Bangkok Street Dogs

A place to learn about the lives of street dogs in Bangkok, Thailand, with emphasis on the individual characters of the Bangkok street dog community and their stories of hardship and humor.

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Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Francine the Stress Relaxation Expert



The street level sounds of Bangkok have to be heard to be believed. The traffic (when it’s actually moving) generates quite a din, with vehicles of all shapes and sizes -- motorcycles, tuk-tuks, pickup trucks, 18-wheelers -- all competing for space in a vicious motorized ballet staged daily on the narrow city streets. Making matters worse is the constant noise of construction taking place all over the Thai capital -- jackhammers, welders, cranes, cement mixers, etc. -- that combines with the traffic sounds in a continuous assault on the eardrums of man and beast.

If you're a Bangkok street dog who spends his or her days awash in this cacophonous chaos, oftentimes all you want to do is curl up in a ball, shut your eyes, and try to just keep the noise from intruding on the inner areas of your psyche. In this photo, Francine -- a four year old brown mutt who lives in the Saphan Kwai section of the city -- appears to be doing just that by having a nap. But actually, Francine is not sleeping at all – she’s meditating.

You see, Francine is a experienced practitioner of Zen meditation, which she uses to achieve a deep state of relaxation that enables her to block out the noises of her street environment. In this photo, Francine is in a deep meditative state despite being curled up in the middle of a busy sidewalk brimming with pedestrians, fruit sellers, and other dogs. Her breathing, pulse, circulation, and metabolism have all slowed dramatically, and her mind is completely at rest. She may appear to be asleep, but in fact she could not be more awake.

Meditation has enabled Francine to maintain a calm and positive outlook on life as a Bangkok street dog, and she has recently been talking about opening a meditation school to share her knowledge and technique with other homeless hounds. I’m thinking about trying it, as my nerves have been kind of frazzled lately by the tuk-tuk army that goes whizzing by my area every night. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

17 Comments:

Blogger StupidHollyWolly said...

We cats do that very often, too....

7:18 PM  
Blogger David Yoong said...

he's such an adorable pooch!!! wanna bear hug it!

3:00 AM  
Blogger High Power Rocketry said...

Very cute! :O)

http://r2000.blogspot.com

Now thats a good looking dog.

6:26 AM  
Blogger Joviel said...

WOW Who are you !!! This blog is really something..Esp The post bout donny daredevil :)))
Great Blog dude !

6:51 AM  
Blogger SaffronSaris said...

I was in Bangkok 2 weeks ago, and have never seen such docile street dogs.
Missing them :)

6:42 PM  
Blogger Josh said...

wow. your blog has inspired me to create a new and improved blog. Coz my blog is just what happens in my little life. I want to create something so beautiful and interesting as in waht you have done. THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!

7:36 PM  
Blogger Malaysian Debster said...

This is brilliant!

7:33 AM  
Blogger jenny b. said...

oh goodness. I'm glad that blogspot would be so kind as to allow me to stumble upon this precious resort of yours, known as a blog. Now being inspired to do something in the life of my blog, my hat goes off to you! I was in Thailand last march/april, and it might just be my favorite place, besides cambodia. (but meh, close enough)) I'm glad God has gifted you with such an amazing imagination, my friend.

11:47 AM  
Blogger Michael said...

Great Blog. Along with Allison's donation of a doggie bed for Francis, I would like to offer the donation of toys, treats, and a year supply of dog food..Iams of course.

The blog, I am sure takes lots more time, and intelligence than the typical one.

THanks for making the life of street dogs and the people who love them a little brighter.

11:59 AM  
Blogger Neva F. Darbe said...

Casanova,
Could you please take a look at my blog (http://www.poet999.blogspot.com/) entry for July 29. I did a review of your blog and I would like to know what you think of it. Thank you.

2:02 PM  
Blogger Humour and last laugh said...

visit www.newsandseduction.blogspot.com and find the article: A dog and a man, which too offers similar concern for the predicament of the dogs of different hues.

1:20 AM  
Blogger Peggy said...

im new at this, love your blog!

2:04 AM  
Blogger High Power Rocketry said...

But thats the best kinda dog right? Cute, but also scrappy.

4:35 PM  
Blogger Tides said...

looks alot like my dog that died 2 years ago! Had adopted it, was a mongrel from SPCA.

Beautiful site :)

2:12 AM  
Blogger Gus said...

Talk about maxing and relaxing. All Francis needs is a dog bed and she would be in heaven.

11:02 AM  
Blogger Naid said...

your story is very interesting as I, myself as a Thai citizen, never pay much attention to those street dogs before. however, the idea of replacing dog with the picture of our King is outrageous. That portion of the story clouds the good will of bringing street dogs into attention. i wish i didn't see it in your story.

10:15 AM  
Blogger Casanova said...

Hi Kittima, thanks for your comment, but I think you've misunderstood the meaning of the coin photo. The dog is meant to replace the other side of the coin, not the one with His Majesty's image.

Anyway, to avoid any misunderstanding I'll taken the image down, and will add something to make it more clear that I'm not doing anything disrespectful.

Thanks
Casanova

12:14 PM  

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