the street, a bunch of the neighbors were out and people seem pissed, confused, some were laughing - I'm not even sure what happened anymore. I asked a neighbor what went down. She explained that the pit's owner was pissed off that Bon kept barking at him while he was walking his dog down our street, and so just unleashed the pit to teach Bon a lesson. I walked further up the street and all I saw were bloodstains...and Bon doused in red.

Now, I'm an animal lover, but I'm not always the most comfortable person around them. I get jumpy around birds, I don't find monkeys cute (they can be mean, yo), and it bothers me sometimes when dog and cat owners spend more on their pets than they'd ever spend to help a human being in dire need. But we all value things differently, and having rarely had pets in my lifetime, I sometimes lose focus of the loyal companionship that pets offer to their owners. This night really made me think about my views on animals. Bon is my dawg (OK, dog), and in his own little way has helped me feel more at home in my community here in Thailand. I've shared a drink with his owner and a couple bites of a tuna sandwich with Bon; he's walked side by side with me to my apartment at the end of a tiring day; he's even come out to my defense (and called the cavalry) when I've been followed by other dogs on my way home. Seeing him bloodied, whimpering, and limping, just tore me up. I couldn't believe that a supposed dog lover could act so savagely to another pet, and for what...to satisfy an ego fix? Damn.

Yet, even in this sad situation, it was amazing to see the community come together. I stood shoulder to shoulder with my Thai neighbors as they voiced their frustrations. I actually got to see Thai people ANGRY (although it was still pretty toned down) and I loved it!! Little kids awoke from their slumber to see what was up, and then to play around when things cooled down. Grandma's laughed at the intensity with which I was following the discussions, even though I hardly understood a word. The best part of the night for me was when the punk with the pit came back and tried to "explain" why things got so messy. I stood there and watched his exchange with Bon's owner. In the heat of all the yelling, I caught the gaze of Bon's owner and he gave me this golden look which to me said "I know you've got my back, Frank."

Everything is everything fa sheezy...