Sunday 18 October 2015

Photo Blog Post: The Dogs Of Haad Rin

Gone to the dogs...


This week's post will appeal to dog lovers, as it features some of the pet dogs and stray dogs who have lived in Haad Rin over the years.  Some of the photos are just interesting dogs I took random photos of, but other dogs may be famous to anyone who has visited Haad Rin in years gone by...

1) Tripod


Going back ten years or so, perhaps the most famous dog of Haad Rin was Tripod, as he was known to backpackers, or Three Leg, as the locals called him.  Tripod was a dog with three legs who used to hang around Chicken Corner, and he was a lovely dog.  Sadly, he's no longer with us, but in years gone by Tripod was known to almost everyone who visited Haad Rin.

Tripod, one of Haad Rin's most famous dogs.




2) Ronaldog


Perhaps a contender for the most famous dog currently living in Haad Rin is Ronaldog, a football loving dog who loves to show off his skills by chasing a football all day long.  He hangs out on Haad Rin Sunrise Beach near the jetski operators just along from Cactus Bar, and he's always full of energy.

Ronaldog.


Ronaldog is another brilliant dog and his enthusiasm and energy always brings a smile to my face when I head down to Sunrise Beach.  I've noticed that his tongue seems to permanently hang out, which was slightly concerning at first, but happily it doesn't seem to cause him any discomfort or dampen his spirits.

Ronaldog showing off his football skills.




3) Lazy Dog


Here's a random stray dog I found enjoying the sun one day on Haad Rin Sunrise Beach.  It must be nice to live such a relaxing stress-free life...

Another hard day at the office.




4) Grumpy Dog


Grumpy Dog, and his friend, 'Grumpy Dog's Mate' were a pair of grumpy looking dogs who used to live off one of the side streets of Sunrise Lane.  Like many dogs, they would always act tough and bark at anyone who passed.  However, their bark was worse than their bite, and they had such lovely faces that you could never take their 'tough guy' act seriously.

Grumpy Dog.

After I'd been going to Haad Rin for a few years, the grumpy dogs gradually got used to me.  When they saw me they would jump to life and start barking, but then once they recognised it was me they seemed to think, 'Oh, it's only him,' and then they would quickly lose interest, and go back to sleep.

Grumpy Dog's Mate also had a grumpy looking face, but just like his mate it was a cute loveable sort of a face.

Grumpy Dog's Mate




5) Cool Dog


One wise dog dog who currently lives in Haad Rin is a dog I refer to as 'Cool Dog'.  Cool Dog takes advantage of the aircon from the 7-11, so he's cool by name and cool by nature.  At all times of the day you can find him snoozing outside the doorway, enjoying a waft of cool aircon every time someone enters the 7-11.  He's definitely a cool dog!

Cool Dog staying cool with the aircon from the 7-11.




6) Mops The Pug


I love pugs and a few years ago there used to be a pug who hung out on one of the corners of Sunrise Lane.  Here he is looking cute posing for a photo.

Mops the Pug.


I'm not totally sure of his name, but a Swedish girl taking him for a walk one day on Haad Rin Sunrise Beach told me he was called 'Mops'.  However, I think 'Mops' is the Swedish word for 'Pug' so I'm not sure whether that was his official name or just her own pet name for him, but whatever his name was, he was an extremely cute pug.

Mops the Pug looking cute on Haad Rin Sunrise Beach.




7) Barking dog


Finally, here's an adventurous/foolish (delete as appropriate) dog who got himself stuck on the rocks at the end of Sunrise Beach.

Barking dog stuck on the rocks.


Like almost all dogs, his solution to the problem was to bark repeatedly for several minutes and hope that this would magically transport him back onto dry land again.  Eventually, however, he realised that barking wasn't going to make the tide go out again, and so he finally plucked up the courage to jump back to the mainland...

Safely back on firm land again.


There have been some lovely dogs living in Haad Rin over the years, but on a serious note, there are quite a few stray dogs in Haad Rin, of varying degrees of friendliness.  While a lot of them are lovely friendly dogs, some can be aggressive, especially the dogs at either end of Haad Rin Sunrise Beach who can be quite territorial about their space.  Any families visiting Haad Rin with young kids should therefore be especially careful.




Phangan Animal Care (PAC) is an animal charity based on Koh Phangan and their work includes vaccinating stray dogs.  You can find out more about the good work PAC do at their website:
www.pacthailand.org

Or check out their facebook page:
www.facebook.com/PhanganAnimalCare

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