One year ago today, we adopted Ashley, a rescued street dog. Just a puppy, she was found in poor condition indeed. But she was rehabilitated by the fine folks at SCAD Bangkok. SCAD stands for Soi Cats and Dogs — soi being the Thai name for alley or small street.
There are many thousands of “soi dogs,” as they’re known, in the Thai capital and throughout Thailand.
We were told that Ashley had been abused when she was young, and that she was found living with her litter mates in a box outside of a wood dyeing factory. Their mother was nowhere to be found. Someone had kicked Ashley, apparently, and so SCAD arranged to have life-saving surgery performed.
When SCAD took her in, she appeared to be suffering pretty badly:
The organization did a great job of fixing her up, and here’s how she looked when we got her last August, when she was roughly a year old.
Here we are in the taxi coming home:
She was a bit dubious at first…
But once we got home, she settled in quickly.
These days, she has very few puppy-like traits left. She was well socialized with other dogs when we got her, having spent her time time at the center with dozens of other canines. And she was fine with people — not aggressive, and not overly skittish. Generally, her mood is calm. She’s not overly active or insistent on human company. She is, however, extremely playful, both with people and other mutts.
Her likes include:
Hanging out on the balcony…
And hanging out some more…
Taking naps…
Smiling for the camera…
Acting daintily — even crossing her legs:
She also enjoys the the beach, though she likes chasing birds (especially chickens) more than taking dips in the water…
And she also loves her rubber chicken chew toy (though since this photo was taken, only a foot remains):
…and, finally, here she is with a favorite treat — a mangosteen:
Dislikes include swimming (and water of all kinds), loud noises, the guitar, cats, vegetables, and strangers knocking at the door.
Here’s to another great year. And hey, if you’ve been thinking of adopting a pooch, there are several available here on the SCAD Web site.
