The Story of How Joe Found a Home

Joe, a three year brown mutt with distant German Shepherd ancestry, isn't really a street dog per se. Although he used to roam the area around Sukhumvit Soi 81, Joe was actually 'adopted' by a family about six months ago, and now spends much of his time living within the walls of their comfortable, happy home. He's pictured here getting a vigorous (and much-needed) scrubdown from his owner, Pi Dang.

Joe's story is one of a down-and-out street dog who had the very good fortune to be in the right place at the right time. Joe used to be a real nuisance in the Soi 81 neighborhood, and used to hang out with some pretty rough dogs who would often engage in vicious street brawls late at night. The resulting noise -- a horrific cacophony of snarling and shrieking -- would often wake up residents of the otherwise quiet neighborhood.

One night, after Pi Dang's wife and three daughters were woken up at 4:30 a.m. by a particularly nasty dogfight just outside their doorstep, an enraged Pi Dang came down with a cannister of pepper spray to dispense some vigilante justice to the still-battling hounds. But just as he was about to mace the dogs, Pi Dang's daughter, watching from an upstairs window, cried out "Wait, Dad, that dog right there (pointing at Joe) -- he's cute! Can we keep him?"

Pi Dang looked at Joe, looked back at his daughter, sighed, and took his finger off the trigger. The street dogs all ran away, except for Joe, who came trotting slowly over to Pi Dang, with a friendly, sheepish posture, as if to say "Sorry for all the noise, man."

The rest, as they say, is history. Joe is now a much loved member of Pi Dang's family, and although he has to endure the occasional bath, he tells me that its well worth it to be off the streets and in a real home. Although Joe's story is unusual, it does give the rest of us Bangkok street dogs hope that somewhere out there, in the endless eternal city, there's a family for us.